A DEFRA device management tender inviting bidders to include second-user devices in their proposals could be just a weeks away from award.
DEFRA’s Future End User Services Procurement Project (FEUSPP) is being hailed as one of the first times a government department has asked for reused IT in a tender of this nature.
The procurement echoes the recent move by the French government to mandate buying a portion of reused IT, and a commitment by the Irish government to procure up to 60,000 remanufactured notebooks – a trend tracked by IT Channel Oxygen’s Second Life hub.
Second-user “as a preference“
With an estimated value of £132m, the FEUSPP is being awarded via the Technology Services 3 framework, according to the Prior Information Notice.
DEFRA has, as a preference, asked bidders to consider second-user devices over brand new ones, onlookers indicated to us.
The government department is also treating it as a performance-based refresh, where some older devices are cascaded down from one employee to another based on their personas, we understand.
One onlooker cautioned that sourcing the right equipment will require pragmatism from DEFRA on the specification, however.
In a background briefing sent to IT Channel Oxygen, DEFRA confirmed that the chosen provider will be responsible for the provision, deployment, operation, support and disposal of devices throughout their lifecycle.
“Providers can, should they wish, submit proposals that include the provision of second-hand devices. However, this tender is not for such devices specifically,” the representative added.
Channel reaction
Julian Wase, Circular Services Director at Computacenter, hailed it as a potentially landmark tender.
“In the government space in the UK, this is the first one we’ve seen that’s got anything to do with second user in there,” he said.
Sheryl Moor, Director of Sustainability at Stone, also welcomed the tender.
“We’re delighted to see DEFRA embracing the circular economy in its entirety – not only recognising the need to recycle but also seeing the benefits of including refurbished devices in procurement,” she said.
“Seeing such positive messaging from Government departments encourages all organisations to consider refurbished options in procurement – and to make the right choices for users and the planet.”
John Gladstone, Sustainability Lead at Softcat was another hailing the significance of the news.
“It is fantastic to see that the government is building this into contracts now. It’s the only true way to drive emissions down across the industry. We look forward to seeing more public sector and private organisations following suit,” he said.
News of the tender comes after a range of top UK IT solutions providers, including from Computacenter, SCC, Insight, Softcat, XMA and Ultima broke cover on their circular IT strategies for IT Channel Oxygen’s Second Life Hub.
According to onlookers we spoke to, DEFRA’s deadline for responses was a couple of weeks ago, and there is now a period of evaluation until early in 2025.
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
