Daisy and Updata cash in on £25m Kent UC deal

Services duo to take over Kent Public Service Network

Services pair Daisy and Updata have teamed up to spearhead a lucrative unified communications operation at Kent County Council (KCC).

From next February, the duo will take over and develop the Kent Public Services Network (KPSN), which was set up in 2008 and currently provides more than 370,000 people across the area with internet connectivity.

According to a recently published contract award notice, Daisy Updata Communications Limited (DUCL) - a joint venture which has already won a flurry of public sector deals - will take over the development of KPSN for six years, with the opportunity to extend it for a further four years.

The total value of the contract is expected to reach £24.5m, excluding VAT.

KCC claims its KPSN is a "mature [and] collaborative" network which requires suitable technology to meet its changing demands.

"During the period of the contract it is anticipated that there will be changes in technology," the council said in the contract award document.

"Solutions should be sufficiently flexible and innovative in taking advantage of developments utilising new and emerging technologies. It is important any solution should be capable of interoperating with partner (both public and private sector) technologies with, in some cases, partners' own solutions comprising part of the service delivered as part of this contract."

Daisy Updata Communications beat two other firms bidding for the deal and was awarded the contract based on equal technical and commercial weighting.

Daisy chief executive Matthew Riley said the KPSN should act as an example to other public sector bodies.

"With the rise of cloud-based technologies in the workplace, reliable, superfast connectivity such as this is highly sought after," he said. "We are delighted to be working with the KPSN and supporting the good work that it continues to do within Kent's public sector telecoms space.

"KCC and the KPSN partners are setting a great example for other regions. This new approach to ICT procurement will play a massive part in the government's goal of reducing costs whilst enhancing efficiency."