Government MoU seals supplier deal for Xerox

Xerox shakes hands with government on further print transformation

Xerox has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government around ongoing document management and business process outsourcing projects.

In the MoU, Xerox has agreed to keep delivering services within its current framework of government contracts, including for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Alan Charnley, managing director at Xerox UK and Ireland, said the vendor wanted to keep helping the government to transform public services.

"This [can] make a real difference to the lives of people in the UK every day. We value our relationship with the government and are committed to working collaboratively to help transform the way government works by providing enhanced services at a lower cost," Charnley said.

The MoU was signed following negotiation initiated by cabinet office minister Francis Maude and led by the office’s Efficiency and Reform Group.

The Department for Work and Pensions announced in 2007 that a seven-year £400m contract for print and associated services would be awarded to iON, a group of providers led by Xerox, with an option to extend for another three years.

The contract stipulated the development of a single service management infrastructure for all the department's core print and related requirements, with a view to improving the quality and effectiveness of its document-based communications with the general public, as well as saving money.

The iON group included EDS – since bought by HP and relaunched as HP Enterprise Services – Accenture, CEVA Logistics, Remploy, The Stationery Office and TNT.

More recently, April 2010 saw Xerox selected as a key Buying Solutions print-and-copy paper supplier to the public sector.

Buying Solutions is the national procurement partner for UK public services. Xerox was one of eight suppliers awarded a place on the Supply of Printing and Copier Papers (Recycled and Virgin Fibre) framework – a two-year agreement.

Under the deal, Xerox has agreed to supply recycled paper to meet a central government mandate on the use of recycled paper, and offer virgin-fibre paper that complies with the government's timber policy.