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MoD & HP ink IT deal

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is to provide IT services to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) under a three-year, $21 million (£13 million) contract.

It covers core service areas with the facility to incorporate additional bespoke and ad-hoc services.

HP is understood to have fought off competition from Fujitsu to secure the deal, described as a "landmark" contract.

The firm has had a long relationship with the MoD, supporting the body's IT environment for more than ten years.

It currently supports more than 200,000 PCs, office equipment and telecommunications assets at the MoD.

The new contract, which began on April 1st 2012 and has an option to extend for a further two years, includes:

24-7 UK call centre support

Hardware support, which ensures rapid repair or replacement of the MoD's IT equipment

Tailored software support to ensure business continuity for the MoD's desktop and data centres

Asset maintenance, management of the IT asset database and asset reporting to optimise total cost of ownership

Computer room environment management, with preventative and remedial support for the MoD’s data centre environments for maximum system availability

"HP will help the MoD meet our commitments to government efficiency while minimising complexity," said Paul Beavin, head of the ICT procurement team at the MoD.

"For the first time, the British Armed Forces - the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force - can rely on a consistent and transparent level of support for IT assets in the UK and at overseas bases."

The contract has been adopted as a model by the Government Procurement Service, part of the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group, meaning it could be used for other government departments.

"This new pan-government enabling contract is set to be a model for future engagement with the public sector," said Melanie McGrory, account executive at HP Enterprise Services.

"It reflects HP's experience in managing some of the world’s most complex, multi-sourced environments."

The MoD contract is a boost for HP, which recently lost out on a MoD payroll contract to CSC, the outsourcing firm.

Posted by Jack Painter