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Purchase of a 3-year domain name renewal for
the Guildford.gov.uk domain from JISC Services Limited.

Reasons for the decision

The Council’s primary domain name
(Guildford.gov.uk) expired in February. This domain is central to
the Council’s online identity including its website and
email, amongst other services. Renewal was therefore considered
essential.

Alternative options considered

The list of .gov.uk Approved Registrars
(https://www.gov.uk/guidance/choose-a-govuk-approved-registrar) was
reviewed. Quotes were requested from four registrars (in addition
to the existing registrar’s pricing).
Only two responses were received in a reasonable timeframe. Whilst
the more expensive solution offered more enterprise-grade services,
this was not in-line with the existing budget.
Given timeline pressures (the risk of domain name loss if not
completed before 18/03/2026), the risk of operational impacts in
migration, and the current technical needs of the Council, the
lower-priced registrar (JISC Services Limited) was considered most
suitable at this time.