Hertfordshire county council is set to launch a council-wide e-market system, which will allow council employees to purchase adult social care services and members of the public to buy the likes of home care or day services.

The authority is working with Serco to develop the system, which will eventually include other applications for trading with schools and other items people can buy from the council. Hertfordshire has decided to go live with an adult social care application first, which it hopes to "soft launch" in April 2012.