Williams Lea, the leading global provider of corporate information solutions, has announced that it has been appointed as Managed Service Provider for print and print management services to central Government.

The contract, announced by Francis Maude, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on 13 July 2011, is the first centrally managed contract to be awarded by Government Procurement. Under the new arrangements, the HMRC print contract will be available to all Government departments in a deal that is expected to save £21m and will replace 140 contracts with a single contract.

Williams Lea, the largest print buyer in the UK, won the contract following a highly competitive process designed to identify a strategic partner to help HMRC and central Government departments move away from a tactical print model.

As the Managed Service Provider, Williams Lea will work with Government Procurement and key stakeholders to drive efficiencies, while identifying and developing opportunities to transform print activity throughout the life of the contract.

“We are delighted to have won this prestigious contract,” said Miles Toulson-Clarke, Board Sponsor for Williams Lea. “Government Procurement was looking for an organisation with a proven record of success and the ability to deliver a transformational solution on a pan-Government scale. With this being the first centrally managed contract to be let by Government Procurement, we are delighted to have been selected to work with central Government and look forward to engaging with key stakeholders and existing vendors.”