Councils including Westminster City Council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham are to move to a new e-commerce system as part of a cost savings initiative.

The new platform is being provided by BravoSolution and is expected generate procurement benefits including increased negotiating strength from a centralised system.

The e-commerce system will also help to meet government green targets by reducing paper transactions.

Anthony Oliver, Westminster City Council's chief procurement officer, said: "Progressive local authorities know that working with private sector partners is the way forward in getting the best deal for local people and businesses. The framework with BravoSolution is part of that trend. It cuts away needless bureaucracy and introduces a simple, straightforward platform for doing business with us."

London councils move to create a shared £1.1 billion ICT services framework