Northern Ireland’s Education Authority is planning to extend its Education Network contract with Capita after the termination of a deal for a replacement system with Fujitsu Services.
Fujitsu had been awarded a contract in December of last year to provide strategic partner services and a new school management system under the Education Information Solutions (EdIS) programme.
In recent days there have been reports that the contract has been terminated, referring to Fujitsu’s role in the Horizon IT scandal affecting the Post Office.
In response to questions from UKAuthority, a spokesperson for the Education Authority confirmed the contract’s termination, saying it was mutually agreed on a no-fault basis, and that it is “not associated with any other contract”.
She added that no additional detail can be provided due to a need for confidentiality, but also that: “To ensure continuity of services to schools, the Education Authority will extend its current contract with Capita, and planning has commenced to procure a replacement strategic partner.”
Earlier extension
This has come months after an initial extension of the contract with Capita, which has been in place since 2012.
The spokesperson also said that the roll out of a new school management system with Bromcom Computers will continue as planned.
The contract award notice from late last year states that the school management system will provide “a centralised master record for school users which will enable the sharing of accurate up-to-date student data for educational purposes and for access to technology services delivered through the EdIS programme”.
