MUCH of Herefordshire Council's current ITC hardware is now either below - or close to below -  minimum operational standards.

Over the coming year, some 655 ageing laptop and desktop devices used by staff across the authority are to be replaced at a cost estimated between £450,000 - £460,000.

The Hereford Times has learned that the spend has been sanctioned at senior officer level to be funded through a specific ITC replacement budget.

It's a decision that commits the council to a tendering process using Crown Commercial Services (CCS), an executive agency, sponsored by central government’s Cabinet Office, that brings together policy, advice and direct buying in providing commercial services to the public sector.

CSS offers a framework agreement related to technology products.

The council concedes that it cannot continue to support its increasingly aged hardware.

Some equipment is already acknowledged as below the minimum standard for  the modern applications which run on it – with devices frequently becoming unresponsive.

By this time next year, around 40 per cent of the council’s current devices will have exceeded their maximum age five year life span.

There is also a risk of aged hardware running out of warranty.

In ruling out undertaking its own tendering process, the council cites “collaborative frameworks” such as that offered by CCS as recommended best practice for IT.

The precise mix of devices is to be determined by operational need and delivered on a month-by-month basis.

Overall, the purchase is expected to cover the cost of 555 high performance laptops and desktops and 100 standard laptops by next March.