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Category Archives: Public Sector
← Older postsHow to get your Channel Shift Strategy to cut your Costs, Fast
November 15, 2011
One of my roles is as Deputy Chairman of SOCITM Insight, the local authority IT management think tank. SOCITM has just published its annual Better Connected survey. In it, SOCITM complain Councils still don’t embrace the digital route when it comes to engaging with the public or delivering public services. What is going on? We all know, and have known for years, that movement from face-to-face services to digital delivery has achieved modest
Posted in Cut Costs, Performance Improvement, Project Management, Public Sector | Leave a commentKey Changes to Public Sector Procurement Rules
October 7, 2011
Revised EU public procurement regulations came into effect on the 1st October 2011, yet I wonder how many of you responsible for procurement within your organisation are aware of these changes? And if you have had visibility of these changes, then the official documentation is not entirely clear. These changes apply to all the public sector, utility sector and recent defence and security public contracts. It is important to be aware of
Posted in Procurement, Public Sector | Leave a commentNHS IT Project Transformation – failure or journey?
September 29, 2011
Yet again, just last week the Government confirmed the scrapping of another major IT project; £12bn of taxpayers’ money down the drain. But is it a relief for the NHS which needs to save some £20bn? Organisations need manageable change, with buy-in from all parties concerned. It is hoped that a move to smaller, regionalised IT programmes will provide the building blocks needed to put the NHS back on a
Posted in IT Contract, IT Dispute, Project Recovery, Public Sector | Tagged NHS IT Projects | Leave a commentGovernment ripped off by IT giants – IT projects are too expensive and not fit for purpose
July 29, 2011
The report Government and IT- “A Recipe For Rip-Offs”: Time For A New Approach published by the Public Administration Committee states that a complete overhaul of the entire system of procurement is needed to eliminate the ‘cartel’ of big IT firms and obscene amounts of public money being wasted on ineffectual IT schemes. Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to end the era of vast Government IT projects that he said had dominated
Posted in IT Dispute, Project Recovery, Public Sector | Leave a commentPartnership for Schools finally axed
June 27, 2011
We read that Partnership for Schools (PfS) the government quango that was in charge of the £55 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative will be abolished by April 2012. Considering the BSF programme was scrapped in Summer 2010 this one has run for longer than many. It seems that patience finally ran out when PfS seemed serially unable to publish correct lists about which Schools would remain in
Posted in Managed Services, Project Recovery, Public Sector | Tagged BSF | Leave a commentWhitehall has a Major Problem with its Financial Controls
May 22, 2011
Whitehall has a major problem with its financial controls, the central government’s spending watchdog has said in a report published recently, despite various improvements. The report, “Progress in improving financial management in government” published by the NAO, states that a number of departments “often have a legacy of multiple IT systems which do not adequately interface with each other. There is rarely an automatic cascade of data from management accounting systems
Posted in Cut Costs, Performance Improvement, Project Recovery, Public Sector | Leave a commentAs a Senior Executive, be careful what you Tweet
March 28, 2011
A politician from Wales has just realised that all is not fair in love and Twitter… Welsh Politician Colin Elsbury ‘tweeted’ that another Councillor, Edward (John) Talbot, had been taken from a polling station by Police in June 2009 (at the time of the local election). It turned out this statement was untrue. He has learned a costly lesson. He now has to pay £3,000 plus court costs. Ironically the
Posted in Public Sector | Tagged Legal Cases | Leave a commentSwansea Chief Executive falls on Sword to Help Council Cut Costs
March 21, 2011
Council Chief Executive Receives no Redundancy Package. A Sign of Things to Come? In order to save £130k per annum, the Chief Executive of Swansea Council, Paul Smith, is stepping down early. Following a review of Swansea Council’s management structure and costs, the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) recommended that Paul Smith step down to help reduce the overheads of the council. Moreover, the WLGA recommended that Mr Smith should not receive
Posted in Cut Costs, Performance Improvement, Public Sector | Leave a commentSuccess for Michael Gove over the cancelled Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme…or was it?
March 14, 2011
The judgment in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) proceedings was handed down last month. The action was brought by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Waltham Forest London Borough Council, Luton Borough Council and Nottingham City Council, Newham London Borough Council and Kent County Council. Michael Gove’s statement on the judgment is can be found here. This case has turned out to be a bit of a pyrrhic victory for the
Posted in IT Dispute, Managed Services, Outsourcing, Public Sector | Leave a commentAre you a senior executive? The Law says you can’t switch off from your email
February 23, 2011
“Honest dear, I really am doing the painting, or shopping, or looking after the kids, helping with the housework, cleaning the car…” …as you quickly hide your Blackberry, iPhone or other device which you have been sirruptiously checking your emails on. Alternatively, you may just want to have some legitimate and well planned leave and time away with your family. On that basis, you can not bother checking your email. Or can
Posted in Public Sector | Tagged Legal Cases | Leave a comment ← Older postsGet Free Updates
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