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Worcestershire County Council is to spend up to £20,000 stocking up on some IT essentials in a bid to head off the potential impact of the fallout of Brexit.

With less than one month to go before the end of the transition period – and no clarity yet on whether the UK and EU will agree a trade deal, much less what such a deal would include – Worcestershire has taken pre-emptive action to issue a contract notice titled: “ICT hardware order – Brexit preparation”.

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The opportunity was published yesterday, with interested parties given a week to submit bids, with the cut-off coming at 5pm on 8 December. The council wishes to award a contract very soon thereafter. The seven-week deal will likely be worth between £10,000 and £20,000 to the chosen provider, the council estimated.

The notice indicates that the council is making an “additional ICT hardware order to alleviate concerns regarding Brexit impact next year”.

Accompanying documents reveal that this order will consist of a range of peripherals and accessories, including laptop bags and stands, headsets, mice, keyboards, cables, adapters, and protective sleeves for tablets. Quantities of each item range from 50 to 400. 

Although little detail is provided about what Brexit-related impact the council expects to see next year, the tender makes reference to the possibility of “stock issues and potentially lengthy lead times”.