Issue - meetings

RESOLVED that 1) a three-year Microsoft licence contract be awarded,

2) delegated power be granted to the Chief Executive Officer to select the preferred supplier following the procurement exercise.

Executive considered a detailed report, presented by the Portfolio Holder for Resources, which sought Members’ approval to take out a three-year contract to supply Microsoft Licences.

The current Microsoft Licence contract would expire in June 2024. A tender process, following procurement rules using a procurement framework, would be completed during April and May 2024 to select a new Microsoft 365 partner to supply Licenses for the Authority. The approximate value of the contract would be £280,000 split annually over the three years and would take advantage of Microsoft’s special discounted prices provided to government organisations, which would be released during April.

Moved by Councillor Clive Moesby and seconded by Councillor Duncan McGregor

RESOLVED that: 1) a three-year Microsoft licence contract be awarded,

2)    delegated power be granted to the Chief Executive Officer to select the preferred supplier following the procurement exercise.

Reasons for Recommendation

The Authority relied on Microsoft software to continue to provide services to carry out its Council plan.

The new contract would be completed following the Authority’s procurement tender process and would be awarded via a procurement framework. By entering into a three year agreement, the prices were fixed and enabled the Authority to get discounted prices on the government’s new Digital Transformation Arrangement (DTA) which would be released in April 2024.

Alternative Options and Reasons for Rejection

Look at alternative software suppliers. Many of the major business applications would only work with Microsoft products so was not a viable alternative.