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Procurement of up to 150 laptops for
organisation use (Officer/Councillor devices) at a cost below
£620 plus tax each. This totals below £93,000 plus
tax.

Reasons for the decision

Guildford's ICT team issues and maintains ICT
equipment for the Council. Following multiple years of extending
the life of existing laptops, many of which were bought in
2018/2019, many laptops are now experiencing hardware issues
commonly associated with device age. These include issues such as
batteries unable to hold charge, and leaking screens.
A decision was therefore made to procure some laptops to enable the
ICT team to begin replacing the oldest and least reliable laptops,
with an intention to begin bringing laptops used by the Council
within common industry lifecycles (generally 3-5 years for
laptops).
Reviewing the capacity of the ICT team and seeking to minimise the
risks from excessive stock (depreciation, lost warranty time, and
devices models becoming outdated before they are put into active
use), a volume of 150 laptops was identified as optimal.

Alternative options considered

A market review of laptop options was
conducted. Quotes were obtained from three potential suppliers
previously used by the Council. Responses were evaluated based on
the required specifications, delivery timescales, and cost. The
Council’s direct partnership with Dell proved most cost
effective and was therefore selected.