Decision
Analysis
outcome: The recommendations were approved, allowing for the contract award, one-off capital expenditure, coverage of ongoing costs from existing budgets, and delegation of approval for future cost increases related to the procurement.
summary: The decision involves awarding a contract for a new cloud-based Unified Communications solution to replace the current Telephone, Contact Centre, and Telephone Payment systems due to the unexpected withdrawal of existing products by the supplier.
topline: The Council Leader has decided to approve a significant investment in a new cloud-based Unified Communications system to replace outdated council telephony infrastructure.
reason_contentious: The issue may be contentious due to the urgency of the decision prompted by the supplier's withdrawal, the significant expenditure involved, and the limited comparison with alternative solutions.
affected_stakeholders: Council staff, local residents, service users, current and potential service providers, and taxpayers.
contentiousness_score: 5
political_party_relevance: There is no direct mention of political parties or political influence on the decision within the provided text.
URL: https://sthelens.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=180
Decision Maker: Council Leader
Outcome: Recommendations Approved
Is Key Decision?: Yes
Is Callable In?: No
Purpose: To award the contract for the replacement of the current Telephone, Contact Centre, and Telephone Payment systems, with a new third-party cloud-based Unified Communications solution.
Content: To award the contract for the replacement of the current Telephone, Contact Centre, and Telephone Payment systems, with a new third-party cloud-based Unified Communications solution. 1) Approve the contract award via the G-cloud 13 framework for a period of 3+1 years as a replacement for the existing back-office telephony, contact centre and telephone payment systems; 2) Approve one-off capital expenditure of £129,257 to implement the initial rollout of the new system; 3) Note that the ongoing revenue costs as referenced in Section 17 of the briefing note will be covered from existing budgets; and 4) Delegate approval for any future increase in contract costs of up to £100,000 related to the procurement and implementation of additional modules, to the Executive Director for Corporate Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Governance. Approval to source urgent replacement of the current Telephone, Contact Centre, and Telephony Payment systems Due to time pressures, created by the suppliers unexpected withdrawal of the existing products, a system comparison has been conducted against two alternative solutions. The preferred solution is identified and detailed in the Urgent Leader Decision Briefing Note. Due to the timescales available, one other unified communications solution was briefly considered, but based on the number of individual suppliers involved, it was felt that this would not provide the required solution within the timeframe.
Date of Decision: May 10, 2023