Five councils from different parts of the country have agreed a ‘revolutionary’ procurement deal in a bid to save more than £50m over nine years.

The joint deal will see five councils – Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Mendip District Council, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils – use their collective purchasing power to outsource a range of corporate and facilities management services.

Capita has been awarded a contract to deliver HR, IT and finance services to the five councils, while Vinci has been awarded the contract to provide facilities management and property services.

The agreement is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK and will see some staff being relocated to ‘centres of excellence’ operated by the two companies.

Cllr Brian Burchfield, deputy leader and cabinet member for corporate and customer services at Hart District Council, said: ‘This is a ground breaking contract and I invite other councils across the country to come speak to us about joining our group to discover savings for themselves.’