Purpose

This report seeks approval to award a contract for the supply of Stationery and Office Supplies following a collaborative procurement exercise led by Knowsley Council on behalf of Liverpool City Region local authorities.

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report, the Corporate Director has decided to:

1)    Award a contract to Lyreco UK Limited for the supply of stationery and office supplies for an initial period of two years commencing as soon as practicable following completion of the award process, with an option to extend by up to 24 months, for a total estimated value of £240,000 excluding VAT.

Alternative options considered

“Do nothing”:  Allowing the current Council-wide contract to expire without establishing this replacement arrangement would result in services procuring stationery and office supplies independently through low-value purchases. This would lead to fragmented purchasing practices, reduced spend control, increased administrative costs, inconsistent pricing, and the loss of economies of scale currently achieved through a single contract. It may also increase the risk of non-compliant procurement activity and reduce the Council's ability to effectively manage supplier performance.

“Conducting a standalone procurement exercise”: this was considered but discounted. Participation in the collaborative Liverpool City Region procurement exercise enabled the Council to benefit from a compliant procurement process, shared procurement resources, economies of scale and reduced procurement costs.