9 companies have been selected to operate a £100 million framework by the Scottish government designed to deliver procurement processes.

The network will provide office equipment, machinery and supplies, alongside maintenance services.

The contract will see the provision of equipment including photocopies, scanners and printers to public services, including all Scottish emergency services, educational facilities and government bodies.

The new contract replaces a four-year contract established in 2009, with six of the suppliers being renewed under the new procurement contract, which has a length of two-years with the option a further two-year extension.

The nine suppliers are Canon, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, Xerox, Capital Document Solutions, The Danwood Group, Toshiba TEC Imaging Systems, Ricoh, Capito and Newfield IT.

The 2009 contract that the new procurement contract replaced achieved savings of 25 percent. The new contract is expected to be significant in meeting government targets on delivering multi-functional devices to public sector services.

Scotland to announce 2013 investment strategy

Scottish IT and digital businesses struggle to find skilled employees