On the issue of providing more than one quote for equipment, if the
LEA insists on this then it should definitely be the assessment service
which supplies it. They are assumed to be the ones with the local
working knowledge of suitable suppliers. We are close to having an
audit process available for suppliers to sign up to a Service Level
Agreement, and when it's complete LEAs can be sent a list of
successful companies and take their pick of second, third or umteenth
quotes.
Many LEAS we work with don't ask for more than the quote we provide
as they know we monitor prices and services on a continuous basis
and trust us to provide the most cost-effective solution.
Some suppliers are developing web sites from which quotes can be
obtained with relative ease. Simply ticking the list of required items will
automatically generate a quote good for so-many days. I think LEAS
should be encouraged to follow this route. Afterall, as a member of an
assessment service, if I wanted to skew the report in favour of a
preferred supplier, all I have to do is choose my other quotes to be less
attractive. With the above method the LEA can pick the supplier for
themselves.
Meanwhile, the responsibility rests with the assessment service.
Dave Laycock
Head of CCPD
Chair of NADO
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL
tel. 020 7911-5161
fax. 020 7911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/
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