Following a best-value review, the council has set up Print Direct, which is a division of its Corporate Communications Group. The commissioning unit represents a move away from the more traditional set-up of councils either using print management firms or running their own print facilities.

"We looked at all the options and decided this was the way forward," said Print Direct commissioning manager Jim Ashe.

"The council had its own print unit which was no longer delivering value for money and there was no set way for ensuring value and quality from outside."

The best-value review found the council had been spending between 7m-8m per year. The aim was to save 5% from this.

Print Direct has taken on 13 preferred suppliers covering specialist areas including sheetfed and web offset. Printed material includes Lancashire County Council's newspaper Vision and a number of magazines and brochures.

"The selection process was very exact as the companies had to satisfy requirements on price, quality and service," added Ashe. "We needed to establish long-term relationships to deliver a quality service."

According to Ashe, Print Direct had "experienced account management staff who had previously worked for the council's print unit".

The best-value review also resulted in the setting up of the Copy Direct division, an in-house photocopying service removing the need to outsource big jobs or use offset printing unnecessarily.

Story by Philip Chadwick