Two south-west councils have signed a £400mshared IT servicesdeal with IBM to
help serve the citizens of Somerset.
Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council have
formed a joint venture company with Big Blue to deliver the
services over a ten-year period.
The shared service approach is designed to lead to cost savings
and improved efficiency in the delivery of services, including
customer services and access, workforce development and
procurement.
The Taunton-based joint venture company is called Southwest One
and run by staff seconded from both councils and IBM.
Southwest One will deliver services to support finance, ICT,
human resources, customer services, property services, facilities
management, design and print, postal services, and procurement,
among other services.
