IT staff in Cov hailed as ‘unsung heroes’

HARDWORKING IT staff at Coventry City Council have been praised for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The comments came at a Cabinet meeting where senior councillors were asked to approve a procurement process for a three-year contract for the supply of ICT hardware worth £2.5m per year. There will also be the option to extend the contract for a further two years.

The current contract, with CDW Limited, is due to expire in April next year.

Councillors agreed to give the green light to the recommendations.

Introducing the report at the virtual meeting, Cllr Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet member for city services, said: “I would like to put on record my thanks to the ICT team. They have stepped up and whenever there have been difficulties they have tried to find a way forward.

“Their response has been brilliant and without them our services could not have continued.”

Cllr Gavin Lloyd, deputy Cabinet member for city services, agreed.

He told the meeting: “Our IT guys and girls have stepped up and gone above and beyond. They are unsung heroes.”

Coventry City Council has 5,000 laptops and 3,000 mobile phones to enable staff to carry out vital services.

The report put before the Cabinet states that best practice is to have a three to four year refresh cycle for new equipment as, once past the four year mark, staff can waste up to three days per year waiting for their computer to start up.

Cllr Lloyd said the current supplier had done a “sterling job”.

ICT lead Jas Sanda agreed. He said: “The contract has been invaluable for the last four years. They have got the equipment when needed, particularly in Covid when demand has been so high.”

In response to questions from Cllr Gary Ridley, who attends Cabinet meetings as a non-voting representative of the Conservative party, Mr Sanda said the new contract will allow for greater scope in working from home. He added: “We are always looking at what’s light, what’s mobile, has better battery life. Our staff need to be able to work remotely.”