May 23, 2011 11.33 am This story is over 154 months old

Police Authority to outsource £200m contract

Outsourcing: Faced with budget cuts, Lincolnshire Police has to outsource several back office and support services.

Lincolnshire Police Authority are looking to outsource a range of back office services over the next 10 years, a contract worth around £200 million.

The contract for the Lincolnshire Authority and Force involves the widest range of services offered in a single contract by any police authority in the country.

The Police Authority was searching for potential strategic partners since March, after budget cuts of over £20 million over the next four years were announced.

It was already announced the force will shed 70 officers and 90 staff, but this would only go a third of the way to achieving the necessary savings.

Lincolnshire Police is looking to outsource a range of services, including HR, IT, finance, legal, estate and fleet management, and control room services.

Five companies are already shortlisted for the contract negotiations:

Police Authority Chairman Barry Young said: “We have had experience of working with partners for a number of years — although not on such a large-scale — and we know that new and compelling ideas can flow from collaboration and partnership.

“Put simply, our intention is to provide the best value and best possible policing for the people of Lincolnshire.”

If taken up by other forces, outsourcing spend across UK policing as a whole could total £2 billion over the next decade.

Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Richard Crompton said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to save considerable sums of taxpayers’ money whilst transforming the service that the public receive from Lincolnshire Police.

“I look forward to the next stage of the process as we seek to find the right strategic partner to work with in the long-term.”

An online survey found Lincolnshire police officers believe the severe government cuts will have a negative impact on crime levels and service across the county.

Source: Lincolnshire Police Authority