Boeing favourite for £100m Staffordshire Police IT deal
Plane manufacturer Boeing has been unveiled as the favourite to become the IT partner for Staffordshire Police in a deal worth more than £100 million.
The firm is the preferred bidder for the force's new strategic IT partner.
If the company gets the deal then it will be tasked with providing new technology as well as creating greater opportunities for the police to work more effectively with partner organisations and local communities.
But the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire is keen to make clear that no contract has yet been won or signed, and that Boeing is only the preferred bidder at this stage.
The procurement process will now continue and an announcement over the contract is expected to take place in the next few weeks.
The contract, which could last up to 10 years, will be worth more than £100m over that time period.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire Matthew Ellis said he could not go into further detail at this stage but that he was 'excited' about the developments.
He said: "I am excited to have got to this point in the procurement process. A strategic IT partner will bring capacity and capability to Staffordshire Police through the development of cutting edge technology and new ways of working.
"At this time I cannot go into further detail as we are still in a procurement process and observing the standstill period prior to contract signature. I will provide more information as soon as I am able to do so."
Jane Sawyers, the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, added that she hopes the new IT partner will help make policing across the region more effective.
She said: "A lot of hard work has taken place to get us to this point where we have identified a preferred bidder. I am hopeful that we can now move forward to sign the contract for an IT partner who will help us make policing more effective for the communities that we serve in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent."
David Pitchforth, Vice President and Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK, the preferred bidder at this stage, said he and the company were 'delighted' to be named such at this stage in the procurement process.
He said: "Boeing is delighted to be named as the preferred bidder for the Strategic IT Partner contract. We will make a further statement after contract signature."
Despite being most famous for its planes, Boeing also designs, manufactures, and sells rotorcraft, rockets and satellites.
It is the second-largest defence contractor in the world and is also the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value.
