Agenda item

(a)  That the commencement of a procurement exercise using an existing Crown Commercial Service Framework Agreement for the provision of a cloud-based IT back-up and disaster recovery solution by a specialist service provider be approved; and,

(b)  That delegated authority to award and enter into the contract be given to the Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement in consultation with the Cabinet Member for customer service, resident engagement, digital, data and technology.

The Lead Member for Customer Service, Resident Engagement, Digital, Data and Technology introduced a report on the proposed procurement of a solution for the IT back-up and disaster recovery capability.  This followed three audits in 2022 of the Council’s cyber security and resilience capability that highlighted that should the Council undergo a cyber-attack the risk of loss of service or data would be high.

After consideration of the options to address that risk the proposed approach was to engage a specialist partner to provide a managed service.  The Council would undertake a procurement exercise using an existing Crown Commercial Service Framework Agreement to identify an appropriate provider and contract with the supplier for a maximum period of four years (three years plus an option for a one year extension).  The likely cost of the service was between £1.3m to £1.5m over the four year term.

The Cabinet recognised the importance of data security and resilience and agreed the investment was therefore overdue.  Business continuity was vital to enable the Council to continue to provide essential services in the event of any incident.  The recommendations were therefore approved.

Resolved –

(a)  That the commencement of a procurement exercise using an existing Crown Commercial Service Framework Agreement for the provision of a cloud-based IT back-up and disaster recovery solution by a specialist service provider be approved; and,

(b)  That delegated authority to award and enter into the contract be given to the Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement in consultation with the Cabinet Member for customer service, resident engagement, digital, data and technology.