Saint Helena, which forms part of a UK overseas territory about 4,000 miles from the British mainland, can lay claim to being home to the world’s most remote full-time population

The government representing the world’s most remote fully inhabited island – whose population is served by one flight per week and a monthly “supply ship” – is looking to engage with tech consultants to help inform a potential digital transformation strategy.

The island of Saint Helena is situated 4,000 miles away in the South Atlantic and – along with Ascencion Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha – forms an overseas territory of the UK. Saint Helena is the largest individual island in the group, with a population of 4,400 people living in an area of a little under 50 square miles.

These residents live on an island located close to 700 miles from any other landmass – the closest of which is Ascencion Island. The only inhabited islands generally considered more remote are the Brazilian archipelago of Trinidade and Martim Vaz and the Norwegian territory of Bouvet Island – both of which are only home to workers serving stints on the research stations housed on the islands.

Saint Helena, meanwhile, has a full-time population and government, led by a Crown-appointed governor, overseeing an executive and legislative council.

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This government has published on GOV.UK a commercial notice alerting potential suppliers to its interest in working with tech strategy experts.

“The St Helena Government (SHG) is seeking to engage a suitably qualified digital transformation consultancy to develop a corporate digital and ICT strategy and implementation plan,” the notice says. “The consultant will work with key stakeholders to understand business requirements across all portfolios, inclusive of service delivery to our customers. This will entail a comprehensive approach to analysing current ICT environments, identifying areas for improvement and aligning potential technology solutions with business strategies.”

Prospective providers have until 29 April to bid for the opportunity, and SHG estimates that the chosen supplier will be appointed to a four-month contract, running from the start of June to the end of September. An estimated financial value is not provider. In order to take part in the procurement, bidders must register on Saint Helena’s online procurement portal.

The opportunity notice provides an overview of the responsibilities of the government, and reinforces the remoteness of the place it represents.

“The governor retains responsibility for internal security, external affairs, defence, the public service, finance and shipping,” the notice says. “The island’s population is around 4,440… and it has a typical small island economy with a high import dependency, a narrow economic base, a large public sector and significant outward labour migration. St Helena receives UK government financial assistance to support recurrent and capital expenditure as part of their obligation to ensure that the reasonable needs of the population are met. The island is currently served by a weekly flight from Johannesburg, and a four-weekly supply ship from Cape Town, South Africa.”