The Learning and Skills Council has named Capgemini UK as its main IT partner, in a deal which could be worth £245m over five years.

Both parties expect to finalise the contract by mid November, with Capgemini starting to take over IT services from the LSC's two existing partners, Fujitsu and Xansa, in January 2008. The contract with these two suppliers ends in the spring.

Capgemini's responsibilities will span all core business systems and include IT infrastructure, applications, and networking. This will cover bespoke development of applications and/or systems, as well as the delivery of wide area network services connecting the LSC's head office and its 47 local offices.

The company will also provide support for some 3,000 desktop users across these locations.

The contract should also ensure that IT support across the LSC is maintained at optimum levels over the five year period.

This article was originally published at Kablenet.

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