Devolved authority is seeking feedback from suppliers in an RFI exercise to inform a future procurement in which incumbent deals with HP may be combined into a single IT contract

The Scottish Government is considering merging two existing frameworks for the provision of mobile and desktop devices to create a single £200m commercial vehicle.

The government currently has two separate agreements in place: a £125m agreement for mobile devices; and a £75m engagement for desktop machines. Both of these are held by HP and both currently run until 2025 – although the latter can be extended for two further years.

As the government prepares to go back to market and tender for a replacement for the mobile deal, it is considering taking this opportunity to unite the two discrete deals into a single framework, covering all kinds of end-user devices.

“We intend to explore incorporating the scope of the Desktop Client Devices Framework – [including] desktops, monitors, fixed workstations, associated accessories and services – into the new framework to bring additional benefits to… public bodies,” the Scottish Government said, in a newly published engagement notice.

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Ahead of the formal commencement of a procurement process, the government conducting a request for information (RFI) exercise, to which potential suppliers and other stakeholders are invited to respond by midday 7 October and provide their views on “framework structure, scope and commercial model”. The results of this feedback-gathering will inform how the devolved authority proceeds.

“Work has commenced in the development of procurement strategy options for the framework,” the engagement notice said. “Scottish Procurement recognises the value of suppliers and industry bodies having the opportunity to contribute to this process on a non-competitive, non-judgemental basis.”

It added: “Following receipt of the completed RFI, Scottish Procurement may engage directly with interested suppliers to obtain further market intelligence. Scottish Government and the Scottish Ministers shall have no liability for any costs, however incurred, by those attending any information days, attendance at meetings or involvement in the proposed procurement process.”

The estimated value of the combined framework is £200m – equating to the worth of the two current deals added together.