Herefordshire Council’s IT Below Required Quality

A large proportion of IT hardware at Herefordshire Council is either dangerously close to being below minimum operation standards or already is below this level.

The Hereford Times reports that 655 ageing laptops and desktops are to be replaced over the coming year for £450,000-£460,000.

This cost will cover 555 high performance laptops and desktops and 100 standard laptops by March 2016.

It is expected that by this time next year, 40% of the council’s current devices will have exceeded their maximum five year life span.

Some has already reached this point, meaning it cannot run modern applications effectively and devices frequently become unresponsive.

The authority has admitted that it cannot continue to support such outdated hardware, particularly when there is a risk of it running out of warranty.

Herefordshire intends to initiate a tendering process for the new equipment with the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) technology products framework agreement.

According to the local press, the local authority has ruled out carrying out its own tendering process and collaborative frameworks such as those offered by CCS are recommended best practice for IT.

It is expected that the precise mix of devices will be determined by operational need and delivered on a month by month basis.

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