Decision

Summary of Decision

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Council Reform has approved:

a)    The direct award by way of an extension to the existing call off contract with the current provider Trustmarque (company number 02183240) for a further period of 2 years from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2026 at a total contract extension cost of £5,122,069.  

b)    The early licence upgrade from E3 to E5 and for the Azure consumption for the period commencing 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2024 at a cost of £1,013,000. 

Reasons for Decision 

Given the disaggregation of the IT service, the desire to move to an E5 licencing model and the imminent ending of the EA, Microsoft have proposed an extension of the existing EA by 2 years. This will give the Council better value for money over the 3-year period by locking in the unit costs under the protected pricing within the existing framework.