Purpose

As per the Council's standing orders, this
report is being presented for your approval regarding a contract
award for the 'Google Workspace Licences' procurement.

Content

RESOLVED:
To approve the award
of a contract to Supplier C for the supply of Google Workspace
licenses. The contract will be for an initial two (2) year term,
with a single one (1) year extension option exercisable at the
Council's discretion, resulting in a potential maximum contract
duration of three (3) years (2+1).
 
Reason(s) For
Decision 
 
This procurement is directly tied to the
Business Case approved by the Hackney Cabinet Procurement and
Insourcing Committee on October 6, 2025. The Committee authorised
the procurement strategy, utilising the Crown Commercial Service's
(CCS) G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement (RM1557.14), accessible via
the Digital Marketplace, for securing Google Workspace licensing.
The contract term is established for up to three years (2+1).
 
The procurement of the required Google
Workspace licenses was conducted compliantly via the Crown
Commercial Service's (CCS) G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement
(RM1557.14), utilising the associated Digital Marketplace.
Following a search based on the council's specific requirements, a
shortlist of four qualified suppliers was generated. These four
suppliers were subsequently evaluated under the direct award
process using a formal criterion weighted as Listed Price (90%) and
Social Value (10%). The necessary pricing and social value
information was secured through direct communication with each
supplier, ensuring a complete assessment before a single,
successful applicant was formally nominated for the contract
award.
 
Alternative Options
Considered and Rejected
 
1. Do Nothing
Failing to act is functionally equivalent to
choosing a total, unscheduled business outage with a high risk of
permanent data loss.
 
2. Direct Award to Current Supplier
This approach mitigates the critical risk of
service lapse and presents the most expeditious and cost-effective
solution, based on an evaluation of marketplace pricing. However,
it lacks transparency and does not guarantee optimal value for
money when compared to a competitive process, thereby conflicting
with the principles outlined in the Procurement Act 2023.
 
3.  Migrate to
Microsoft Platform (Rejected for Immediate Reprocurement)
Significant, Unclear, and Substantial Costs
for licensing and complex migration. Costs include data transfer,
re-platforming, identity/SSO integration, specialised staffing,
change management, and training. Full cost cannot be quantified
without detailed discovery. Rejected - Not Feasible for Immediate
Reprocurement. Highly complex and
time-consuming, making it incompatible with current deadlines.
Requires a separate, dedicated strategic review and discovery
phase.