Largest ICT contract win for Northgate Information Solutions
01 December 2006
Northern Ireland's primary education sector received a major boast today with the announcement of a £31.38 million Managed Services contract, which has been awarded to Northgate Information Solutions (Northgate).
Referred to as Lot 6, the five-year contract to provide managed services to 883 primary schools is the sixth phase of the Classroom 2000 (C2k) initiative, and the largest ICT education managed service contract in Europe in terms of the number of schools involved. Developing, delivering and supporting the latest media rich education technologies to every primary school in Northern Ireland, the service provided by Northgate will contribute significantly to C2k's objective to enhance as well as individualise the learning and teaching experiences for approximately 150,000 pupils and teachers.
The contract contains an extension clause for two years and an additional option to supply up to 21,000 laptops to teachers.
Building on the company's involvement in the initial phases of C2k - primarily supporting all post-primary and special needs schools in Northern Ireland - Northgate will now provide a Managed Service to every single school in the province, consolidating its lead position in the provision of ICT services to Northern Ireland's education sector as well as strengthening its future growth plans into the UK education market.
As the prime contractor for Lot 6, Northgate will have overall responsibility for the design, implementation and management of the service, which comprises some 15,600 PCs, 3,400 printers and associated network infrastructure in all Northern Ireland primary schools. This will include integrating all their ICT devices into the C2k Enterprise Active Directory (EAD) to allow schools to operate in a collaborative online environment. Whilst this technology is highly complex and advanced, the real benefit to the end user, many of whom will be children aged four to eleven, will be a simplified, softened and more user-friendly learning interface.
Additionally, the service provided by Northgate will enable learners and teachers to securely access their work and resources from anywhere in the world at any time, both day and night.
Chris Stone, Chief Executive, Northgate, said today:
"Northgate is delighted to continue playing such an instrumental role in the development of ICT to support quality education in Northern Ireland. From the outset, we have been intrinsically involved in the C2k project, and winning Lot 6 is a major coup for the company and a further endorsement of our ability to effectively deliver real educational benefits to the classroom through technology.
"Northgate prides itself on understanding educational needs and providing cutting-edge, tailored ICT solutions that meet the individual, changing needs of every school. The innovative service, which includes remote monitoring and management, ensures that teachers can rely on the service and resources being available wherever and whenever they need them. We are committed to the future of education here and are confident we are well equipped to deliver the expertise and high standards necessary to keep our educational system at the leading edge."
As part of Northgate's investment in education ICT, the company has designed and built a virtual classroom on its premises to provide an R&D facility to further develop technology solutions to engage teachers, learners and the wider community in lifelong learning. Operating as a practical working model, the virtual classroom allows teachers and learners to sample our new technology for themselves, and see how well it best fits within their classroom environment.
Jimmy Stewart, Director, C2k, added:
"Northgate has earned its reputation as leading specialists in the education sector with a proven track record in the provision of large, complex managed service projects to the public sector, and this reputation is particularly important when it comes to a long-term campaign which will undoubtedly have a direct impact on the future of young people in Northern Ireland.
"ICT is pivotal to the future of education, and with the support of Northgate, the implementation of Lot 6 will ensure that primary schools in Northern Ireland have an advanced technology platform to support their educational needs as well as a single point of contact for ICT advice and problem-solving. We are confident that our partnership with Northgate will set a new precedent for the delivery of education and learning across the UK, and bring us significantly closer to achieving all the objectives of the Education Department's emPowering Schools Strategy."
