Decision details

The Council has a requirement to purchase mobile telephony services which includes voice, texts and data. 

The current contract with Vodafone expired with the Council looking to award a new contract.

That the Executive Director of Resources:

·       Approves the Council awarding the mobile contract to Vodafone UK Ltd (Vodafone) via the Crown Commercial Services framework RM3808 Network Services 2 - Lot 6 Mobile Voice and Data Services as outlined in this report.

·       Approves the Council entering into a Call Off Contract with Vodafone for a period of 3 years from 7th June 2021 to 6th June 2024 on terms that are not materially different from those outlined in this report.

·       Notes that in line with council legal advice this contract can be regarded as commonly recurring item and therefore a key decision can be made by the appropriate Executive Director, in accordance with the Leaders Scheme of Delegation.

The reasons for the recommendations is because:

• it provides consistency in Network and reception performance
• it is Competitive and consistent pricing for each tariff type
• connections can be moved from one tariff type to another to enable flexibility during the contract term
• it provides an effective and efficient way to manage the council mobile telephony requirements.

Do Nothing: This option has been rejected as this would be in direct violation of the Councils Contract rules and EU legislation.

Access an open Framework via mini competition: This option has been rejected as it is possible to direct award on a compliant framework.

Access an Open Framework through Direct Award: This is the recommended option as it is an available option within the public sector frameworks open for the Council to use. It also has the advantage of being a quicker process than other options and is also compliant with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. 

Conduct an open market procurement: This option has been rejected as there are many public sector frameworks available in which the Council can procure against which saves the Council conducting a full tender process.