212 Business-Grade Laptops SJD

Location

North East England:

Description

The Sir John Brunner Foundation (the "Foundation"), acting on behalf of Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College, is seeking a supplier for the provision of approximately 212 business-grade laptops and associated services. The requirement forms part of a planned refresh of the College's end-user computing estate to ensure a reliable, secure and standardised device platform suitable for teaching, professional services and operational use. The contract will include: Supply of new, business-grade laptops meeting the minimum technical specification set out in the accompanying document; Standardisation across a limited number of device types, with quantities subject to adjustment based on pricing and value for money; A minimum three-year manufacturer warranty, with options for extended warranty and accidental damage cover; Delivery to site, including provision of an electronic asset register containing serial numbers, warranty details and device identifiers; Optional services including Microsoft Autopilot registration, Intune-ready provisioning, and asset tagging; Associated accessories and peripherals where specified as optional items. Devices must be compatible with Microsoft 365 services and enterprise device management tools, including Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, BitLocker and Windows 11. The Foundation requires solutions that minimise support overheads through standardisation, deliver reliable performance for intensive daily use, and offer appropriate levels of warranty, repairability and parts availability throughout the expected lifecycle of the devices. Full details of the mandatory and preferred technical requirements are provided in the accompanying specification document. Suppliers must demonstrate compliance with all mandatory requirements. Delivery and Support Expectations The supplier will be required to: Provide a clear delivery plan, including lead times, stock availability and any supply chain dependencies; Supply all devices with appropriate packaging and documentation, including serial-number tracking; Identify and manage any supply chain risks and provide mitigation measures; Provide clear warranty and support arrangements, including repair processes, escalation routes and parts availability; Ensure that all devices are new, genuine UK channel stock and meet applicable UK regulatory requirements. Pricing and Commercial Approach Pricing must be transparent and include all manufacturer discounts, deal registration discounts, special bid pricing arrangements and any other price reductions applied to the proposal. Suppliers must clearly identify any assumptions, volume discounts, rebates or pricing support received from manufacturers. Future Leasing Requirement The Foundation intends to undertake a separate subsequent procurement exercise for the provision of an operating lease to support the acquisition of the equipment. The successful supplier must therefore be willing to: Work with a finance provider selected by the Foundation following this subsequent procurement; Provide all reasonable information required to support lease structuring, including pricing breakdowns, asset details and delivery profiles; Support a purchase structure in which title to the equipment may pass through, or be held by, a third-party finance provider; Cooperate with the Foundation and its appointed finance provider to enable a smooth transition from purchase to leasing arrangement. No exclusivity is offered to any finance provider, and suppliers must not make their proposal conditional upon the use of a specific financing partner. Submission Approach

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 30213000 - Personal computers

Other Information

Tender responses must be submitted via the Microsoft Form provided. Suppliers must ensure that all responses align with the accompanying specification and pricing information. The procurement and any resulting contract will be subject to the Conditions of Contract set out in the attached document. By submitting a tender response, suppliers confirm their acceptance of these terms. ** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Replies to queries: Q1: For the CPU, they mention Core Ultra 5, please can we clarify if we can do Core 5, as the cost difference is significant. If it needs to be Core Ultra 5 then that would mean we can't offer the cheaper chassis solutions. The graphics laptop would they consider "gaming" laptops from our ROG / TUF ranges? On the Touch/Flip they mention Core Ultra 5, we have the B3402 that has a max of Core 5, currently no Ultra CPU on Flip. A1: Could you provide a quote to match the specification as well as an alternative - as part of the Tender process we need everything to match to do a full and consistent comparison. If you send an optional quote as well, with a different specification we'll have to take the spec change into account when comparing against the tender spec i.e. if it is an older CPU, it will be marked down. Regarding the High specification devices - Gaming devices are ok - but we are looking for Tier 1 Business Vendors - which will also be taken into account when we assess the proposal. Q2: Bags and mice, do you have any preference at all on brand? The mice, wired or wireless? A2: No, no preference on the bag or mice - and the mice can be wired. Q3: Please could you confirm whether tenderers may propose a mixed-manufacturer solution across the different device categories, provided that each proposed device meets or exceeds the applicable mandatory technical specification and the tenderer remains fully responsible for delivery, warranty, support, asset reporting and all associated services across the complete requirement? As the tender documentation does not expressly state whether a single-manufacturer solution is required, confirmation would help ensure that our submission is structured correctly and remains fully compliant. A3: From an ongoing management and integration point it would be better to have all the devices, or as many as possible, from the same manufacturer. The 12" touch unit, we appreciate may be different, but believe that the other units can be provided from a single manufacturer. Although mixing different manufacturers could lead to a lower overall cost - there is a cost to working with different devices, drivers, manufacturers, warranty processes etc over the life span of the device and we are keen to keep this hidden cost to a minimum. Q4: Could you please confirm if you are willing to accept a 14 inch 2 in 1 for the below as 16 inch is not the industry standard. A4: Yes we can accept this - but just to make you aware that if anyone does submit a 16" unit this will be marked higher than the 14".