The former maker of expensive printer ink, the much divided HP, has been awarded single-supplier status on a £90 million Scottish framework project.
The cannae plan involves setting up a Desktop Client Devices and Associated Services framework across public sector organisations across Scotland, including health bodies, local authorities, universities and colleges, and other public organistaions.
According to the contract award notice from Scottish Procurement Under the deal HP will supply a range of mobile devices, tablets, other hardware and peripherals, will last for four years and is expected to be worth up to £90m.
HP was named the single supplier in the notice but what is strange about the deal is that HP is keeping quiet about it all. It is not clear if HP has put its partners on alert that it will be needing them or asking for them to put in bids for the work.
In previous paperwork about the framework, Scottish Procurement listed the benefits the framework will offer public bodies, including pricing which is “significantly lower” than that offered in the current market; fixed pricing for the duration of the framework; and “transactional efficiencies”, meaning e-procurement methods will be used.
