Suppliers sought for PC rollout to special needs children

Children will receive PCs to support home learning

Education technology agency Becta is looking for an IT supplier to help deliver services to children with special home learning needs in a contract that could be worth up to £78m.

The deal will support the government’s Home Access Programme, a scheme that will roll out PCs and broadband connectivity to 250,000 households by March 2011 to allow children from low-income families to have access to technology to help their education.

Becta is now looking for a managed service provider to cater for applicants who will need enhanced assistive technology requiring additional support compared to typical users of the scheme.

The contract will cover case management, needs assessment, equipment supply and training for more than 11,000 households during the initial 14-month term, starting on 1 April 2010.

“A contractor to deliver the main service is in the process of being appointed, however recognising that some learners will require additional support, there will be a separate process to cater for children with enhanced assistive technology needs,” said the contract notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The value of the deal is estimated at between £10m and £78m.