The watchdog has posted a tender in an effort to create the most environmentally sustainable government IT contract to date

The Environment Agency has posted a tender for what it hopes will be the most environmentally sustainable government IT contract to date.

The contract, which is for seven years with a possible extension to 10, is estimated to be worth between £300m and £700m.

It covers the delivery of a full range of services, including applications operation and maintenance, network services and distributed computing, all outsourced to a single prime contractor. The contractor is likely to be supported by other companies that could change according to the agency's needs or market conditions during the contract period.

Announcing the contract on 14 December, 2007, the Environment Agency's director of operations Paul Leinster said: "As a fast-changing organisation that is responding to the threat of climate change, we need the very best, innovative IT services to help us. "Although our IT supports us well now, we need more flexible and adaptable systems that will allow future development. We're looking to work with a partner who can step up to this challenge, ensuring this is the most environmentally sustainable government IT contract ever."

The key sustainability themes in the contract include:

• Consumption — emphasis on reduction, re-use, recycling hardware/consumables
• Carbon dioxide — focus on energy use and carbon offsetting
• Waste — environmental disposal in line with the WEEE Regulations
• Hazardous substances — policy on chemicals in hardware, consumables, cleaning agents
• Social exploitation — ethical global supply chain, workers rights and good working conditions
• People — diversity, staff training, incentives, disabled accessibility
• Innovation — continuous improvement in sustainability
• Supplier procurement — apply sustainability themes to sub-contractors

The proposed changes will mean that a smaller in-house team will concentrate on providing and managing the strategic and business-led aspects of IT. Around 170 IT-related jobs will switch over to the chosen partner company, who will manage IT services on a day-to-day basis.

A spokesperson for the agency told GC News: "At the Environment Agency we have a responsibility to reduce our own environmental footprint. We are seeking to make this the most environmentally sustainable IT contract yet let by government.

"The IT industry is keen to improve its performance, and sees this contract as an opportunity to develop industry best practice and experience in this area. Significant emphasis will be placed on ensuring applicants demonstrate how sustainability impacts will be managed and reduced, and continuous improvement delivered."

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