Sandwell Borough Council is to sign a £300m outsourcing contract with a BT/Liberata partnership to overhaul its IT.

The 15-year deal will be finalised in the next few weeks, with work starting in April.

It is the latest in a string of major outsourcing deals awarded by local councils.

In April last year Birmingham City Council signed a £475m, 10-year IT transformation deal (Computing, 3 April), while Oldham Metropolitan Council announced a 10-year £260m contract in June (Computing, 19 June).

‘We are talking about a massive infrastructure upgrade in terms of our systems. It will make an enormous difference in terms of the kind of IT equipment we have here,’ said Sandwell deputy council leader Steve Eling.

‘We have not been able to keep our IT up to date and have never had the kind of money necessary to have a big IT investment that this partnership can deliver.’

The deal has been structured to ensure it remains relevant to Sandwell’s needs.

‘We will be fully refreshed after the first three years. After that we will meet with BT and Liberata to negotiate what we want in three-year periods,’ said Eling.

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