Smart CT clinches global IT support deals to scale up

Smart CT has secured three new support contracts covering more than 65,000 IT devices across the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and parts of Asia, as the Reading-based services firm expands its international footprint.

The agreements span public sector bodies, healthcare organisations, retail outlets and a global soft drinks manufacturer. Smart CT provides deployment, maintenance, replacement and repair services for business-critical IT infrastructure on behalf of IT manufacturers across several sectors.

The largest contract covers support for 50,000 end-user networking devices and switches used across 70 organisations, including government bodies, banks, airports, councils, fire and rescue services, and water and delivery companies.

A second contract covers 12,000 devices for 279 health bodies and retail outlets in the UK, Italy, the Czech Republic and South Africa. A third covers 5,000 routers, switches and WiFi access points used by a global soft drinks company at production facilities in Europe, Indonesia and Australia.

Under the contracts, Smart CT engineers will attend callouts within 4 hours or by the next working day to repair or replace equipment.

"We've been chasing these deals for quite a while, particularly one of them, and the new business in Australia is a first for us, so I'm delighted to get them all across the line," said Andy Morgan, Smart CT's chief executive.

Smart CT operates a network of engineers to provide on-site support for fault resolution and replacement needs. The new wins extend its reach into new territories, including Australia.

"We were only able to manoeuvre into position to win both deals because of the strong and consistent support internally, so it has been a brilliant team effort," Morgan said.

Response times

The contracts point to continued demand for outsourced device support across multiple technology types. Networking equipment such as routers and switches often sits at the centre of corporate and public sector operations, and service providers are increasingly expected to commit to fast response times and wide geographic coverage.

Morgan said customers focused on service quality during the tender process and early onboarding. "The customers were impressed with our track record, our planning for the transition and attention to detail in understanding their needs, our commitment to EDG principles and, not least, the way our staff welcomed them to our offices during visits," he said.

Retail workload

Alongside networking support, Smart CT highlighted work linked to retail technology estates. One contract covers maintenance and repair across thousands of retail point-of-sale systems and related hardware, including printers, scanners and headsets.

The work is expected to generate around 10,000 callouts a year. Smart CT has 65 engineers across the UK to service these requests, with a further 20 recently joining from a manufacturer.

"This is a significant deal for us because although we already provide a substantial amount of retail services for customers across Europe, this gives us a greater level of scale," Morgan said.

"Around 10,000 service requests is a big number, but it demonstrates our ability to support multiple technologies at scale, networking, service storage and workplace technologies, which includes retail. This contract gives us a really solid footprint in the retail space," he said.

Competition for multi-country support contracts has intensified as vendors and large organisations consolidate their supplier base. Morgan said Smart CT faced larger rivals in the procurement process and benefited from an existing relationship in one area of support.

"We were up against some big companies, but we are already working with this company on a material networking contract, so they are aware of how reliable we are and the excellent service we provide," he said.

Recent wins

Smart CT has also won a three-year contract supporting MRI Software. That agreement covers device installation and maintenance at a nationwide health food chain and a fragrance retailer across the UK and Europe.

The company has positioned its growing retail exposure as part of a broader growth strategy while maintaining activity across other sectors, including public services, manufacturing and infrastructure. Morgan linked that progress to operational changes, including the appointment of chief operating officer Eddie Egan.

"We are making huge strides in other sectors too, and key appointments like new COO Eddie Egan are ensuring we have the structure to continue scaling up and meeting our customers' needs," Morgan said.