Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek approval, in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 9, for the award of contract to Aimes Management Services Limited for the provision of a virtual firewall and internet breakout from 01 November 2023 to 31 March 2026, including options to extend for further periods of time up to a maximum of 12 months in aggregate, to 31 March 2027.

The reason for the decision is that a compliant procurement exercise has been undertaken in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 9, and the winning bidder has been identified as providing the most economically advantageous offer to the Council.

Decision

(i)    That, in accordance with Contract Procedure Rule 9, a contract be awarded to Aimes Management Services Limited for the provision of a virtual firewall and internet breakout for a period of 29 months with the option to extend the contract for a further period of 12 months; and.

(ii)    That the Procurement / Information Technology Team / Legal Team be authorised to make the necessary arrangements for the issue of the relevant contract documentation.

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing: This option was considered and rejected due to the existing hardware and software arrangements will start to expire on 31st March 2023.

Deliver in house: This option is not viable due to the relocation of the core IT infrastructure and the best practice to co-locate these services.