£50m boost for IT in schools

Two UK local authorities have signed managed service contracts with Civica to support their respective education programmes.

IT services provider Civica predicts the contracts with Sheffield City Council and Essex County Council could generate around £50m in revenues over the next decade.

The deal with Sheffield City Council will provide tech support to the city's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme over a nine-year period. The contract could be worth £45m, according to Civica.

silicon.com Public Sector

Get the latest public sector news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the PS newsletter today!

Building Schools for the Future is the government's national investment initiative to improve school buildings and facilities over the next decade.

Civica will help design the IT infrastructure and technology for the programme in Sheffield and provide support through a data centre.

The local Partnerships for Schools will also work with Civica on the Sheffield BSF programme with the software company providing advice on how to develop an IT strategy that offers value for money.

The Essex County Council contract is worth around £3.3m over three years and involves Civica developing a shared learning environment for schools in the county.

This will allow pupils and staff to share information and collaborate across a secure network.

Civica chief executive Simon Downing said he believes both programmes have the potential to "transform the educational environment for the benefit of students, teachers, schools and parents".