Serco wins major expansion to Hertfordshire gig

24th Nov 2010 14:12

Outsourcing giant Serco has won a £200m eight-year contract with Hertfordshire County Council to provide a range of front and back office operations.Serco will overhaul the council's internal business processes, develop customer services and co-operate with the council on achieving cost savings of at least £25m.More than 400 council employees are expected to transfer to Serco when the contract starts in April, as the outsourcer takes over processes such ICT (information, communications and technology) services, finance, payroll and personnel functions, as well as support services such as facilities management, customer contact centres and occupational health.Under the partnership agreement, these shared services and enhanced capabilities will also be offered to other public sector bodies in the area, including Hertfordshire's ten district councils and the county's police authority.Hertfordshire County Council has been a customer of Serco for 18 years but the new contract is significantly larger in scope and value than the existing £8m per annum service."In total, this new contract will save us at least £25m during its lifetime, and I trust considerably more," said Councillor David Lloyd, executive member for Resources at Hertfordshire County Council.