April 5, 2012 8.00 am This story is over 143 months old

New council IT deal expected to save £2.5m

Bulk buying: New ways of buying IT services are expected to save Lincolnshire County Council more than £2.5 million a year.

Lincolnshire County Council says it should be able to save more than £2.5 million a year after new ways of buying IT services were introduced.

The council joined the East Midlands Public Service Network (EMPSN), which allows local authorities in the region to bulk buy a range of IT services.

This has allowed the council to replace IT contracts that are about to expire for less than half the previous price.

Councillor Kelly Smith, Executive Member for Finance and HR, said “the end result is a much better deal for taxpayers.”

The new contract also covers Lincolnshire’s district councils and broadband services for 349 county schools.

The contract was awarded to Kcom, a leading provider of communications services.

Afshin Attari, Kcom’s director of public sector, said: “This approach to purchasing services through a central partnership organisation, such as EMPSN, provides economies of scale for all parties involved, and as such is a good investment for the residents of Lincolnshire.”

Source: Lincolnshire County Council | Photo: Marco Wessel | Related Report: BBC Lincolnshire