So much for the paperless office: UK government inks £900M deal for printers etc.

The UK government has awarded 12 suppliers places on a framework deal that could see it spend up to £900 million on printers, photocopiers, and other multifunctional devices.

In a sign that the dream of a paperless office is receding ever further into the distance, the Crown Commercial Service – the buying unit under the umbrella of the Cabinet Office – has put together the agreement for four years, giving public sector bodies access to discounts based on nominal volume commitments to suppliers.

The agreement will give schools, hospitals, councils, police forces, and central government access to multifunctional devices, managed print services, technical resources, digital workflow, cloud solutions for digital transition, and print consultancy services, according to a contract award notice.

The framework is split into five lots. Canon won the deal for a single supplier to provide multifunctional print devices (MFDs) and print management software through a website hosted by the ...