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Computer deal to save money

9:09am Wednesday 22nd October 2008 in


HEREFORDSHIRE Council has struck a deal to save itself, and county schools, thousands of pounds on computer equipment.

Over the past year the council has undertaken a review of how it purchases ICT equipment, as a four-year replacement programme is required to get its technology up to speed.

After a process of competitive tendering, Dell was selected as the preferred provider.

As part of the negotiations, local authority schools in Herefordshire will receive an improved level of discount on desktop equipment bought by the council on their behalf.

The cost of a single PC will be reduced by 43 per cent and the cost of a single laptop by 33 per cent.

Councillor Phillip Price, cabinet member for ICT, education and achievement, said: “We know how much pressure our schools are under at the moment financially, and yet we need to make sure our children and young people have access to good quality technology.

“We are delighted to be able to offer them such large reductions in costs.”

He added that by the new year, local authority schools will also have access to JA.Net, an education and research network that links all the colleges, universities and research establishments in the country.

Comments(15)

digitaldave says...
9:52am Sun 26 Oct 08

nice to see the council supporting local business, ohh hang on Dell are a US company with NO employed staff in Herefordshire, well done! NOT!

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Sue Jones says...
5:54pm Sun 26 Oct 08

With a name like Digital Dave you would think he would know that golden valley is not silicon valley. There are no personal computer manufactures in the UK let alone Herefordshire. Does that mean we shouldn't have any modern technology? Our children need the latest technology and the schools need a good deal (being as government funding for Herefordshire is the lowest in the UK).

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digitaldave says...
8:59pm Sun 26 Oct 08

Hi Sue, one company in herefordshire has for the past 5 years supplied dell, why do they not get asked to bid for the computers?

you say no one in UK manufactures PC's? are you for real? I could name hundreds!

dont take things the wrong way, im all for our kids having the best, but im also all for our kids not having to move out of herefordshire to get a decent job they can be proud of, if this is a good deal then price it out in public, im certain the herefordshire company in question will raise their head and show what deal could have been had.

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Sue Jones says...
7:47am Mon 27 Oct 08

Dear Digital Dave

You are contradicting yourself. You say that Dell is a US company and the council was wrong to buy those systems. Yet you also say that a company in Herefordshire supplies Dell computers and the council should have gone to them. Why would anyone seeking to buy hundreds of units go through a middle man when they can get a really good deal direct.

As the HT article says, the council went through an open competitive tendering process to secure a good deal. Of course there are UK final assembly plants for PCs but there are owned and supplied by oversees manufacturers (usually American). There are also specialist UK manufacturers supplying niche markets but these are very expensive and our schools require only mainstream personal computers.

After all schools are not here to use their limited funds to support local business - they have to demonstrate good value for money.

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digitaldave says...
8:51am Mon 27 Oct 08

firstly you know nothing of this subject, you say there is not one PC manufacturer in UK, a quick scan of microsofts website shows several approved PC Manufacturers in herefordshire.

its not about giving the business to higher priced local companies, its about giving the business to competitive companies at the same price in the local area.

its obvious you do not understand though, see above for clarification.

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Sue Jones says...
7:40pm Mon 27 Oct 08

Sorry I was not able to come back to correct you earlier Digital Dave (I have to work for a living). Just to repeat: there are no personal computer manufacturing companies in Herefordshire. And although you might get final test and assembly companies in the UK, the key components are manufactured abroad and if you want a real standard business PC you generally have to buy American or Far East product. Please be assured the only chips manufactured in Hereford are those you put salt and vinegar on.


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digitaldave says...
8:08pm Mon 27 Oct 08

ahh i see your trolling stance, beaten on the facts now lets change your argumentation, glad i'm not the only one to see that ;)

but you still require education lovey, to manufacture something you do not expressly require to build every single component, mearly assembly the final product, like landrover, as an example.

i hate to break it to you but america makes no chips in your PC, hasnt done for years now china and taiwan, yes, but USA only assembles much the same as every microsoft certified PC manufacturer in herefordshire.

but hey, who are microsoft to tell you they are manufacturers and they approve of their status, the worlds leading company in the PC industry or nobody sue in hereford! you obviously know better! not! LOL !

also i pay more for local produce wherever i can, using your logic Herefordshire would have very few business or farms and be a much worse place for it.

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Sue Jones says...
7:23am Tue 28 Oct 08

I am really glad that the only procurement decision you are likely to make concerns carrots and lettuce.

It is obvious that the council would have got a better deal by going to an established PC manufacturer likely to be in business for the long term and able to supply and support the numbers of kit required. There is no logic in going to the local PC World instead of taking advantage of buying clout and economies of scale to secure the best deal. If we had any PC manufacturers in the county then I am sure they would have been invited to bid.

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digitaldave says...
8:59am Tue 28 Oct 08

now this might sound odd, but your wrong again!

dell have just filed their worst accounts for over 10 years, they are losing market share faster than any other major PC manufacturer, or assembler.

the 43 and 33% saving stated in the article are impossible figures only the nieve would believe, dells operating profit stands at 4% do you honestly think they would be able to lose 40% just to support a deal?

or do you think its a sales pitch when in fact no PC manufacturer could give that?

genuinly interested, you know, since your so good at this.

:)

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Sue Jones says...
6:34pm Tue 28 Oct 08

If you genuinely don't understand how that could happen I suggest you buy a book and read about supply and demand and economies of scale.

"Economics for Dummies" or "The Idiot's Guide to Economics".

A difficult choice I know.



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digitaldave says...
7:45pm Tue 28 Oct 08

erm, ive been in the import/export of IT and supplied and advised some of the worlds leading IT companies on IT procurement, new technology, wrote for magazines, advised from a pan european perspective and been rather succesfull within all of my 15+ years of doing so, if I wish to take lessons from a dummy, i'll invite you round, i guess your cheap, right?

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Sue Jones says...
9:59pm Tue 28 Oct 08

Not bad for someone who can't read and write.

Does Captain Bullshit have his own uniform?

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digitaldave says...
10:36pm Tue 28 Oct 08

lots of successful people have dyslexia, Alan sugar, Richard branson, to name but two.

lots of evil people will try and make a joke out of someone's disability, they are usually the ones who will be told what to do by people like me.

sad but true honey.

live and learn, loser

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Sue Jones says...
3:14am Wed 29 Oct 08

I wondered when you would play the dyslexia card. But the fact remains that if you genuinely had any experience in advising 'some of the world's leading IT companies on IT procurement' on a 'pan European basis' you would have realised that OJEU procurement regulations mean that organisations have to by law consider bids from possible suppliers outside of the UK as well as get the best deal using their buying clout. Your opening remark was that the council should ignore the basic principles of IT procurement and 'buy from the bloke down the road'. This displayed your fundamental lack of understanding from the beginning. I will waste no more of my time and leave you to wallow in your fantasies and ignorance.

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digitaldave says...
8:34am Wed 29 Oct 08

I knew you knew I had a disability, and knew your vile repugnant comments would make you look really silly, how, because your the type that knows it all but in fact knows very little.

bloke down the road, lol.

what happend to carbon footprint?

anyways, id just like to say,

last word

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