Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Delt Shared Services Limited
Building 2, Derriford Business Park
Plymouth
PL6 5QZ
Contact
Mrs Briony Archer-Davey
briony.archer@deltservices.co.uk
Telephone
+44 1752581844
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKK - South West (England)
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.6) Main activity
Other activity
Shared Service
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Unit 4 SAAS ERP - West of England
Reference number
DN756573
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Delt Shared Services Ltd, are procuring this service for North Somerset Council, who are providing IT services for the West of England Combined Authority. Delt intend to award a contract for the provision of a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for the stated parties. This procurement is necessitated by the withdrawal of support for the West of England Combined Authority’s current on-premises ERP system. The new solution will encompass core functionalities including Human Resources, Payroll, Procure to Pay, Income Management, and the General Ledger, primarily for use by the West of England Combined Authority.
The proposed contract is for a period of 3 years with an option to extend annually for up to two years (1+1). The total value of the proposed contract is £351,246.28
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: £351,246.28
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKK - South West (England)
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Delt Shared Services Ltd, are procuring this service for North Somerset Council, who are providing IT services for the West of England Combined Authority. Delt intends to award a contract for the provision of a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for the stated parties. This procurement is necessitated by the withdrawal of support for the West of England Combined Authority’s current on-premises ERP system. The new solution will encompass core functionalities including Human Resources, Payroll, Procure to Pay, Income Management, and the General Ledger, primarily for use by the West of England Combined Authority.
The proposed contract is for a period of 3 years with an option to extend annually for up to two years (1+1). The total value of the proposed contract is £351,246.28
The award of the contract is permitted under Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (the PCR 2015). Regulation 32 of the PCR 2015 allows contracting authorities to award a public contract by a negotiated procedure without prior publication. Regulation 32(2)(c) permits the award of a public contract 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.
It is considered that due to Unit4’s unforeseeable decision on 17 October 2023 to remove support for the West of England Combined Authority’s on-premises solution from 31 December 2024, the council does not have sufficient time to conduct market tests, complete a full procurement exercise and implement a new solution before 31 December 2024. The award of a contract pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(c) is therefore strictly necessary, for reasons of extreme urgency, to ensure business continuity for the Council. Further details are set out in Section IV below.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: 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 entity
- Additional deliveries by the original supplier
Explanation:
It is considered that the award of the contract is permitted under Regulation 32(2)(c) of the PCR 2015. Regulation 32 of the PCR 2015 allows contracting authorities to award a public contract by a negotiated procedure without prior publication. Regulation 32(2)(c) permits the award of a public contract 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. Considering that its reliance on Regulation 32(2)(c) is justified for the following reasons:
The West of England Combined Authority has a perpetual licence for the Unit4 Agresso Enterprise Resource and Planning Solution and receives annual maintenance and support from Unit4 Business Software Limited (Unit4). The data is stored on the Council's Azure infrastructure, which is an on-premises model.
On 17 October 2023 Unit4 announced that it would no longer provide maintenance and support services for perpetual licences or any on premises solutions post 31 December 2024, meaning that the West of England Combined Authority would have to migrate the existing solution to Unit4's own cloud services and adopt a subscription-based licence model.
The ERP solution is an essential and integral part of the West of England Combined Authority’s financial systems. Unit4's announcement that it would cease to provide maintenance and support services or any on premises solutions post 31 December 2024 was not foreseeable by the West of England Combined Authority and has given rise to a situation of extreme urgency they must ensure that its ERP systems do not become unsupported post 31 December 2024.
It is the position that the time period provided by Unit4 before the ERP system becomes unsupported is insufficient to permit the West of England Combined Authority to undertake the intricate process of compiling detailed business requirements for a new solution, perform an exhaustive market analysis, execute a comprehensive open procurement exercise, and deploy a new ERP system prior to 31 December 2024. The decision to award a contract pursuant to Unit4 pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(c) is therefore considered to be strictly necessary in a situation of extreme urgency, to ensure business continuity for the Council. This approach will also provide the necessary time to evaluate all potential options and ensure that any future procurement decisions align with the West of England Combined Authority’s best interests and value for money obligations.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Contract No
CNTR0011393
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
18 December 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
Delt Shared Services Ltd
Plymouth
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKK - South West (England)
Internet address
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £351,246.28
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Delt Shared Services Ltd
Plymouth
Country
United Kingdom