Island based IT services provider Skanco Business Systems Ltd has been awarded a three year contract for the provision of IT services to the Isle of Man Government. The contract, which came into effect on April 1st, involves hardware and software procurement, maintenance of servers and support for approximately six and a half thousand desktop and laptop computers. Skanco now supports the Information Systems Division (ISD) of the Department of Economic Development in providing these services to all of the various departments and sections within Government. The Government contract is the largest single IT contract on the Island. As such, Skanco have made a number of changes and additions to their business in order to accommodate the Government’s needs. This has included recruiting ten new members of staff, increasing the size of their van fleet and installing Government-only secure storage and a dedicated ‘lab’ for building new PCs at their headquarters on Cooil Road. Skanco, who are advocates of the ‘buy local’ ethic, have worked hard to ensure that all of their new staff and resources have been recruited and sourced on Island. David Butterworth, Managing Director of Skanco, commented: “The last few months have been very busy in the run up to the start of the contract and we are excited to have finally begun work. The challenge isn’t just in the volume; it is also in the variety. Each area has its own unique needs. For example, the prison and the police have security requirements beyond the rest of Government, the MEA has retail-specific needs and the Hospital has its own special challenges. “We have made a number of changes to the business to accommodate the new workload, but it is important to note that our current clients will also benefit from these changes. With the exception of a dedicated sales support team headed up by John Bolton, all of the new engineers and support staff are available to all our clients, both Government and private, plus we have increased our already considerable training schedule. With a broader range of knowledge and greater availability for call outs across the board, we hope to provide an even higher level of service across the Island moving forward. “It is also great to see the Government’s IT budget stay on the Island. We are a Manx company, with all local directors and shareholders and every penny of the investments we have made to meet the needs of the new contract has gone to recruiting local staff and sourcing from Manx businesses.” Skanco won all three of the tender elements that they bid for, out of six in total. Two other elements, packaging and training, were in-sourced. The final element, printer support, was won by local company BigFish. Debs Gwinnell, Director of BigFish, also commented on the contract: “It’s great to see investment in local businesses in a sector where we obviously face strong competition from UK-owned companies. We started as a very small business 17 years ago and we are very proud to be where we are now, servicing one of the Island’s largest contracts.” The primary objective of the Government’s tender was to make cost savings. Brian Osborn, Production Services Manager at the ISD, commented: “We are excited about working with Skanco and look forward to interesting times ahead. This contract will deliver real cost-savings for the Isle of Man Government, while ensuring maintained and, in some areas, increased levels of service.” ENDS