Buckinghamshire's two-tier pathfinder pilot has become the first to tender for a private sector partner.

The county has teamed up with three districts, Aylesbury Vale, South Buckinghamshire and Wycombe, as well as the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority, to form a shared support services pathfinder partnership.

The partnership, through an OJEC tender this week, is seeking a private sector partner for a 10-year contract to set up a joint venture company to provide services worth £59m a year, not only to its members but also to districts outside the county. Apart from the local PCT and Chiltern DC, they are Chichester, Hart, Tunbridge Wells and Woking districts.

The joint venture will cover HR, payroll, ICT, property, repairs and helpdesk, as well as possibly revenues and benefits. Staff will transfer under TUPE.

Buckinghamshire CC chief executive, Chris Williams, said the aim was to find a partner by the end of the year service starting next June. He told The MJ: ‘We understand we're the furthest advanced among the pathfinder pilots.'

The other pathfinder pilots are Hertfordshire, Dorset and Lincolnshire.