Line of work 01
Procurement to specification
We hold no sale inventory. That is a deliberate choice, not a limitation: inventory in server hardware loses value every month it sits, and somebody pays for that loss. Buying for the job means you pay this quarter’s price for this quarter’s part.
How a purchase is put together
A quotation starts as a bill of materials. Every line names a manufacturer part number, the condition (new, new sealed, refurbished to a stated grade), the quantity, the purchase route and the lead time attached to that route. Where a part is constrained we quote the alternative alongside it, with the trade-off written out, so the choice is yours rather than ours.
The routes we use, in the order we prefer them:
- Authorised distribution. Full manufacturer warranty, standard terms, predictable lead time. This is the default for anything that is not constrained.
- Manufacturer channel partners. Used where a configuration has to be built to order or where a project price is available.
- Professional secondary market. Surplus, cancelled orders, ex-lease and decommissioned equipment from operators. Used when the factory lead time does not fit the project, or when a generation that is no longer sold is the right answer for the workload.
Which route a line came from is written on the quotation and on the invoice. You are never told “refurbished” after delivery.
Categories and indicative lead times
| Ref | Category | Typical configuration | Indicative lead time | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC-01 | Rack servers | 1U and 2U dual-socket x86, 256 GB to 2 TB RAM, NVMe or SAS, redundant power | 2–4 weeks | Authorised distribution |
| SC-02 | Compute and GPU nodes | 4-way and 8-way accelerator chassis, air or liquid cooled, with the matching power and cooling design | Quoted per project | Constrained supply — see note |
| SC-03 | Storage | All-flash and hybrid arrays, JBOD expansion, backup targets | 3–5 weeks | Distribution or channel partner |
| SC-04 | Networking | 25/100 GbE leaf and spine, top-of-rack switching, optics and DACs | 1–3 weeks | Distribution |
| SC-05 | Racks and power | Racks, PDUs, hot and cold aisle containment, UPS | 2–4 weeks | Distribution |
| SC-06 | Rental units | Rack-ready servers and nodes on a monthly term | 5–10 working days | Managed rental pool |
Indicative only. The binding lead time is the one on your quotation, and it is confirmed against the source before the quotation is issued.
Commercial terms
- Contracting party
- We buy on our own account. You have one supplier, one invoice and one warranty contact.
- Quotation validity
- Fourteen days. Component prices and freight move; we would rather requote than absorb it silently.
- Currency
- EUR. Where a line is sourced in USD the rate used is stated on the quotation.
- Payment
- Terms are agreed per order. Deposit against long-lead or allocated items is normal and is stated up front.
- Warranty
- Manufacturer warranty is passed through where it exists. On secondary-market lines we state the term we cover ourselves.
- VAT and customs
- Intra-EU supply with valid VAT identification, or import cleared by us with the duty position stated before the order.