Northgate awarded £24M contract extension

Department of Education and Classroom 2000 (C2k) has agreed a two-year extension, worth £20m with Newtownabbey based ICT education specialist Northgate Managed Services (Northgate) as part of its post primary and special need schools managed services contract.   

The contract, which will extend Northgate’s involvement in the project from five to seven years, will see a complete refresh of desktop and printing hardware, network enhancements and an extension of helpdesk and support services.  This will include the replacement and management of over 22,000 PCs and 1,600 printers in the 238 secondary schools and 47 special needs schools in Northern Ireland. As part of the new service, Apple Macs will also be integrated into the managed network and supported by Northgate

To ensure each school is ICT protected and to maximise performance, the new hardware is equipped with the latest security and increased storage capabilities, all supported with the encrypted backup systems necessary to ensure against the loss of essential and confidential information.  Commenting on the contract extension Jimmy Stewart, Director, C2k stated, “I am delighted that Northgate has been retained as the main partner on the C2k network.  The professionalism shown by Northgate in helping C2k to open new e-learning pathways into further and higher education has been a vital element on this project.  The company has played a pivotal role in the implementation of Northern Ireland’s Education Technology strategy and in doing so has enhanced the learning experiences of school children across Northern Ireland.”

Northgate is one of the largest IT companies in NI and employs over 1,000 highly skilled staff in the UK.  This contract is the latest in a series of new contracts won in the last few months.  Northgate recently announced significant contracts with CC Water in England and NI Water in NI.  Northgate continues to work with clients across the UK to adopt technologies which will support transformation programs and exploit opportunities to improve business efficiencies.

Andy Ross, Chief Executive, Northgate Managed Services added, “I am delighted that C2k has taken the decision to further extend our partnership.   The decision is a strong endorsement of the company and of the staff involved in the project.  We have been working with C2k since 1998 providing over 1,200 primary, nursery, post primary and special needs schools across Northern Ireland with the ICT infrastructure to access a wide range of education technology content and services to support the Northern Ireland curriculum.  We remain dedicated to ensuring that our ICT solutions work to provide the Department of Education and Ck2k with the flexibility and enhanced services needed today by pupils and teachers alike.”

08.09.09