Purpose

ESRI UK provides the Council’s geolocation mapping software, a critical system that supports a wide range of functions across the Council. This software delivers essential geo-locational data which is used daily by officers to enable core business activities and by residents to access council services.
With reference to the published accompanying report the following benefits will be accrued.
1)A trusted technology support partner. ESRI UK has established a strong reputation for technical expertise in the market and continues to maintain excellent relationships with Tendring District Council and 10 other Essex local authorities.
2)Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) In light of the four proposals submitted to Central Government, it is worth noting that both Braintree and Maldon hold contracts with ESRI UK, while Colchester has chosen an alternative supplier.
3)Cybersecurity and Information Governance. ESRI UK have been granted FISMA (Federal Agency Production System Security Accreditation) Low Authority to Operate. FISMA Low controls align with NIST Special Publication 800-53 which maps to ISO controls and their cloud infrastructure is compliant with ISO 27001, FedRAMP and
SSAE16 SOC1 Type 2. In addition ESRI UK hold both Cyber essentials and Cyber essentials plus certifications. For accessibility the company conforms to the accessibility standards WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549.
4)Value for Money. The fees and charges as quoted above are comparable with the IT industry market rates, with the addition of SLG ELA (Small Local Government Enterprise Licensing Agreement) being in line with previous year renewals.
5)Partner ethos. Neighbouring authorities also use the same solution and are willing to work alongside council IT resources to share knowledge/ information, assisting in the development of new skills sets, to improve the current system and implement new processes benefiting the digital services available to the residents of Tendring.
6)Cost of Change and Business Continuity. Changing the current solution would cause significant disruption for Tendring residents during the transition to an alternative system, given the critical reliance on mapping for planning, elections, and emergency planning services. It is worth noting that all GIS work for the revised Local Plan is carried out in-house using the ESRI UK suite of tools, changing this solution would have a substantial impact on the delivery of the Local Plan. Implementing and training for a new system is estimated to take approximately 3–6 months to plan and deliver. This process would incur considerable costs, including staff retraining and the additional resources required to complete the change.
7)Framework agreement procurement on advice form the Essex Procurement Partnership (EPP) and in accordance with our procurement rules of procedure.
8)Funded using existing budgets.

Decision

To renew the ESRI contract using the SLG ELA (Small Local Government Enterprise Licensing Agreement) for a period of three years via the CCS Framework in accordance with the Essex Procurement Partnership specialist guidance.
The procurement is via the Vertical Application Solutions (VAS) Catalogue via the Crown Commercial Services framework Lot3 SLG ELA Tier 3, which is fully compliant with the PCR2015 regulations.

Alternative options considered

In light of the four proposals submitted to Central Government, it is important to note that both Braintree and Maldon currently hold contracts with ESRI UK, while Colchester has opted for an alternative supplier.
The three-year contract enables Tendring District Council’s GIS system stability and will enable the new unitary council to decide the future of its GIS system supplier in 2028.