NVT wins government IT contract

THE Scottish Government has awarded a contract worth almost £7 million to drive down the costs of running its IT operations to Lanarkshire firm NVT Group.

The company is Scotland's largest independently owned IT solutions firm and will provide support services for PCs, laptops, printers and scanners to the Central Government Centre of Procurement Expertise, which co-ordinates buying decisions across a number of departments.

NVT Group, based in Bellshill, will take on three staff from the previous incumbent and hire a further five to service the contract.

It will provide services for the Scottish Government, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scottish Court Service and the Scottish Prison Service.

Other central government organisations are expected to join the framework. As more join, the value of the contract rises to a maximum of 6.8m.

Hamish Fraser, head of business solutions at NVT, revealed that the company had been trying to win the contract for the past 12 years.

Fraser said: "We have been trying to win this contract since 1997 and over the years have gained huge experience of the tender submissions process.

"Our hard-won knowledge and understanding of what is required has finally paid off."