Purpose

The Council entered into a contracts with Aimes Management Services Limited for the provision of IT compute, storage and periphery infrastructure from 01 April 2023 for a period of 36 months, with the option to extend the contract for a further period of 12 months, to 31 March 2027 and also the provision of a virtual firewall and internet breakout for a period of 29 months from 1 November 2023 with the option to extend the contract for a further period of 12 months, to 31 March 2027.

Aimes Management Services Limited was acquired by Arrow Business Communications Limited and as part of a group restructure, the companies within the group are now operating under name Arrow Business Communications Limited, trading under the brand name ARO.

Decision

(i)       That, the Council’s contracts with AIMES Management Services Limited are novated to Arrow Business Communications Limited, trading under the brand name ARO without change to terms and conditions.

(ii)       authorise the Legal Team to make the necessary arrangements for the signing of  relevant contract novation documentation.

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing: This option was considered and rejected as Council would not be able to trade with the supplier and the option of a new tender process cannot be accommodated within the timeframes available.

Deliver in house: This option is not viable due to the requirement for the hardware and associated software to be provisioned.