xansa, government, outsourcing, IT

Xansa wins £27m government contract

Xansa has secured a £27 million, five-year contract to build and manage an internet platform supporting services from three government departments - Directgov, where citizens can access public services in one place, the Department of Health's corporate web service, and a number of electronic services from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

The shared approach is expected to lower the cost of ownership and reduce the burden of maintenance. It allows the three departments involved - known as The Club - to share development work, creating common functionality and re-using components within the platform. This is expected to cut time-to-market and cost.

Additional government departments will be able to join The Club, with Xansa promising them short timescales and reduced cost and risk compared to running their own systems.

Commenting on the contract, Kevin McLean, head of the strategy and performance unit within the technology group at the DfES, said: "Our aim is cost-effective, high-quality public sector online services so that people can quickly connect with what they need. This innovative partnership across government will deliver cost efficiencies and improved quality of e-government services."