£130m CPC framework awarded minus Lots 2 and 3

Various issues with bids delay portables and peripherals Lots of lucrative further education framework

Suppliers have been kept hanging over the outcome of two Lots of a new IT hardware framework run by a further education purchasing consortium.

Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) informed bidders on Friday that the tender for its Desktop Hardware & Peripherals framework - which has an estimated purse of at least £130m over four years - has been concluded following the passing of the standstill period.

Two of the five Lots, namely Lot 2 covering portables and Lot 3 covering peripherals, have yet to be awarded, however, which CPC attributed to various issues with the bids it had received.

The scoring for Lot 2 is currently being re-evaluated, CPC said, after it came to its attention that one of the products submitted was end of life and therefore did not meet its specification requirements.

"We will now be re-evaluating the scores accordingly for Lot 2 Portable Devices and will issue notification letters in due course with the revised scoring and award details," the CPC wrote in its missive to suppliers.

Lot 3 is not being awarded at all at this time, however, due to "conflicting information about a number of products and the difficulties suppliers have had in trying to meet the required specifications".

"We have concerns about this conflicting information, therefore CPC are going to investigate all potential ways forward in relation to this product area," it said.

Lots One, Four and Five covering desktops, Apple and recycling, have all be successfully awarded.

CPC is owned and run by the further education sector and claims to have over 3,500 members. It bills itself as "the home of the best value purchasing agreements for the FE, academies, free school and school sector".