Morse sends right signal to Parliament

Reseller wins £5m contract to integrate data management system at Westminster

The channel has achieved government recognition after reseller Morse won a £5m contract to integrate a data management system at the Houses of Parliament.

The system, which will be implemented by the end of 2004, will allow MPs and researchers to store, search and retrieve information stored in two libraries. They will also be able to use an internet link to access the system.

The old system was at the end of its life, said project director Betty McInnes. "We put a very rigorous selection process in place and linked a number of criteria," she said.

The criteria included the product set, how easily it could be used off-the-shelf and the supplier's experience.

Keith Munt, head of public sector at Morse, said: "The previous system was 20 years old and involved a lot of paper-based information. We are replacing this and adding functionality."

The infrastructure is from Hewlett Packard and the software is from Autonomy and Vignette. The deal includes services and support.

Munt said that Morse has had some public sector customers for the past five years, but began to focus on the sector only this year. It supplies and supports local and central government agencies.

The deal has been agreed on a fixed-price basis. Munt said: "The public sector used to concentrate on getting a low price but now it wants value for money and a return on investment."