IT and business consulting firm CGI has signed a five-year contract to support the City of Edinburgh Council’s plan to become ‘one of the world’s leading Smart Cities’.
The contract will increase investment in smart city technology, and is expected to create hundreds of new jobs over the next 12 months.
The deal is supported by a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant as part of the ‘Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City’ programme.
Edinburgh Council will deliver three projects budgeted at £6.4m, of which £2.5m is part of the ERDF allocation.
CGI will deploy their SensorInsights360 solution, a real-time data platform that delivers Internet of Things (IoT) technology and asset management, to help identify ways to improve efficiency and manage critical services in Edinburgh.
Cammy Day, deputy leader at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Edinburgh has big ambitions in becoming a world-leading Smart City – a digitally inclusive and sustainable city with services that are easily accessible by all of our residents no matter where they are in the city, or what their circumstances are.
“We’re looking to deliver a more digitally-enabled proactive service to help make everyone’s lives in our Scottish Capital better, and so we can continue our work towards ending poverty, meeting our net zero targets and improving wellbeing for all.
“This Smart City partnership with CGI, supported by a European Regional Development Fund grant, will help us achieve that ambition – whether it is improved safety on our streets, better waste management or enhancements to other core services and operations.
“We’re also fully committed to giving our young people the best possible start in life by better equipping them for their educational future.”
In September last year, CGI extended a deal with Edinburgh Council to boost the city’s digital ambitions and provide digital services for citizens to facilitate online transactions, as well as improving bandwidth speeds available to primary and secondary schools.
Adam McVey, the Council’s Leader, said: “Through our partnership with CGI, we’ve already been able to bring real innovation to the Council.
“We’ve used that expertise to develop and drive improvements for our communities and more effectively use public funds by delivering more high-tech and strategic services proactively across Edinburgh.
“I’m confident that this partnership will keep on flourishing as we continue our work to create a fully connected, efficient and sustainable Edinburgh.”
Tara McGeehan, president at CGI UK & Australia, added: “Edinburgh is a vibrant and diverse capital city that is home to more than 518,000 citizens and CGI has been the primary provider of transformational ICT services to the City of Edinburgh Council since 2015.
“CGI has a global track record of Smart City success in cities such as Montreal and Helsinki, where efficient use of modern technology has made the relationship between citizens and their cities simpler and more transparent.
“We very much look forward to taking Edinburgh’s vision of a Smart City and making it real through our innovative use of technology, analytics and data.
“Together, we will turn Edinburgh into one of the world’s leading Smart Cities.”
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