About TWICT

The Tyne and Wear ICT Partnership (TWICT) was established in 2002 and brings together the five Tyne and Wear councils to make the most of the expertise, best practise, learning, skills, experience and developments within our ICT sections and to work together to support shared services.

TWICT collectively:

• Employs and is responsible for the professional development of over 500 ICT Professionals
• Supports around 20,000 computer users in over 1,000 locations
• Influences over £20m of spend on ICT goods and services Advice for suppliers Here >>

Aims

	To grow, share and develop knowledge, experience, skills and professionalism within the ICT community
	TWICT commissions research from independent consultants and receives presentations on market and policy trends from a number of external agencies. TWICT has established a number of networks (and associated online support systems) to support discussion and knowledge sharing across the councils. These include: ICT Development Managers ICT Security Officers ICT Training Officers Lead Officers on Digital TV Lead Officers on Kiosks Telephony Officers
	To maximise opportunities for jointly procuring ICT goods and services
	TWICT identifies and establishes framework arrangements enabling councils to save time and money in procurement and gain economies of scale on pricing.
	To develop new, and exploit existing, ICT infrastructure and e-government applications and developments to progress the modernising government agenda.
	TWICT provides governance, financial, project management and administrative support for joint working ICT projects. TWICT has built on existing initiatives and extended their benefits throughout Tyne and Wear.
	To help shape the use of ICT in the North East for the benefit of the residents, people who work here and those who visit the region.
	TWICT members participate in related organisations across the Region, such as North East Connects. TWICT has provided research and project management resources to projects funded through SOCITM NE and the North East Centre of Excellence.

Partnership Culture and Values

TWICT works because partners:

Are prepared to help each other
Trust each other, are open and honest
Value equality
Clearly communicate with each other
Are committed to continuous improvement
Work together for the greater good
Maintain confidentiality within the partnership

Governance

Finances

Each council has committed to an annual subscription towards the activity costs of the TWICT partnership. Subscriptions are reviewed annually. In addition, partners commit internal resources to joint projects and share experience. Associate Members do not currently pay subscriptions.

TWICT has been requested to undertake work on behalf of other bodies and beyond Tyne and Wear, e.g. for SOCITM NE; where this happens it seeks to recover its costs.

Meetings and Decisions

Meetings of TWICT are held monthly, and councils are represented by their ICT manager.

Decisions regarding new projects and the allocation of TWICT resources are made at monthly meetings by majority decision of the full partners present at the meeting.

Operations

One of the councils is responsible for providing the secretariat and administrative support services to the partnership, and managing its finances; Gateshead Council is currently fulfilling this role.

Joint projects within TWICT are managed according to Prince2 principles with the TWICT board acts as the Project Board. Each project has a Head of ICT assigned as its sponsor, a nominated project manager and regular highlight reports are submitted for review. Project teams are drawn from across the participating councils.

Where partners work together to select common suppliers of goods and services, projects are undertaken with the North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO) and framework agreements are established so all councils in the North East Region can benefit.

TWICT funds a full time Partnership Analyst to support its activities.

TWICT Partners Gateshead Council (Chair) Newcastle City Council North Tyneside Council South Tyneside Council Sunderland City Council

Associate Members TWICT has encouraged other local bodies to participate in its activities. These Associate Members attend board meetings but have no voting rights over the allocation of TWICT resources. Current Associate Members are: Durham County Council Northumberland County Council Nexus (Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive) One Northeast (Regional Development Agency)

Regional Links

Through its partners and liaison activities of its project managers and partnership analyst, TWICT engages with:

Local Strategic Partnerships
Education Authorities and City Learning Centres
Economic Development
Community Development
NE Connects
North East Regional employers Organisation (NEREO)
North East Centre of Excellence NECE)
Tyne & Wear Efficiency Group
The North East Improvement Partnership
North Eastern Purchasing Organisation (NEPO)
Association of North East Councils
SOCITM NE
Newcastle and Sunderland Universities – schools participating in information society and business research

Key Facts and Figures

Tyne and Wear key Statistics

Software and Systems in use across Tyne and Wear Councils

if you are aware of any other data we can link to, please Contact Us.

Advice for Suppliers

Please see the following guides to doing business with our member councils.

Gateshead Council

Newcastle City Council

North Tyneside Council

South Tyneside Council

Sunderland City Council

if you notice a broken link, please Contact Us.

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