HM Revenue & Customs seeks supplier for £500m deal

HMRC is seeking an IT supplier

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is seeking a supplier to manage the provision of up to £500m-worth of hardware, software, networks and IT services.

The contract for the “Sprint ii” programme will be a framework agreement with a single vendor to provide a one-stop shop for IT-related purchases that could also be used by other public-sector bodies to buy equipment.

The four-year deal will cover hardware from mainframes to PCs; software applications, development, maintenance, and support; voice, data and IP networking across wired, satellite and radio links; and installation, management and support services.

The successful supplier will also be expected to “highlight sustainable options via a ‘green catalogue’”, according to the contract notice published by Whitehall buying agency OGCbuying.solutions.

The chosen vendor will not be expected to supply all the items directly, but to work with sub-contractors to ensure all needs are met.

The tender follows a request for information published in March that was intended to start discussions with potential suppliers ahead of the formal bidding process.

HMRC’s new chief information officer (CIO), Phil Pavitt, is due to take up his new role this month. Pavitt was previously CIO at Transport for London, where he brought 15 outsourced contracts back in-house and cut desktop IT costs by more than 80 per cent by rolling out thin-client technology.