IBM/ITNet gets the nod for £100m Bradford IT deal

The IBM/ITNet consortium has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the controversial £100m Bradford council IT outsourcing contract after seeing off competition from Atos KPMG.

The announcement comes after trade union Unison raised concerns over the winning bid after being involved in the council steering group for the Bradford-i project to overhaul Bradford's IT infrastructure. The deal involves the transfer of 135 council IT staff to the private sector.

But Unison has raised fresh concerns over the viability of the outsourcing project after examining the details of the bids when sitting on the council's steering group. It is claiming best value has not been demonstrated and that projected savings will not be achieved.

A council spokeswoman said Unison's comments were "unhelpful" at this stage of negotiations.

"The selection of a preferred partner is just the first stage and will now be followed by detailed work and discussions between the council and IBM/ITNet before any decision to move to contract will be agreed. Any contractual agreement will be subject to the approval of the council's executive," she said. "The Bradford-i project is designed to transform how we deliver customer service and to increase efficiency through a combination of investment in ICT and business process re-engineering."