The Law Society's information technology project for solicitors, which began with the High Street Starter Kit (HSSK), is to be expanded, say Society IT officials.

The HSSK is to become part of a larger scheme that will harness the buying power of thousands of solicitors to drive a hard bargain with IT suppliers and consultants.A perceived difficulty with the HSSK, which is about to begin its main pilot stage (see [1996] Gazette, 17 July, 18), is that while it will be useful for small firms and sole practitioners it has little to offer the large firms.

The solution is for the Society to extend its relationship with major suppliers for the benefit of all firms.The new scheme, of which the HSSK is a part, will be called IT Portfolio: a catalogue of -- la carte IT services and products at prices negotiated by the Society.

'IT Portfolio will satisfy any concerns among bigger firms that we are serving only the smaller practices and show that the Law Society is benefiting all sections of the profession.

At the same time, it will allow the high street firm to accrue the same benefit as a top ten firm in terms of purchasing power,' said Nick Thurlow, a marketing consultant to the Society.The catalogue, which will be published as a quarterly glossy magazine, will cover all IT-related products and services.

These will range from scanners and servers to training and technical support, with two to three big-name suppliers in each category.

Mr Thurlow said that, at the minimum, these will be offered at highly competitive prices, supported by quality after-sales service.Christina Archbold, the Society's IT adviser, pointed out that the recent Robson Rhodes IT survey of the profession concluded that a significant number of firms were unhappy with their IT suppliers and services.

'IT Portfolio is not just about price, it's about buying into an IT club which has the backing of the Law Society and comes with lifelong back-up,' she said.Solicitors' firms are invited to apply to test the audit service as part of the IT Portfolio pilot scheme, which will begin by the end of this month in tandem with the HSSK pilot scheme.

Six firms have been chosen for the piloting of the HSSK and will join the Macmillan Partnership in Ipswich, which has been involved in developing and testing the HSSK software.

The pilot stage of the HSSK will be painstakingly thorough, including an audit and other preparation before the software is installed, Ms Archbold said.

'The pilot must not be too disruptive to the firms, which after all have to carry on fee-earning throughout.

And they must have the ability to embrace the software when it arrives, probably in October.