Credit: Pamla J. Eisenberg/CC BY-SA 2.0

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has signed a £150,000 deal for a software platform to support its range of bereavement services.

The authority has awarded a two-year contract to PlotBox, a specialist software publisher of a “cloud-based bereavement services management solution”. The engagement came into effect on 1 April, according to newly published procurement information.

“This software is for cremations, burials, memorials, witness scatterings [and] interments, financing including customer invoicing and management information,” the contract award notice said. “[It will provide] an online booking portal for funeral directors [and] a complete grave-mapping system for all cemeteries and memorial grounds.”

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The council indicated that it had sought a platform that could offer “full integration” with its finance systems and its existing online services for citizens seeking help after the death of a loved one.

The deal with PlotBox, awarded via the G-Cloud 12 framework, is expected to be worth £155,100 to the software firm. This figure could rise if the council takes up the option of two extensions of 12 months each.

Headquartered in Boston in the US, PlotBox operates a UK office in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena. Procurement records show that it has previously provided its bereavement software platform to local authorities in Leeds, Falkirk, Bristol, and the Wirral.