Transport for London to outsource IT helpdesk

Contract worth up to £70m likely to help TfL meet its £2.4bn efficiency savings target

London's transport body wants a helpdesk service

Transport for London (TfL) plans to outsource its IT helpdesk in a contract that could be worth up to £70m.

The transport body for the capital has issued a tender notice to potential suppliers for a service to cover a single point of contact for all IT-related incidents or queries among its 30,000 staff, which includes 18,000 PC users.

The winning bidder will be expected to provide services such as incident management, user login and password administration, and problem resolution.

The deal could also pave the way for wider services across London, as the TfL notice expects suppliers to be able to offer the same services to associated organisations such as the Greater London Authority and local councils.

Potential bidders will be expected to compete with each other in an electronic auction process to select the winner.

TfL announced last December that it is refocusing its technology strategy and consolidating budgets to help towards an organisation-wide aim of generating £2.4bn of "efficiency savings".