Organisation, which is to be abolished and replaced by two unitary authorities, wishes to support the rollout of tech enabling automated transcription, as well as creation and assessment of documents
Warwickshire County Council has signed a multimillion-pound deal to support the deployment of artificial intelligence tools throughout the organisation.
The authority has chosen Beam – a London-based tech consultancy specialised in public sector AI – to fulfil an initial two-year contract to serve as “a delivery partner to implement a suite of core, council-wide AI and automation solutions”, according to a freshly published contract notice.
The engagement, which is expected to be signed on 15 September and take effect on 1 October, is intended to provide council workers with “a mechanism by which WCC clients can access specific tools via WCC’s intranet site or other central repository/ hub”.
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This library of AI services will offer “controlled access to AI tools across our services, focusing initially on transcription, automated document generation and report writing, language interpretation and translation, and AI-enabled digital assistant solutions such as chatbots”.
Approval has already been given for a total of £1.2m, inclusive of VAT, to be spent via the contract – and this figure could ultimately be doubled, if further investment is greenlit.
The notice outlines that the supplier “must comply with UK GDPR and all relevant laws and align with the UK Government’s AI Playbook principles – [such as] transparency, accountability, fairness, safety, sustainability – for responsible AI use”.
As a result of the ongoing national programme of local government reorganisation, by the time the deal concludes on 30 September 2028, Warwickshire County Council will no longer exist. The authority, and the five lower-tier district and borough councils that sit underneath it, and to be replaced by two new unitary authorities: North Warwickshire Council, covering the likes of Nuneaton, Bedworth, and Rugby; and South Warwickshire Council, which will include Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick.