Liberata bags £34m Burnley Council contract

IT services firm seals 10-year contract after bid is judged most economically advantageous

Acquisitive service provider Liberata has bagged a 10-year contract with Burnley Council, said to be worth £34m.

Liberata, which owns resellers Trustmarque and Trinity, will now provide a range of services for Burnley Council, including running its payroll and human resources systems and providing asset and facility management services.

The council awarded Liberata the contract after a town hall meeting which found its bid to be the most economically advantageous, compared with continuing the in-house services the council was previously running.

Charlie Bruin, Liberata managing director, said: "We are delighted to have been selected by Burnley Council as a strategic partner to transform and run a range of council services. Key to enabling Burnley Council to meet its strategic objectives will be service innovation and digital transformation."

Council leader Mark Townsend said the contract award has come at a time of big funding cuts in the area.

"We are taking this step to respond positively to the challenges that we face. Burnley Council is acting in line with its responsibility to provide the best possible services to residents, in spite of major reductions to our funding," he said.

Townsend said Liberata has been charged with growing local jobs.

"Liberata has the objective of retaining jobs, skills and talent in Burnley and is looking to grow jobs and services in our borough. For many of the current council employees working in the services which form part of the contract, who will transfer with terms and conditions protected, this will mean new opportunities."