Haringey Council has awarded a £1.4 million contract to DSI Billing Services Limited for print and post services, commencing on 1 February 2026. The two-year contract, approved by Councillor Dana Carlin, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, will ensure the continuation of essential services, including the distribution of council tax bills, housing benefit notifications, and pension statements.

The decision, made at the Cabinet Member Signing meeting on Thursday 18 December 2025, follows the expiration of the current contract in January 2026. The previous contract with DSI Billing Services Limited had an original two-year term from January 2022 to January 2024 with provision for two further one-year extensions, the last of which will conclude at the end of January 2026. According to the Public Reports Pack, the council has a statutory requirement to issue notices for Revenues and Benefits under Local Government Finance Act 1988 & 1992 .

The services covered by the contract include:

  • Council Tax Bills and related correspondence
  • Business Rates (NNDR) & BID Levy Bills and related correspondence
  • Housing Benefit Notifications and related correspondence
  • Rent statements and related correspondence
  • Pension packs and statements
  • Planning correspondence

The council billed £193 million in Council Tax and £84 million for Business Rates this financial year. The council report noted that customers who have not opted for e-billing must receive a paper bill to be obligated to pay.

The council considered alternative options, including doing nothing, but this was rejected because it would not only place the Council in breach of its statutory obligations but would also result in a significant reduction in income to the Council as Council Tax and Business Rates cannot be collected unless the associated statutory notices have been issued.

The contract was procured through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) G-Cloud 14 framework (RM1557.14). DSI Billing Services Limited was chosen because G-Cloud was searched using several criteria including council tax hybrid mail printing , with DSI Billing returned as the only supplier able to meet all the Council's requirements. To demonstrate value for money, DSI's operational costs were modelled against 4 alternate suppliers capable of delivering most of the Council's requirements. A full procurement was discounted, as procurement through a framework will allow the Council to take advantage of accumulated pricing based on the framework .

The Decision Report Print Post states that the proposed contract aligns with the council's Digital Strategy in the short term, allowing flexibility for other services to use the hybrid mail offer, while protecting current users from unit price increases should volumes fall. The report also notes that a shift to digital correspondence could result in savings. Initial analysis indicates that approximately 93% of print/post correspondence could theoretically be served digitally. The timescales, approach, implementation costs and operational savings for the future Corporate solution will be handled as a separate project. It is anticipated that an enhanced Corporate print/post solution will be available as part of the Digital portfolio to which the print/post services will be migrated within the term of the contract.

The Director of Finance noted that the affordability of the new contract will be reliant on implementing digital solutions and minimising non-statutory print/post correspondence.

DSI will be required to provide information on the environmental impact of their data centres and operations including energy efficiency measures, carbon footprint and use of renewable energy. This also includes having a clear sustainability policy and providing evidence of their commitment to reducing environmental impact, aligning with Haringey's own sustainability goals. The future corporate solution will support digital workflows and paperless processes to help the Authority reduce its carbon footprint and reliance on physical resources.