The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a £17m five-year deal with HP for desktop IT break-fix services.
"For the first time, the British Armed Forces can rely on a consistent and transparent level of support for IT assets in the UK and at overseas bases," said Paul Beavin, head of ICT procurement at the MoD.
"This contract has been adopted as a model by the Government Procurement Service, part of the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group, so it could be used for other government departments," he said.
"This new pan-government enabling contract is set to be a model for future engagement with the public sector," said Melanie McGrory, account executive at HP Enterprise Services.
The core service covers hardware break-fix, bespoke software support and a 24/7 UK call centre, hardware refurbishment, and disposal of IT under the WEEE Directive.
She said HP can take the same model and apply it to other government departments, allowing them to include their assets on the MoD contract.
But Robert Morgan, a partner at Burnt Oak Partners, dismissed the significance of the deal. "This is a very, very small, even minute, contract. £17m over five years is only £3.4m per annum," he said.
HP has an existing relationship with the MoD. During a keynote at the company's annual conference, HP CEO Meg Whitman cited the company's contract with the MoD, where employees work maintaining IT systems with forces in Afghanistan for eight months at a time, as an example of the company's commitment to working with customers.
"Our people work in a war zone – that is how far our people will go," she said.
