Managed ICT Services for Stepney All Saints School

Overview

Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School intends to award a contract for the provision of comprehensive managed ICT services to support the School's ICT infrastructure and day-to-day technology requirements. The services include managed network and infrastructure support, wired and wireless networking, internet connectivity and filtering, cybersecurity support, backup and disaster recovery, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace support, device and mobile device management, telephony, service desk provision, onsite technical support, asset management, systems monitoring and reporting, and associated ICT consultancy and project support. The service will support approximately 1,450 student devices and 220 staff devices, together with the School's wider ICT infrastructure and associated onsite technical support arrangements. The proposed contract with Classroom365 has an annual core managed service value of £149,734.80 excluding VAT, giving a total core contract value of £449,204.40 excluding VAT over the three-year contract term. The procurement exercise was initially commenced with the support of Everything ICT, which had been engaged to assist the School with the procurement process. During the course of that process, the School decided to withdraw from the externally managed arrangement due to operational and decision-making issues concerning the management of the procurement. Following that withdrawal, the School continued the procurement process internally. The substantive service specification and requirements remained materially unchanged, and the School continued to seek a provider for the same managed ICT services requirement. Three suppliers submitted tenders, which were evaluated against the stated quality and price criteria. Following evaluation, Eduthing Ltd was initially identified as the highest-ranked supplier and the School's preferred supplier. Following that decision, the School became aware in the due diligence process that Eduthing Ltd had entered administration. In light of this material change in circumstances, the School determined that it was not appropriate to proceed with the proposed contract award to Eduthing Ltd as they did not disclose this information to school at any stage. The School therefore reviewed the outcome of the completed competitive evaluation and identified Classroom365 as the next highest-ranked suitable supplier. Classroom365 is accordingly the School's intended supplier for the managed ICT services contract. During a subsequent review of the procurement documentation and publication requirements, the School was unable to locate the required UK4 Tender Notice on the Central Digital Platform in relation to the procurement which should have been issued by Everything ICT. The School had understood that the relevant procurement publication requirements were being managed during the earlier externally supported stage of the process. As part of its review, the School has contacted Everything ICT to seek clarification regarding the original procurement notice and any publication information associated with the initial externally supported process. At the time of publication of this Transparency Notice, the School has not yet received a response or information confirming that the required UK4 Tender Notice was published. In the absence of that clarification, and in order to ensure that the School's intended award is placed transparently on the public record, the School is publishing this Transparency Notice before proceeding further with the proposed contract award to Classroom365. The School intends to publish a Contract Award Notice before entering into the contract and to observe the applicable standstill period before contract signature.