IBM had something called ThinkVantage that allowed rapid [link|http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/think/thinkvantagetech/system_update.html|system updates]. It's not like the OS/2 days where you had to download drivers and updates individually. Lenovo seems to have continued that program.
So, yes, having the CDs with baseline drivers, etc., will be handy. But if you're in a hurry, you can probably get up and running quicker using a vanilla XP disk and using Windows Update and Lenovo's System Update (above).
Good luck.
Cheers,
Scott.