Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, has
initiated a £2.7m programme to improve the uptake of IT
technologies in the region through the creation and operation of a
quality mark.
Developed and managed by the UK National Computing Centre (NCC),
the ICT Supplier Standard will increase the visibility of SME
vendors in the IT supply chain and encourage buyers to purchase
solutions from them.
Advantage West Midlands (AWM) said suppliers taking part in the
scheme will be positioned as quality suppliers and this will
contribute to sustainable economic growth in the region.
Stuart Webb, AWM ICT cluster manager said, "At present there are
many standards and codes of practice which may be relevant when a
company is purchasing ICT services or products from a supplier.
“But the value of specific qualifications is reduced when they
are not widely recognised. At the same time, many customers would
like to select suppliers whom they can trust to deliver. This brand
will map onto existing standards, showcasing them rather than
adding to their number,” said Webb.
To get the ICT Supplier Standard mark, suppliers will be judged
on three areas: people, qualifications and/or experience; practices
and policies that are followed; and performance in the view of
their customers.
The NCC said the standard may be taken up by other regions.