Council expands on existing revenues and benefits contract to include customer services, IT, financial services, HR and payroll and print services.
Hart District Council has today signed an eight year contract with Capita, worth £9.5m, for a range of managed services including customer services, IT, financial services, HR and payroll and print services. This builds on an existing revenues and benefits contract and was procured through the South Coast Framework.
The service commenced on 1st September 2009 and is expected to improve the customer service experience by utilising Capita’s existing service capabilities in Southampton. By using shared systems, the citizens of Hart will benefit from increased service accessibility and faster and more cohesive services. This will be achieved through the integration of business processes which will also support enquiry resolution.
Leader of the Council Ken Crookes said: "This is great news for the residents of Hart. Working in partnership with Capita will help us cut our overhead costs, improve the efficiency and reliability of our frontline services, and improve the quality of our customer service. We're a small council with limited resources and Capita will give us big-organisation resources and expertise to help us serve our customers better."
The expansion of the existing contract also means that Hart will be able to cut costs in IT, HR and payroll, print services and financial services. For example, it is expected that making use of an existing finance team will not only mean that Hart has access to highly skilled finance professionals, but that the council will also benefit from improved management reporting.
Mark Chapman, Director, Capita Local Government Services: “Like many local authorities, Hart is under pressure to maintain and even improve services, whilst working on a very tight budget. We are pleased that we were able to work so successfully to meet these goals with the initial contract and look forward to continuing to work closely with Hart to further improve public services. We’re confident that by making use of Capita’s wider capability, Hart will be able to focus on providing excellent services and support to its local community.”
The South Coast Framework is a network through which public bodies can procure specified services without the need for the full OJEU based process. This helps local authorities save time and money.