Issue - meetings

a)         That tenders be sought for a replacement financial system, within a guideline budget of £188,750

(b)        That officers be authorised to invite tenders for a replacement system, via an appropriate framework agreement, including the current supplier in the process, and, following evaluation, to award the contract.

(c)        That the cost be financed from the ICT Development Fund and existing revenue budget provision, as outlined in the report.

A report was submitted to obtain approval to invite tenders for the replacement of the Council’s financial accounting and management system. The current system had been in place since 2003 and was no longer supported by the software supplier.  It was also desired to benefit from enhancements now available and to consider options for integration with other Council ICT systems.  Seeking tenders would also provide reassurance that the Council was obtaining value for money in the provision of its financial system.

The Portfolio holder highlighted that the money required for the project was already in the existing budget and that this money would now be better spent to provide a better service for the Council.

Members expressed concerned regarding the fact that the current system would be difficult to restore in the event of a disaster due to its age and underlying technology. The question was raised as to whether any of the Councils other software systems would also suffer backup problems should there be a disaster. Officers agreed to feed back this information to the Chair who would communicate it to Cabinet Members.

Resolved:      a)         That tenders be sought for a replacement financial system, within a guideline budget of £188,750

(b)        That officers be authorised to invite tenders for a replacement system, via an appropriate framework agreement, including the current supplier in the process, and, following evaluation, to award the contract.

(c)        That the cost be financed from the ICT Development Fund and existing revenue budget provision, as outlined in the report.