Purpose

Southend City Council currently has a contract with Civica PLC to provide a corporate Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

The current contract term began on the 20th October 2021 and expires on the 19th October 2026. Within the terms of the contract there is the option to extend for two further years (1 year + 1 year). The recommendation is to extend for the full two available years of the contract.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Technology Learning and Customer Services agrees to:-

1. Approve the extension of the Civica PLC EDRMS support and maintenance contract for twelve months from the 20th October 2026.
2. Delegate authority to the Executive Director for Strategy and Change to approve the second twelve-month extension period, available from the 20th October 2027.

Reasons for the decision

Civica EDRMS is Southend-on-Sea City Council’s corporate electronic records software and has been in place since 1st January 2010. The current iteration of the support and maintenance agreement has been in effect since the 20th October 2021.

Alternative options considered

The option to enter into another long-term contract with Civica EDRMS was considered but not taken forward due to considerations that the new South East Essex Council will need to establish its own strategy for electronic records management and may wish to go in a different direction.  Utilising the available extensions to the existing contract gives the new Authority a greater degree of flexibility when making these future decisions.