Scotland-headquartered, private equity backed Amor has won its biggest consulting deal to date with Middlesbrough Council. Amor will support the council’s 5-year ICT strategy called ‘Change Programme.’ The supplier will perform appraisal and assessment and develop an architecture to manage future developments and additions to the applications environment. The programme commenced in May and will run through to March 2014. Not surprisingly the main aim of the strategy is to cut costs, and Amor is tasked with saving Middlesbrough Council a considerable £75 million over the 5 year period. Key to achieving these cost savings is a channel shift for the council to procure core applications as a service online.
Amor is flying at the moment. The company reported a very impressive 27% growth in 2012 and expects this to be even higher going forward, through organic growth and acquisitions (see: Amor in love with growth). This is an important win for Amor as a strategic advisor to Middlesbrough Council in their application transformation initiative. From a supplier perspective, the UK local government market is crowded and challenging. Those who are able to get their heads around a customer’s big and ugly applications environment, simplify it and create a new one that is manageable, flexible and adaptable will be in high demand.
Other suppliers will be keeping a close eye on Middlesbrough Council. The announcement states that this applications review is one of the first steps in a significant ICT programme which will see the council becoming ‘digital by default’. The council is currently in a long-term partnership with Mouchel Business Services for a variety of support services including ICT. It is due to end in 2016 having already been extended. The council has the option to undertake a procurement exercise for the continued delivery of the services. But it also has the option to utilise ICT managed services currently being contracted for by Hartlepool Borough Council.