Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
DUDLEY MBC
Council House,Priory Road
DUDLEY
DY19TD
Contact
John Bailey
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKG36 - Dudley
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Corporate Finance Application Support & Cloud Hosting
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72260000 - Software-related services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Unit 4 Agresso (Business World Enterprise Resource Planning) application is the system used by the entire council for the management of its finances. The application is essential IT infrastructure as it provides accounting functionality which enables budget allocation and management across the whole council.
This award is lawful pursuant to Regulation 32 (2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with, and in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) because competition is absent for technical reasons.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £958,355
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKG36 - Dudley
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Unit 4 Agresso (Business World Enterprise Resource Planning) application is the system used by the entire council for the management of its finances. The application is essential IT infrastructure as it provides accounting functionality which enables budget allocation and management across the whole council.
This award is lawful pursuant to Regulation 32 (2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with, and in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) because competition is absent for technical reasons.
The following details the justification for this:
Unit 4 timing of announcements regarding product changes, coupled with a 12-month timeframe to switch solutions, creates the urgency of the situation. The system is an essential part of the councils IT infrastructure would have a detrimental effect of the running of the council services. Unit 4 have mandated the switch and withdrawn support of the on-premise solution. It will not be possible for the application and the data to be hosted on premise in the future due to the availability of support for third party hosting. The Council could not have foreseen these events and no other economic provider would be able to provide this service
At the present time it would be impossible for the council to procure and implement an alternative economic operator to provide this service. This is because, the supplier will no longer support the current on premise software beyond December 2024 and council risks a non-supported financial system. Therefore it is key that the council upgrades to the cloud software so stability of provision is ensured over the next few years to allow proper consideration of the above mentioned aspects.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
- Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority
Explanation:
The Unit 4 Agresso (Business World Enterprise Resource Planning) application is the system used by the entire council for the management of its finances. The application is essential IT infrastructure as it provides accounting functionality which enables budget allocation and management across the whole council.
This award is lawful pursuant to Regulation 32 (2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with, and in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) because competition is absent for technical reasons.
The following details the justification for this:
Unit 4 timing of announcements regarding product changes, coupled with a 12-month timeframe to switch solutions, creates the urgency of the situation. The system is an essential part of the councils IT infrastructure would have a detrimental effect of the running of the council services. Unit 4 have mandated the switch and withdrawn support of the on-premise solution. It will not be possible for the application and the data to be hosted on premise in the future due to the availability of support for third party hosting. The Council could not have foreseen these events and no other economic provider would be able to provide this service
At the present time it would be impossible for the council to procure and implement an alternative economic operator to provide this service. This is because, the supplier will no longer support the current on premise software beyond December 2024 and council risks a non-supported financial system. Therefore it is key that the council upgrades to the cloud software so stability of provision is ensured over the next few years to allow proper consideration of the above mentioned aspects.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Title
Corporate Finance Application Support & Cloud Hosting
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
18 March 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Unit 4 Business Software Ltd
Bristol
BS1 9HS
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKG36 - Dudley
Companies House
01737985
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot/concession: £880,000
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £958,355
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The High Court Royal Court of Justice
The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom