Schools Information Management System (SIMS)

Concepts

• information technology
• sims
• ruthin
• schools information management system
• sims and associated support services
• individual schools
• contractual model of perpetual licence of sims
• betws gwerfil goch primary school
• bodfari primary school
• bodnant community school

Location

Denbighshire

Description

Transition from existing contractual model of perpetual licence of SIMS to local authority with associated support services, to software as a service model contracting directly with individual schools to provide SIMS and associated support services.

Total Quantity or Scope

Prior to the award of these contracts, the current provider (ESS) had a contract with the local authority under which it provided a perpetual licence to the local authority for the purpose of providing SIMS to the schools in the local authority's area, with associated support services. ESS has now served notice to terminate that contract and requires that, in order to continue provision of SIMS, individual schools must enter into direct contracts with ESS to receive SIMS as software as a service. In order to bring about the transition, the local authority will enter into a Facilitation Agreement ("FA") with ESS under which nothing of value is received by ESS and no material services are provided to the local authority; it is purely an administrative arrangement to effect the transition. Each school in the local authority's area will enter into a School Contract ("SC") with ESS for the direct provision of SIMS as software as a service, at substantially the same cost as before. The highest value SC is 19,000.00 GBP (3 years) and the lowest value SC is 255.00 GBP (3 years). The schools in the local authority's area whose governing bodies will enter into contracts with ESS are as follows: Name DfE Number Betws Gwerfil Goch Primary School 6632214 Bodfari Primary School 6632070 Bodnant Community School 6632265 Borthyn Primary School 6633050 Cefn Meiriadog Primary School 6632124 Christ Church C P School 6632038 Christ the Word Catholic School 6635902 Denbigh High School 6634026 Dinas Bran High School 6634027 Frongoch Junior School 6632125 Gellifor Primary School 6632164 Henllan Primary School 6632127 Hiraddug Primary School 6632011 Llanbedr Primary School 6633044 Penmorfa Primary School 6632059 Pentrecelyn Primary School 6632168 Prestatyn High School 6634014 Prion Primary School 6633057 Rhos Street CP School 6632255 Rhyl High School 6634003 St Asaph Infant School 6633024 St Brigids Secondary 6635901 Trefnant Primary School 6633316 Twm O'R Nant County Primary School 6632134 Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch 6632261 Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy 6632267 Ysgol Bro Elwern 6632219 Ysgol Bro Famau 6632262 Ysgol Bryn Clwyd 6632135 Ysgol Bryn Collen 6632234 Ysgol Bryn Hedydd 6632072 Ysgol Brynhyfryd 6634031 Ysgol Caer Drewyn 6632216 Ysgol Carreg Emlyn 6632268 Ysgol Carrog C.P. School 6632215 Ysgol Clawdd Offa 6632264 Ysgol Dewi Sant 6632066 Ysgol Dyffryn Ial 6633061 Ysgol Emmanuel 6632060 Ysgol Esgob Morgan C.I.W. Voluntary Controlled Primary School 6633062 Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd 6633045 Ysgol Llywelyn 6632039 Ysgol Melyd 6632067 Ysgol Pen Barras 6632256 Ysgol Pendref 6632266 Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn 6637010 Ysgol Plas Cefndy 6631100 Ysgol Tir Morfa 6637000 Ysgol Tremeirchion Primary School 6633020 Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd 6634020 Ysgol Y Castell 6632037 Ysgol y Faenol 6632057 Ysgol Y Gwernant 6632263 Ysgol Y Llys 6632227 Ysgol Y Parc Infant School 6632136 The local authority publishes this notice on behalf of itself and the schools listed above but is not acting as a central purchasing body on behalf of the schools.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Indicators

• Award on basis of price.

Legal Justification

This contract award notice is intended to be a relevant contract award notice pursuant to Reg.93(2),(3)and(4) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. It is published on a wholly voluntary basis and without prejudice to the local authority's (LA) and the governing body of each individual school. No prior publication of a contract notice, and thus no competitive tender exercise was required in respect of the Facilitation Agreement (FA) and/or the individual Schools Contracts (SC) as neither are within the scope of application of Part 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) due to the following reasons: - The FA has no "value" but simply puts in place an administrative mechanism to transition contracts from LA to schools. It is therefore below the threshold set out in Reg. 5 (as reviewed pursuant to Reg.5A) of the 2015 Regulations. - The governing body of each individual school is a separate contracting entity and each individual SC is a separate contract, each of the individual SCs in the LA's area ranging between 255.00 GBP and 19,000 GBP in total over the three-year duration of each SC. Each individual contract is therefore below the threshold set out in Reg.5 (as reviewed pursuant to Reg.5A) of the 2015 Regulations. Further or in the alternative, neither the FA nor individual SCs are subject to a requirement to carry out prior publication of a contract notice and/or any form of competitive tender, because; - the services can only be provided by one particular economic operator (ESS), because competition is absent for technical reasons pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(b)(ii) of the 2015 Regulations. All of the schools in the LA currently use ESS' SIMS product. It would take a minimum of 12mths to transition from ESS'SIMS product to another product. ESS served 90 days notice to terminate the current arrangements mid December 2021, therefore not possible in the timescales for schools to tender and purchase an alternative product and transition to it. - urgency pursuant to Reg. 32(2)(c) of the 2015 Regulations. The provision of SIMS is essential to the running of a school and a school cannot function without it. Due to the short notice given by ESS timescales did not allow for the open or restricted procedure, or competitive procedure with negotiation to be undertaken. It is intended to advertise a competitive tender for SIMS on an all-Wales basis. Award and transition of new contracts to coincide with the end of the 3yr term of the SCs with ESS.

Other Information

Contract duration: 36 months (WA Ref:120150)