LAR Civica has been picked as a Microsoft and anti-virus software supplier by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) for a corporate and academic framework agreement.

ESPO established the latest framework to satisfy current and future purchasing requirements for its different public sector members, and the deal with Civica will offer cost and efficiency savings by tackling over-licensing and reducing unnecessary licensing costs.

Jointly owned by Leicester City Council, Peterborough City Council and the County Councils of Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Warwickshre, ESPO has combined procurement activities of around £700m a year, with software accounting for £4m of that. It supplies a range of public-sector bodies including local authorities, schools, police and emergency services and the NHS.

Robert Cross, senior buyer at ESPO, said: “We are pleased to successfully conclude another framework agreement and this latest one, ESPO Contract Reference 936, shows how focused we are in meeting our members’ needs and driving the costs out of purchasing.

“The public sector is getting much more sophisticated in its buying strategies so that it can deliver enhanced cost savings and I believe that this agreement achieves this and more.”

Steve Reynolds, managing director of Civica Services, added: "Public sector bodies are combining to buy ICT more efficiently, while complying with EU regulation. At the moment, all organisations are focusing on spending less, taking control and delivering more from their software assets – and Civica Services can help achieve this.”