17.02.14
Capita to create Scottish IT public services network
A framework contract for the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) has been awarded to Capita, worth up to £325m over nine years for a single public services network.
The platform will support the collaboration of schools, hospitals and local council offices to reduce costs, improve services and share data across organisations. NHS Scotland, Education Scotland, Pathfinder North (five local authorities) and Pathfinder South (two local authorities) are the first to commit to the network.
The creation of SWAN supports the recommendations of Scottish Government’s McClelland Report, as well as the national digital public services strategy –‘Scotland’s Digital Future: Delivery of Public Services’.
NHS National Services Scotland chief executive Ian Crichton said: “Following extensive dialogue over the last year, I am pleased to announce the award of the SWAN Contract to Capita plc. This was the strongest bid and offers excellent value for money for the public purse. The Scottish Wide Area Network is a major step forward in Scottish public sector infrastructure which will create major savings and deliver an excellent service. SWAN is a good deal for the Scottish taxpayer and anyone who uses public services, whether in schools, councils, hospitals or elsewhere.”
Paul Pindar, chief executive officer, Capita plc said: “SWAN is one of the first major actions launched by Scottish Ministers to achieve the goals set out in Scotland’s Digital Future: Delivery of Public Services and it will put Scotland at the cutting edge of public sector connectivity. The SWAN initiative will enable infrastructure and service sharing, with aggregated demand delivering both cost and performance advantages. It is designed to help facilitate the creation of public services that are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local needs.
“This is an important contract win for Capita, placing us at the heart of public service delivery in Scotland and providing us with a platform to offer additional services and build our business here. We would like to thank the hard work and professionalism of the public sector team and its advisers leading the SWAN procurement which has been complex and challenging at times because of its ground-breaking nature.”
And Richard Bennett, managing director of Updata Infrastructure, said: “Throughout the bid process, our team listened carefully to customer feedback and worked tirelessly to ensure that the final bid delivered best value to all SWAN stakeholders. By integrating Capita’s undoubted big-ticket managed services expertise with Updata's public sector networking experience, we were able to shape a compelling offer; integrating the best of breed technically with unparalleled levels of commercial flexibility. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that SWAN provides the ideal platform to deliver Scotland’s Digital Future, facilitating the creation of public services that are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local needs. We are very excited to be underway on this important contract.”
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