Content

To approve an
exemption from the Council’s Procurement Procedure Rules and
authorise entering into an agreement with Quadient for the licensing of the Quadient Impress software solution for a 12-month
period.
 
(Contract period:
16 December 2025 – 16 December 2026)

Reasons for the decision

The current
contract with Quadient is due to
expire. The new agreement will ensure the continuation of an
established Extract, Transform and Load (ETL), templating, and
mailing software solution that supports bulk email and print
communications. This solution enables the Council to meet its
printing and postal obligations across key service areas, including
Revenue and Benefits, Environmental Services, and Corporate
Solutions.
 
An exemption from
the Council’s Procurement Procedure Rules is sought due to
the absence of a comparable integrated solution in the marketplace
and the significant operational impact and cost that would result
from transitioning to an external provider.

Alternative options considered

IT Services and the
Customer Contact Manager were unable to identify a like-for-like
integrated software solution currently available that meets the
Council’s corporate requirements. Tendring approached CFH (an
existing supplier) for a quote and to confirm whether they offer an
integrated solution similar to
Quadient. CFH confirmed they do not
provide a licensed internal platform but offered a quote for
outsourcing the entire process. Transitioning to an external
solution would require significant resource time and incur
additional costs. Based on the above, Quadient Impress is considered the most suitable
solution.