Departmental computer purchasing

Changes to bulk purchasing

IT Services has been buying computers in bulk on behalf of the College since July 2007. The benefits have included:

• significant cost savings through economies of scale
• hardware standardisation - enabling more consistent support.

There have also been limitations:

• a lack of storage space in the College
• high demand on technician time, so that we have not been able to process all requests as promptly as is desirable.

In response to consultation with departmental representatives in the IT Services User Group, with Finance and in departmental liaison meetings, we have made changes to the bulk procurement system to address these constraints so that we can provide a more responsive and flexible service.

We will invoice on a monthly basis to ensure that departments are charged promptly for the goods they have received.

All requests for bulk purchases will be logged and entered automatically on behalf of departments in the Asset Management Interface (AMI).

PC Procurement

Please note that until further notice we will not be keeping stocks of PC systems.

Apple Procurement

Please note that until further notice we will not be keeping stocks of Apple computers.

Ordering Information

The bulk procurement process offers standardised hardware specifications which are suitable for the majority of regular College work. However, departments or individuals with more specific needs may sometimes require additional features and in such cases we will work with departments to ensure that those needs are accommodated, incorporating as far as possible the benefits associated with bulk purchasing.

If you are planning to make any purchases please email bulkorders (@gold.ac.uk) with details of your requests. Please ensure that you include your analysis code with any requests submitted, together with the details (name, username and location) of intended recipients.