The Sixth Form College, Farnborough — Managed Print & Reprographics Services Contract
Elmdale Maintenance Limited has been awarded the managed print and reprographics services contract at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough, following a competitive tender process in which Elmdale emerged as the highest-scoring supplier from a field of 13 competing bidders.
The contract covers the full refresh and ongoing management of the College’s print estate, including multifunction devices (MFDs), print room equipment and a large number of desktop printers — delivering a more reliable, secure and cost-effective reprographics infrastructure across the site.
Client Overview
The Sixth Form College, Farnborough is a high-demand academic environment where print infrastructure plays a central role in day-to-day operations. With a large and varied device estate spanning MFDs, print room equipment and desktop printers, the College required a managed print partner with proven education sector experience, strong technical capability and a clear commitment to long-term service delivery.
The College is part of The Prospect Trust, a multi-site educational organisation with existing links to Elmdale’s group subsidiary, Elmdale IT Services Limited, who provide high-level IT support services to the education sector across the South of England.
The Challenge
The College needed a managed print supplier capable of delivering more than a standard hardware refresh. The requirements covered a broad range of technical, operational and strategic priorities:
- Full refresh of an ageing and varied print device estate
- Ongoing managed print services and device management
- Support for the existing PaperCut Hive print management infrastructure
- Improved device reliability and reduced downtime
- Reduced operational burden on internal IT and facilities staff
- Stronger print governance and user accountability
- Improved sustainability through reduced waste and energy-efficient hardware
- Competitive pricing with strong value for money across the full contract term
- A supplier with the agility and local presence to support a multi-site educational organisation
For a busy sixth form college, unreliable print infrastructure affects staff productivity, student experience and the day-to-day running of the institution. The College needed a partner, not just a supplier.
The Elmdale Maintenance Solution
Elmdale Maintenance Limited was selected following a thorough competitive tender process, achieving the highest score among 13 suppliers and demonstrating the strongest alignment with the College’s technical, operational and value-for-money requirements.
1. Full Print Estate Refresh
Elmdale’s proposal set out a clear and structured pathway to rationalising the College’s existing device estate, replacing ageing hardware with modern, energy-efficient multifunction devices and print room equipment. The refresh is designed to reduce the number of underperforming devices, lower running costs and improve reliability across the site from day one.
2. Managed Print Services and Ongoing Device Management
The contract provides the College with a fully managed print service, covering routine maintenance, consumables management, proactive monitoring and rapid response servicing. By taking on the ongoing management of the print estate, Elmdale significantly reduces the operational burden on the College’s internal staff — freeing up time and resource for higher-priority work.
3. PaperCut Hive Support and Print Governance
A key factor in Elmdale’s appointment was its proven expertise with the PaperCut Print Management portfolio. The College had an existing PaperCut Hive infrastructure in place, and required a supplier able to support, integrate with and build upon that investment rather than replace it.
Elmdale’s capability in this area gave the College confidence that print governance, user accountability and cost tracking would be strengthened rather than disrupted during the transition.
4. Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
The managed print proposal included a clear commitment to improving the College’s sustainability profile through the deployment of energy-efficient hardware, reduced waste and a rationalised device footprint. Fewer, better-placed devices reduce energy consumption, consumables costs and environmental impact — aligned with the wider sustainability goals of the education sector.
5. Strategic Alignment with The Prospect Trust
The contract delivers strategic value beyond the Farnborough site. As part of The Prospect Trust, the College benefits from Elmdale’s existing relationship with the Trust through Elmdale IT Services Limited, which already provides high-level IT support across the Trust’s schools and colleges in the South of England.
This existing partnership gave Elmdale a strong understanding of the Trust’s operational environment, culture and expectations — and positions Elmdale Maintenance as a natural long-term partner for managed print services across the wider organisation.
The Result
Elmdale Maintenance Limited was awarded the contract as the most economically advantageous tender, combining competitive pricing with strong technical capability, proven education sector experience and a commitment to long-term partnership.
The managed print solution at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough delivers:
- A fully refreshed, rationalised print device estate
- Ongoing managed print services and proactive device management
- Continued support for the existing PaperCut Hive infrastructure
- Improved device reliability and reduced staff workload
- Stronger print governance and user accountability
- Energy-efficient hardware and improved sustainability
- Rapid response servicing and transparent maintenance
- Strategic alignment with The Prospect Trust’s wider IT partnerships
- A scalable service model to support multi-site expansion
The contract marks another significant step in Elmdale’s growing presence within the South of England education sector, and reinforces the group’s ability to deliver complementary managed services — from IT support through to print infrastructure — under one trusted partnership.
What This Means for Education Sector Clients
Elmdale Maintenance Limited brings the same values to managed print that Elmdale IT Services brings to IT support: local presence, SME agility, sector expertise and a genuine commitment to long-term client relationships.
For schools, colleges and multi-academy trusts across Hampshire, Berkshire and the South of England, Elmdale offers a managed print service that goes beyond hardware supply — covering full lifecycle management, governance, sustainability and integration with leading print management platforms including PaperCut Hive.