School ICT News Bulletin No. 209 - 28/09/2012 Published by ICT Shared Services Advice on re-newing photocopier contracts This information is to help and advise all schools when looking at re-newing contracts for photocopiers. Please remember before signing a contract to contact the finance department at County Hall where the contract will be checked and bench marked to make sure that you have received the best value solution for your school. We have been made aware that suppliers who are not on the approved supplier list are contacting schools with alternative photocopy contracts. Before you commit to any changes in your current contract please see below the guidelines for different ways to confirm which suppliers are approved: To find out who the current approved suppliers are under the ESPO/GPS framework please refer to contract RM1599 on the ESPO website. Please also refer to the latest MI Sheet which was published on the 21^st of September MI number – 179/12 Call the ICT service desk on 0845 3033003 and press 2 for Procurement Some suppliers are offering to pay off an existing contract, that settlement will be incorporated into any new contract increasing your quarterly payments over what you currently pay. If suppliers advise the school that the remaining costs on their existing contract will be looked after by the company, these too will be incorporated into the new contract, increasing the schools quarterly payments. They will also include a percentage of mono and colour copies into the new contract showing a saving to the school. If the school goes over the set volume the copy cost charges are expensive, once again increasing the quarterly payments. As with all contracts, if the hidden costs to the school are not properly explained the school will feel they are getting a good deal. Please watch the following Panorama link, which details how schools have entered into contracts in good faith only to find their budgets have been put at risk - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n2t2f. 'Reading, Writing and Rip-Offs' Author: Leah Fletcher

School ICT News Bulletin No. 209 - 28/09/2012

Published by ICT Shared Services

Advice on re-newing photocopier contracts

This information is to help and advise all schools when looking at re-newing contracts for photocopiers. Please remember before signing a contract to contact the finance department at County Hall where the contract will be checked and bench marked to make sure that you have received the best value solution for your school.

We have been made aware that suppliers who are not on the approved supplier list are contacting schools with alternative photocopy contracts. Before you commit to any changes in your current contract please see below the guidelines for different ways to confirm which suppliers are approved:

To find out who the current approved suppliers are under the ESPO/GPS framework please refer to contract RM1599 on the ESPO website.
Please also refer to the latest MI Sheet which was published on the 21^st of September MI number – 179/12
Call the ICT service desk on 0845 3033003 and press 2 for Procurement

Some suppliers are offering to pay off an existing contract, that settlement will be incorporated into any new contract increasing your quarterly payments over what you currently pay.

If suppliers advise the school that the remaining costs on their existing contract will be looked after by the company, these too will be incorporated into the new contract, increasing the schools quarterly payments.

They will also include a percentage of mono and colour copies into the new contract showing a saving to the school. If the school goes over the set volume the copy cost charges are expensive, once again increasing the quarterly payments.

As with all contracts, if the hidden costs to the school are not properly explained the school will feel they are getting a good deal.

Please watch the following Panorama link, which details how schools have entered into contracts in good faith only to find their budgets have been put at risk - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n2t2f. 'Reading, Writing and Rip-Offs'

Author: Leah Fletcher

School ICT News Bulletin No. 209 - 28/09/2012

Advice on re-newing photocopier contracts

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