Capita wins £9m Kent County Council deal

The contract is set to run four years with the option for three one-year extensions

Capita has been awarded a new agreement by Kent County Council (KCC) to provide contact centre services supporting 1.6 million residents.

The contract, worth nearly £9m, will reportedly run for four years, with the option for three one-year extensions.

Under the arrangement, Capita will deliver a multi-channel service designed to resolve enquiries at the first point of contact, reduce non-emergency calls and emails and support vulnerable residents who require emergency or non-digital access.

Services will reportedly operate 24/7, with emergency calls prioritised.

This announcement follows a period of strategic refocusing for Capita.

The company now intends to drive mid- to long-term growth via new client wins and increased work with existing customers.

It will also aim to better leverage technologies such as AI and data to improve service delivery across the UK.

“Our new partnership with KCC demonstrates how Capita’s technology-led approach can help public sector organisations deliver more efficient, inclusive services,” said Richard Holroyd, CEO of Capita Public Services.

“By combining intelligent automation with human-centred design, we will support the council in meeting the needs of its residents while enabling greater resilience and value for money.”

Over the past 12 months, Capita has entered and extended several other public sector contracts.

In November, it secured a three-year prolongation with Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council.

In May, its Local Public Service (LPS) business won a four-year deal with SP Energy Networks (SPEN), part of ScottishPower.

Earlier in April, Capita Experience’s Contact Centre division extended its contract with Southern Water, valued at £92.4m over five years, including £56.3m for the initial three years and £36.1m for the optional two-year extension.

Further recent agreements include a £107m extension with the Education Authority of Northern Ireland (EANI), a prolongation with the Royal Navy and an £89m renewal with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Other IT firms have secured new agreements with UK authorities over the past few months.

In October, Softcat, the number one organisation on CRN’s Top VARs list, was named as the official supplier for the South East Grid for Learning’s (SEGfL) national software framework.

A month later, the Department for Transport (DfT) picked Kainos to manage its Bus Open Data Service (BODS) platform.