RM bags cut-price Herts BSF deal

System builder ekes another win out of doomed programme

RM has salvaged another deal from the wreckage of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, but the contract's value has been reduced by more than half.

The education IT specialist announced today that it has reached financial close on a £3.2m hardware and services deal with Hertfordshire County Council. RM will work as part of the Balfour Beatty consortium on the project, which encompasses the rebuilding of three schools.

The Oxfordshire-based system builder announced in August that it had been chosen as the preferred bidder for the project. At the time, the contract was set to be worth up to £6.8m to RM, but that figure has now been slashed by some 53 per cent.

RM chief executive Terry Sweeney said: "Hertfordshire County Council has been an important partner for RM for very many years. I'm really pleased that we're continuing that relationship by providing ICT systems and services for their school build programme. We're looking forward to working alongside our colleagues at Balfour Beatty, and educationalists in the county, to provide excellent learning environments."