Gloucestershire County Council is set to begin the search for a mixture of in-house and third party contractors to deliver a new and improved digital operating model for the council, if the cabinet gives the go-ahead next week.

The current ICT contract finishes at the end of March 2021 and this provides the opportunity to look at the county council's future needs, as well as new ways to deliver improved services for the people of Gloucestershire.

The council has a total of £11m per year to spend on:

Data centre hosting

 Cloud hosting and operations

 Telephony - VOIP/Unified Comms

 Mobile telephony

 Enterprise support (2nd & 3rd line)

 Security operations

 System management (tooling) delivery and support

 Printing (enabling the Canon contract)

A further £4m is available for capital investment in the council's ICT infrastructure across up to 100 buildings.

The market has changed significantly over the past few years, meaning there are new opportunities to bring in new skills, improve customer experience and save money. The contracts would provide a great opportunity for Gloucestershire businesses.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service currently runs its ICT systems separately from the county council. The new operating model will allow sections of their ICT system to join up with the county council's ICT network, therefore supporting joint working and cost saving benefits.

Cllr Lynden Stowe, cabinet member for finance and change, said: "A new approach to the way our digital model works is needed to help us to continue to deliver high quality services to Gloucestershire residents, as well as provide good value for money for tax payers.

"I'm confident we will have a new cost-effective, flexible, and modern ICT model, and with cabinet approval we will find a range of providers with even more experience of helping public sector organisations improve their ways of working."

Gloucester City Council's current ICT contract also comes to end around March 2021; therefore further improved joint working with the city and county council may also be possible.