The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is relaunching its web site to improve the information provided for travellers.
The FCO has signed a five-year £11.5m partnership agreement with LogicaCMG to replace its current web platform, which is used by British travellers seeking guidance before going overseas and by visitors and investors in the UK.
'The new FCOWeb platform marks a significant development for us in delivering a more robust and efficient web service for users in the UK and across the world,' said FCO permanent under secretary Peter Ricketts.
'The partnership will ensure the right IT system and high-quality service are in place to improve our service delivery over the next decade,' said Ricketts.
Under this week's deal, LogicaCMG will roll out the new site to over 200 embassies, consulates, and high commissions across the globe.
The supplier will also provide consultancy to increase visitor up-take and usability, to minimise security risks to the site, and to ensure that the website can meet high demand peaks.
The new global web platform is expected to go live in 2008.
The current site handles up to 24 million visitors per year, and at peak demand times, such as around the Asian tsunami disaster in 2004, site traffic can increase five-fold.
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Further Reading:
Foreign Office's £10m oversight
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