Gloucestershire County Council selects Steria for IT services contract

Five-year deal sees Council drop Capita

Gloucestershire County Council has selected solutions provider Steria for a 'transformational' ICT managed services contract with the aim of reducing IT costs by over a quarter. The contract sees Steria selected in preference over incumbent ICT solutions provider, Capita.

The deal, which lasts for five years from April 1 2014, will see Steria charged with transforming the council's ICT infrastructure in order to achieve more efficiency while reducing costs. Plans set out in the agreement include shifting the council on to a virtualised ICT platform in order to properly deal with changing demands based around flexible working.

Under the terms of the agreement, Steria will also fund initiatives for growth in the Gloucestershire region through work including apprenticeships for local young people, business advisory seminars for local SMEs, and school technology projects

"Gloucestershire County Council has been working hard to transform the way we work and make savings across the council. I'm confident we have in Steria a cost-effective, flexible, modern and reliable ICT provider with a track record of helping public-sector organisations modernise their ways of working," said Cllr Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member for finance and change.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to play our part in supporting Gloucestershire County Council with its transformation agenda," added Steria CEO John Torrie.

"Steria has been working with local authorities for over 30 years, and we take pride in working closely with our clients to understand their particular business needs.

"In Gloucestershire, we are also pleased to be supporting projects which will add value to local businesses and schools, as well as helping the council meet their financial challenge," he concluded.

In December last year, South Gloucestershire was one of a number of areas that gained access to superfast broadband on "Super Switch-on Day."