However despite this rise there has been some contract leakage and this could be due to the inflexible nature of our agreement. In July 2001 SUPC needs to present a business case to the sector recommending the future direction of this contract. Agreement does not provide flexible cover eg. 2hr response time etc. Inventory is fairly reliable and global cover does not offer value for money.
Institution wants to remain with current maintenance provider.
Market testing the contract. There is a tendency for some institutions to buy new kit with extended warranties and this reduces the demand for separate maintenance contracts. However this trend will continue irrespective of the nature of the national agreement. Some institutions may be leasing their computer hardware or may have contracted out IT provision and no longer have direct responsibility for maintaining kit. The new EC Directives on Waste and Electronic Equipment is likely to become UK law in 2003 and may impact heavily on the cost of maintenance1.