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IT services provider Version 1 has secured its largest UK public sector contract to date, having been appointed Digital Support Partner for the Digital and Data Division of the Scottish Government Agriculture and Rural Development Economy (ARE) Directorate.
ARE is responsible for promoting sustainable economic growth in agriculture, the food industry, and in rural areas. This includes delivering payments and support services to rural customers across Scotland. The directorate identified the need to modernise the technical architecture and support schemes that underpin these services and has a stated intention to exploit digital technologies to create new customer-centred services.
Seeking to replace two longstanding, support and maintenance contract arrangements, ARE first approached the market about the support partner opportunity in 2023, with the subsequent contract notice being released last year. The primary intention of the contract is the retirement of legacy systems and the upgrading and enhancement of current services. Although the contract provides scope for some new development work, any major new service designs and developments are likely to be subject to separate contractual arrangements.
Version 1 was able to draw on its extensive experience of delivering digital services in the government agriculture space, where it has developed a dedicated practice. The company has a long history of supporting the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland, and the Rural Payments Agency (an executive agency, sponsored by Defra) in England (see Version 1 celebrates significant wins).
Commenting on the contract award, Nick Downes, Chief Digital and Data Officer, ARE Digital and Data Division, said, “Farmers, crofters and rural communities are front and centre of our services, and Version 1 clearly showed expertise in understanding the detailed business rules and mechanics needed in delivering solutions that can achieve that. We were impressed by their expertise in their grasp of our environment, and critically, how to bring fresh learnings and digitally enabled approaches for improvements such as data-led policy planning, vitally important for rural land use.”
The contract has a stated value of £95m over its full seven-year term, making it Version 1’s largest UK public sector contract to date. It represents another important step in the company’s plans for growth, which are being driven by its ability to secure strategic public sector deals in the UK. It follows the strategic partnership contracts Version 1 secured with Companies House in 2023 (see Version 1 lands strategic partnership with Companies House) and National Highways in 2024 (see Version 1 secures long-term partnership with National Highways).
Posted by: Dale Peters at 10:00
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