The Student Loans Company (SLC) has appointed Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, to support the delivery of improvements to SLC’s customer interface and the associated technology infrastructure. Atos will support the development of its Customer Enablement Services, with focus on application development. This is the first stage of a multi-part procurement process to engage strategic partners across SLC’s technology group.

In February, as part of its on-going commitment to improving its service to customers, SLC launched a competitive procurement process to deliver a new strategic partner model. The new approach will see the organisation working with a small number of partners to develop, deliver and support its technology estate and digital services to customers.

The ambitious programme will transform the commercial framework and delivery models leveraged across SLC’s technology estate when working with strategic partners, developing enhanced capabilities while delivering better value for public money. 

Stephen Campbell, Chief Information Officer at SLC, said: “We were greatly encouraged by the range and strength of responses from bidders in the first round of this procurement process. The appointment of Atos is the first stage in this process as we undertake an ambitious approach to work with a small number of strategic partners to develop, deliver and support our technology estate and digital services.

“This process reflects our commitment to improving the experience for our customers and we look forward to progressing with further procurements in the months ahead.”

Clay Van Doren, CEO, Atos UK and Ireland, said: “We are excited by the prospect of our new strategic partnership approach with Student Loans Company to deliver the customer interface systems transformation it is seeking. This will elevate its service and overall offering while also ensuring that value is consistently delivered.”

Working in conjunction with its partners in the Department for Education, Devolved Administrations and the Cabinet Office, SLC has developed a procurement strategy that provides the most appropriate, compliant, public sector route to market for each lot within the programme, based on the complexity and stability of the in-scope services. The second procurement is expected to be released to the market later in September 2020.