Highways Agency inks £75m outsourcing deal

Atos Origin to help cut Agency IT costs...

The Highways Agency has awarded Atos Origin a £75m contract to manage its IT infrastructure and applications over the next five years.

The Agency, which is an executive agency for the Department of Transport responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network of England, hopes to save a minimum of 15 per cent on its annual IT budget. Under the contract, 120 staff will transfer to Atos Origin.

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As part of the deal, Atos Origin will deploy its managed desktop platform, Atos Workplace Solutions, allowing software to be uploaded and problems to be solved remotely.

Early last year, Atos's relationship was not so rosy with another arm of the public sector when the NHS suspended one of its contracts with the IT services company. A key ultrasound and medical imaging contract was suspended last March after incomplete patient records and diagnosis delays were discovered.