The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has awarded standing offer agreements to Hewlett-Packard, Jardine OneSolution and PCCW Solutions for the provision of data centre services to the Government.

Under the agreement, effective December 1, the contractors will provide managed services and associated information technology services for seven years.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony today Government Chief Information Officer Jeremy Godfrey said the agreement will enable the Government to leverage the market capabilities of advanced technology.

"This arrangement will also facilitate the Government to optimise investment in capital and labour in data centre operations, enjoy procurement efficiency, and enhance cost-effectiveness in the management of data centre services," he said.

"As user demand for data centre service increases, we expect the contractors will create more job opportunities for computer operation and support personnel."

The agreement will enable a reduction in the carbon emission and power consumption of government data centres by increasing the shared use of computing resources among systems which are now dispersed in different government departments.