Stone cements place on higher education mega-framework

Lenovo and Acer also make it onto latest iteration of £310m desktop and notebook framework

System builder Stone Group is among those to have snagged a place on a £310m higher-education PC framework.

Alongside Viglen, Stone claims is was one of only two UK manufacturers to be awarded contracts on the latest iteration of the National Desktop and Notebook Agreement (NDNA) framework, which also features Lenovo and Acer for the first time.

Covering most higher education bodies, the NDNA is worth an estimated £310m over its maximum lifespan of four years. Contracts will commence on 1 August.

The framework is divided into three Lots covering desktops, notebooks and a "one-stop shop" for the provision of both desktops and notebooks. These are worth an estimated £220m, £75m and £15m respectively.

Simon Harbridge, chief executive of Stone – which made it onto all three Lots either with its own products or as a partner of Samsung – said his firm was already running a "good second or third" on NDNA behind Dell.

"Over the past five or six years, Stone has grown quite substantially in higher education and we are now doing about £15m [annually]," he said.

"NDNA gives customers a choice. Under European law they either have to tender through the Official Journal of the European Union or go through something like NDNA, where it is already done for them and they can go for bids from suppliers who have already prequalified."

Howard Hall, group managing director of DTP Group, one of three VARs representing HP on the framework alongside XMA and Misco, said securing a berth was imperative for his firm.

"We have a good chunk of business from the old framework so this gives us continuity," he added.

Hall suspected the inclusion of Acer and Lenovo - who are both represented through partners - would lead to increased price pressure, meaning DTP will attempt to compete increasingly on a managed services model.

According to sources, Toshiba is represented on the framework indirectly through Viglen, Getech, European Electronique and Academia. Acer is represented through Getech, Gaia and Equanet (which was recently acquired by Kelway), according to our information. Samsung also secured a berth, working through not only Stone but also Getech and RM - which unlike last time around is not represented on the framework directly.

The only four manufacturers sellling direct are HP, Dell, Stone and Viglen.

Michelle McGeoch, senior sales manager at Lenovo, said: "Winning a place on the NDNA framework is a significant milestone for Lenovo and is further evidence of our growth and success in both education and the wider public sector. We're confident that by working together with our partners Getech, SCC and Softcat we will be able to offer the UK's higher educational institutions a real alternative in computing innovation."

Gerry Kane education sales director at Getech, said its decision to partner with three different vendors - Samsung, Acer and Lenovo - appears to have been well received.

"Our long-standing relationship with Samsung continues to thrive and the new relationships with Acer and Lenovo are extremely promising," he said. "Both have strong brand recognition, compelling products and aggressive pricing structures for the NDNA that will appeal to higher education institutions."