New Highland Council ICT contractor to roll-out tablets

Highland Council has long-held aspiration to give every school pupil in its area their own tablet computer

Highland Council is set to award WIPRO Holdings UK Ltd a contract to look after its technology, including a roll-out of tablet computers to schools.

Fujitsu currently handles information and communication technology services for the local authority.

The council's resources committee has agreed that IT firm WIPRO should be the preferred bidder for the new contract.

Highland Council expects to formally award the contract in mid-September.

The contract includes the roll-out of 20,000 tablet computers to pupils to help them with their studies.

Providing schoolchildren with their own personal devices has been a long-held aspiration of the Highland Council.

It wants to give every pupil their own tablet.

'Modernising classrooms'

The local authority said the contract also has a requirement to make "a significant reduction" in the cost of running its information and communication technology services.

Bill Fernie, the resources committee chairman, said the council was seeking a saving of £11m in its ICT services.

He said: "The council has a duty to provide the best possible value for public money in the provision and delivery of all its services.

"Through this new contract we aim to achieve significant cost savings and deliver services in innovative ways, making the best use of new technologies and enabling business change and transformation as well as modernising classroom technology."

Drew Millar, chairman of the council's child and adult service, added: "We will modernise learning in the classroom with the deployment of tablet devices allowing anytime, anywhere learning for pupils including while at school and at home.

"This will include the introduction of around 20,000 tablets and a further investment in networks and bandwidth to schools to improve access."