AN information technology company based in the region has won a contract with the North-East's premier rugby club.

Avoco, in Consett, County Durham, will supply the Newcastle Falcons with a call routing service, which is expected to save the club up to 40 per cent in call costs.

Avoco managing director Martin Oswell said: "This is a tremendous coup for us. Despite our relatively small size and the fact we only launched earlier this year, we have matched the service levels of many other larger suppliers but, crucially, because of our lower overheads, we are particularly competitive on price."

Mr Oswell, who was a manager at Cable and Wireless and World Com, set up Avoco to supply the telecoms market with call management software, impartial advice on telephone systems and mobile telephony and broadband.

Falcons director Mick Hogan said: "The cost savings offered were the major factor in deciding to switch to Avoco. At the Falcons, we like to work with North-East companies who offer a quality service and, in this respect, Avoco fits the bill extremely well."