London, UK, 20 February 2014 – Steria, a leading provider of IT-enabled business services, announced today that it will help to drive efficiencies within Gloucestershire County Council’s ICT infrastructure under an innovative contract which will deliver savings in excess of 25% over current costs, whilst giving the Council the flexibility to respond effectively to changing demands in future.
The five year contract will be operational from 1 April 2014, and will see Gloucestershire County Council invest in a programme of ICT innovation and change that will help drive efficiency and reduce overall operating costs in the wider Council organisation. Under this contract, Steria will transition the Council on to a virtualised ICT platform that offers a scalable, robust, sustainable solution that is flexible enough to cater for the Council’s changing demands. The new approach will not only provide improved services for the Council’s users, it also offers the Council excellent value, with savings from day 1. The contract is based on a charging model that can flex up or down based on the Council’s demand for ICT services, which will enable them to embrace new partnership and commissioning models more effectively in future.
As part of the contract, all the staff employed by the incumbent ICT supplier, Capita, will transfer to Steria and will continue to provide local support to Gloucestershire County Council, but they will be supported by the wider Steria organisation where specialised expertise or additional resources are needed.
Steria is seeking to bring more than just excellent value for money to Gloucestershire County Council. Over the course of the five year partnership, Steria will also be funding additional initiatives which will help drive opportunities for growth in the region, such as apprenticeships for local young people, business advisory seminars for local SME’s, and school technology projects.
Cllr Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member for finance and change said, “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.”
John Torrie, CEO of Steria Limited, said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to play our part in supporting Gloucestershire County Council with its transformation agenda. 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.”
