Member Article

Aspire helps Labour prepare for next general election

The Labour Party is better prepared for the next election after signing a national contract with a leading Tyneside IT solutions provider.

Graham Stafford, the party’s Head of Procurement, said the deal signed with Gateshead-based Aspire ensures Labour has the right IT infrastructure to fight for power: “Our deal with Aspire will mean the Labour Party will be well-equipped for the next election.”

During the four-year contract, Aspire will provide new computers for Labour’s two Head Offices in Westminster and Newcastle, as well as offices in Scotland, Wales and across the UK. A virtualisation project using VMWare to centralise some back office functions, and a four-year support contract, are also included in the deal.

“This is an important operational aspect of our build-up to the next election and the contract with Aspire is the right fit for the party. This is a contract of national significance and Aspire had UK-wide competition,” said Mr Stafford.

“Aspire worked hard to get to know our business and understand our culture and values. They were keen to work with Labour, and their ‘can do attitude’ fits well with the party’s ethos. “Aspire showed good understanding of the brief, and the benefits of a long-term relationship. They added value to our requirements and did not hijack the project for a quick return.”

“We’re not a private company or a public sector organisation, but we needed a company capable of understanding our needs and with the ability to work quickly and to get things moving quickly. Aspire fitted the bill perfectly.

“Working together with Aspire will ensure our staff have the technology they need as they campaign to be the next Government,” he added.

Tammi Woodward, IT Manager for the Labour Party said Aspire had helped shape their IT strategy: “Aspire helped us to establish what equipment we’d need to achieve our aims.

“We need to have the right services, suppliers and partnerships in place to campaign to win the next election. Aspire is a national company with the reach to cover all our offices as well as the flexibility to react quickly to changing circumstances,

“Nowadays, elections are very much digital campaigns so we need to have the right infrastructure and be able to react instantly to whatever is happening. The right equipment and support services are absolutely essential to us.

“At the Labour Party we don’t have suppliers, we have partnerships and I see Aspire as an important part of my team.”

Nigel Begg, Managing Director of Aspire, said he was delighted to clinch the deal with Labour: “It was a contract we really wanted and worked hard to get. We’re an ambitious company and although we’ll always be proud of our north east roots, we operate nationally.

“We are rapidly expanding, but it’s vitally important to us that we remain nimble enough to respond quickly to the needs of our clients, and I think this, plus our attention to detail, helped us win this contract.”

Aspire is one of the region’s leading technology companies, specialising in hosted services, data centre solutions, communications and traditional IT support. Its headquarters is in the landmark Heworth Hall in Gateshead but the company also has offices in London.

Earlier this year, Aspire announced record growth for a sixth consecutive year and announced it planned to create more jobs in the coming months. The firm saw turnover increase by 52% in 2013 and is on target to achieve projected sales of £8m in 2014 representing equally strong growth.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section