Welsh VARs welcome local framework for IT

The Welsh Assembly has drawn up a list of IT suppliers available to public sector bodies

Welsh VARs are confident a new IT procurement framework drawn up by the Welsh authorities will help them grab a larger slice of the local public sector pie.

All Welsh public sector bodies are being encouraged to purchase PCs, printers and other IT hardware from a list of 17 suppliers, finalised after a two-day e-auction process.

The framework is more comprehensive in scope than the previous framework, both in terms of the number of suppliers and the products covered. The Welsh government is hoping all 22 local authorities will use it.

Although the list features UK giants such as Computacenter and Equanet, local suppliers such as Computer World Wales and Icon Computer Services have also made the cut.

Kevin Collins, managing director at VAR Computer World Wales, said it was hiring three new employees after securing a place in the line-up.

"The Welsh Assemblyís idea is to ensure more public sector money is spent in Wales.
ìAlthough itís just a framework, hopefully this will lead to more opportunities for us," he said.

Collins added the firm had failed to make it onto the previous list, which he criticised for not giving public sector bodies a sufficiently wide choice of suppliers.

Ieuan Rees, managing director at Swansea-based PC builder Icon, which was also not included in the previous framework, said: "We're hoping to grow through our appointment to the framework. This is good for local authorities as it is a more sustainable policy if they can source more of their IT locally in Wales."