Bridgwater & Taunton College Trust

Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust supports thousands of students and staff across a diverse estate comprising multiple campuses, specialist learning environments and administrative facilities. The Trust requires a technology partner capable of delivering flexibility, scalability and innovation to support evolving educational requirements, budget constraints and ongoing digital transformation initiatives.

Like many education organisations, Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust faces the challenge of delivering a consistent and reliable technology experience across a large and varied user base whilst operating within tightly controlled budgets. Supporting a broad range of curriculum areas, staff functions and learning environments requires a procurement strategy capable of balancing performance, affordability, security and long-term sustainability.

As technology requirements continued to evolve, the Trust needed access to a trusted partner that could provide not only device procurement, but also wider infrastructure expertise, technical support and strategic guidance. Key priorities included maximising value from available budgets, simplifying supplier management, maintaining access to modern technology and ensuring the underlying IT infrastructure remained secure, reliable and scalable for future growth.

Millgate established a long-term strategic partnership with Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust, taking a consultative approach focused on understanding the organisation's operational objectives, educational priorities and technology roadmap. Rather than simply supplying products, Millgate works collaboratively with the Trust to align technology investment with wider organisational goals, ensuring every procurement decision delivers tangible educational and commercial value.

Through strategic planning and market expertise, Millgate has supported the Trust with hardware procurement from leading technology manufacturers. Procurement recommendations are assessed against user requirements, educational outcomes, total cost of ownership and lifecycle considerations, ensuring solutions remain both cost-effective and fit for purpose.

Recognising the financial pressures facing the education sector, Millgate has also focused on delivering innovation within the procurement process. This has included leveraging manufacturer initiatives such as HP Brighter Futures, identifying alternative procurement routes and recommending refurbished or remanufactured devices where appropriate. This flexible approach has enabled the Trust to maximise purchasing power whilst maintaining access to modern and reliable technology.

In addition to device procurement, Millgate provides a range of supporting services designed to maximise technology availability and protect the Trust's investment throughout the device lifecycle.
Services delivered include:

•    Device procurement and refresh programmes.
•    Endpoint security solutions.
•    Email Security Solutions
•    Interactive classroom technologies.
•    Technical consultancy and solution design.
•    Network infrastructure support.
•    Structured cabling services.
•    Access to remote fourth-line engineering expertise.

By consolidating multiple technology requirements through a single trusted supplier, the Trust benefits from simplified supplier management, improved operational efficiency and faster access to specialist expertise when required.