Glasgow City Council to pursue IT contract with CGI

City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow - Image credit: Viv Lynch via Flickr

Glasgow City councillors yesterday voted to take forward a business case that could see IT services outsourced to Canadian IT services company CGI.

Labour councillors on the council's executive committee voted unanimously to spend £750,000 on an outline business case, which will be brought back to the executive committee in February 2017.

The council was originally looking at seven options, which ranged from bringing all IT services in house, procuring services or setting up an LLP.

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An outside contract was favoured because it allows for access to a wider range of skills, resources and up-to-date knowledge when needed, cost, reduction of risk and quickness to implement.

CGI already provides IT services to City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Borders Council.

The contract is to replace the current ACCESS contract, where IT and property services are provided by Serco in partnership with Glasgow City Council.

That 10-year contract runs out in March 2018.

Glasgow City Council staff have threatened to strike over the privatisation of IT services. Earlier this week they protested outside the City Chambers in George Square.

But Councillor Frank McAveety told The Herald: “We’ve been clear all along that the work done so far on the strategic business case for future IT provision showed that continuing with external provision was the best solution.

“That involves both the development of the council’s IT services and future services for the benefit of the citizens of Glasgow.”

“The report that went before councillors on Thursday was also clear that the business case they were being asked to approve would examine the CGI contract arrangement put in place by City of Edinburgh Council.

“It also states that should that contract prove unsuitable then further diligence would involve investigation of other external provider options."