Fife Council has brought in a French IT firm in a four-year deal aimed at saving £26m.
Capgemini UK plc will transform the information and communications technology (ICT), which supports local services.
Michael Enston, Fife Council’s executive director of Corporate Services, said: “We have created this partnership to address the significant budget challenges facing us in the years ahead.
“It represents a whole new way of working for Fife Council, which has got to be smarter and more efficient across the board.
“Together, we will identify opportunities for business improvements and make them happen, accelerate major change programmes, improve service delivery to residents and local businesses, and optimise the way all council departments work, with a more commercial and disciplined approach.”
Councillor Linda Erskine, executive member for Finance and Corporate Services at Fife Council, added: “This exciting development will give employees access to the modern tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and with ever better levels of service to the people of Fife. It will help individuals improve and update their skills, as well as streamlining information sharing within and between council departments.”
Capgemini was selected following a six-month procurement exercise, involving responses from more than 20 leading national and international companies.
The partnership will be led by a joint Partnership Management Board, comprising three people each from Fife Council and Capgemini.
Neil MacLean, vice-president of Capgemini UK, said: “We are delighted to have been entrusted with such a key role in this new and exciting partnership, and we are clear in our intention to bring an accelerated pace of change.”
Fife Council’s head of ICT, Charlie Anderson, said: “This partnership will help us speed up change within the organisation and develop the kind of skills and capabilities the public sector needs to meet the challenges ahead.”