Welwyn Hatfield Borough
Council has signed a 12-year, £31m IT services deal with
Steria to provide ICT, council
tax, benefits, customer contact centre, reception and switchboard
services.
The partnership will go live in January next year, and aims to
improve efficiencies at the council, provide better services for
Welwyn Hatfield's 100,000 citizens and ensure a projected saving of
£500,000 a year.
Steria aims to improve the quality and efficiency of the
council's service delivery, helping to free staff and resources for
investment into frontline services. The partnership will provide
customers with more choice, greater accessibility and quicker
response times, the company said.
The partnership is an industry first for Steria, establishing
its first revenues and benefits BPO contract in local government. A
total of 68 staff in the customer contact centre, ICT, revenues and
benefits departments will transfer to Steria.
The company intends to use its Welwyn Hatfield Council centre of
excellence as a hub for a future shared service involving other
local authorities in Hertfordshire and beyond.
"The council's key aim is to deliver high quality, value for
money services", said Bob Jewell, chief resources officer at Welwyn
Hatfield Council. "Steria has a wealth of experience in the sector
and really understands the specific needs of a borough council.
We're glad to be working with them to ensure we continue to provide
excellent quality of services for our citizens."