HM Treasury has placed a pre-tender notice for a ITO 2015 programme to deliver a new replacement for its current ITO services, which are up for renewal at the end of January 2015.

The new procurement processes are expected to see the awarding of six contracts with a focus on SME suppliers, based on the government’s desire to stimulate SME’s involvement with the public sector.

The expectations of multiple contracts is a departure from the single provider ITO arrangement that the HM Treasury currently uses, with six contracts allowing for small and mid-sized companies to provide individual services rather than an over reaching service.

Requirements for the contract renewal include a focus on flexible working and remote accessibility, with the pre-tender notice specifying that: “all future services should be fully scalable as it is possible that other government delivery organisations could be on-boarded over time and the size of the Treasury will change'.

SME initiative reaches £100 million contract milestone