Decision

That the current Crematorium and Cemetery Administration System be upgraded and hosted by Gower with all new licences & updates included.

The Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder has granted an exemption from the Procurement Rules.

Reasons for the decision

These are broadly set out in the attached exemption request made to the Portfolio Holder.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Do nothing and use an unsupported system with the risk of software failure due to no further updates.

Option 2 – Go out to retrieve four competitive quotes in line with procurement rules which could lead to a new supplier, months of testing and implementation, staff training as well as data migration between systems.

Option 3 – Upgrade the current system, enter into new arrangements and benefit from the more modern supported system that will be used by the Bereavement Services.