British Telecom has signed a four-year, £23m deal to build
and manage an information system and contact centre for the
Security Industry Authority, a new agency set up to oversee
bouncers and security guards.
Launched
in April, the SIA will award around 500,000 licences over the next
three years to a variety of people working in the private security
industry, ranging from door supervisors to private
investigators.
BT's
consulting and systems integration division Syntegra will implement
and manage the service for most of the licence application process.
This involves collecting the fee, initiating criminal record checks
and producing the licence.
However,
the final decision on granting licences will lie with the SIA
itself.
SIA chief
executive John Saunders said, "The SIA and BT face a tough
challenge to implement the practical process of licensing for the
private security industry, but I'm confident we can work together
to achieve a seamless operation."
The
overall contract value will depend on the demand for licences but
is expected to be in the region of £23m. Although initially signed
for four years, there is also an option to extend the deal for
another year.
Following
a nine-month implementation, the first batch of licences will be
issued to door supervisors and wheel clampers early next year. The
issuing of licences to other parts of the security industry, such
as security guards and private investigators, will follow in 2005
and 2006.
In the
future, the SIA's remit is likely to be extended to include
Scotland and expanded to cover other security related
occupations.