IBM have contracts with a number of councils to provide IT and back office functions, and was part of Southwest One, a joint venture public-private partnership set up by IBM, Somerset County Council, Taunton & Dean Borough Council and Avon & Somerset Police.

Southwest One was set up in 2007 to 'modernise' the public sector bodies' business processes and deliver shared services to the councils involved. After a series of failures by IBM to deliver promised savings, the contract was terminated following a legal battle.