Decision details

Ipswich Borough Council has a requirement to provide suitable ICT equipment for its employees where applicable to their role. To enable agile working, business-class laptops have been identified as the most appropriate equipment for the current environment.

The pandemic has been a contributing factor to many supply line problems in the ICT industry. This, coupled with an increased level of demand for equipment due to higher amounts of home-working has meant procurement of these items is especially difficult at the moment.

To seek exemption of this procurement from Contract Standing Orders in respect of the mandate to order via an e-procurement channel for this value of contract.

To procure the laptops from CCS Media Ltd for a value of £26,000.

Reason:

The market in general is currently very short of stock. An opportunity arose to procure Laptops at very short notice and a delay in obtaining alternative competitive quotes in a thinly-provisioned market would have caused the opportunity to be missed. Evidence from previous procurements indicated that the price and spec were competitive and comparable.