The Council carried out the procurement as a further competition in accordance with the Crown Commercial Services’ Vertical Application Solutions Framework (RM6259).
The contract will replace existing IT systems from the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland Councils with one combined system that operates across the whole area. The Council estimates that the contract will save taxpayers in the region of £3.6m over the next decade.
DWF provided support to the Council throughout the procurement process, from establishing the procurement strategy, drafting the core procurement and contract documents, and supporting the Council through to contract award. The DWF team consisted of Charlotte Ganz, Simon Harris, Simone Nel and Claira Rodden.
Charlotte Ganz, Director in the Commercial and Public Sector team at DWF, said: “We are proud to have supported Westmorland and Furness Council on this strategically important IT procurement. It was a pleasure to work with the Council on such a complex and transformative project that will improve services across the region. We’re delighted to have played a part in such a strategically important contract to the Council.”
Vicky McDonald, Senior Manager for Revenues & Benefits at Westmorland and Furness Council, commented: “Awarding a single contract for one, fit-for-purpose, cloud-hosted system has been one of the key aims of the council’s Revenues and Benefits Harmonisation Project. We thank DWF for their support over a number of months to ensure a compliant, streamlined and successful tendering process.”
