Decision

Approve the award of the contract for ongoing systems access with Unit4 Business Software Ltd for the provision of an integrated suite of ERP solutions (Business world) over a period of 1 year from 30th March 2027, at a total contract value of £177,975.00 (one hundred and seventy seven thousand, nine hundred and seventy five pounds only)

Reasons for the decision

The Council has ongoing requirement to operate a reliable and robust ERP system when its current licence expires on the 30th May 2027. This aligns with the West Surrey plans for existing Borough Councils to maintain their systems, whilst a broader solution is developed.
The current contract cannot be extended as the councils has already used its option for a 1-year extension, and delaying the procurement beyond October 28th will result in significant increase in licence costs due to only having the option to procure the G-Cloud 15 version.
Procuring the licence now will thus allow the seamless continuation of the contract, offering the best value for money to the council

Alternative options considered

Alternative routes were considered to include:-
1 - a full implementation of a new ERP system however, this was deemed impractical due to the short term need (1 year) for a system that will be superseded by West Surrey ERP. The costs and resources required made this option impractical and not offer value for money.
2 - procure the G-Cloud 15 version of the software later in the year. This would however result in greater costs for the licence as the G-Cloud 15 version is significantly more expensive than the version being procured.