To approve the waiver of Contract Standing Order 17.2(a) and, where applicable, Contract Standing Order 17.2(e), and the direct award to Server Consultancy, acting as an authorised partner of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, for End-of-Life Extended Support for the Council’s HPE data storage system.
To approve expenditure of £165,000 excluding VAT for the period 01 September 2026 to 30 June 2027. This represents the full financial commitment required to maintain manufacturer-level extended support for a critical end-of-life system.
To note that this is a continuation of the existing extended support arrangement, ensuring no gap in critical support coverage for a system that is beyond its supported life and currently experiencing active component failure. Early approval secures continuity of service, maintains access to the only viable source of specialist manufacturer-level support, and supports a controlled transition to the longer-term replacement solution.