Buckinghamshire tech reseller Softcat has secured the deal, which will run for longer than the council itself in current form.
The contract covers a period of major transition at the county hall, which is due to be replaced by a new form of local government within the next two years.
The south of England firm will now act as ‘a single IT reseller for the provision of IT software, support and associated services [that] aligns with the Council’s Digital Strategy by using digital technology a catalyst for making Lancashire the best place to live and prosper.’
Earlier this year, Lancashire County Council – currently a top-tier local government overseeing 12 district and borough councils – charged HealthTrust Europe ICT Solutions to conduct a competitive process for tender. This includes a previously announced £4 million contract to deliver a new ‘digital front door’ for citizens, giving the access to services and various functions. The authority has control of libraries, housing, leisure, waste and environmental provision across the region.
According to CRN, Softcat’s latest Business Tech Report, which was published last week, revealed major concerns about the scale and speed of organisational-level technology transition. Taking in 6,089 responses, representing 3,992 public and private sector clients, the toppling takeaways was ‘everyone wants AI-fuelled innovation, nobody wants chaos’.
This aside, cyber security was the number one concern, and within this the priority was ensuring data was protected from potential attacks. Demand for artificial intelligence was the second biggest trend, and decision-makers emphasised the need for this to be come with standardisation and controlled costs.
Image: Christin Hume / Unsplash
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