To EURIM Public Service Delivery Group
From Edward Phelps
On Wednesday the Government published it’s ICT Strategy. The foreword to the Strategy can be found below and the full documents at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/government-ict-strategy
Foreword
1.Government information and communications technology (ICT) has a really bad name. Much of this is unjustified. All big organisations – whether in the public or private sector – have examples of failure in delivering big ICT projects and programmes. In the public sector, the failures tend to be very public, while in the private sector, it is easier to keep them in decent obscurity. It is not obvious that the record of government is significantly worse than that of other big organisations.
2. Nonetheless, there have been significant failings. The Coalition Government is determined to do things better. Government ICT is vital for the delivery of efficient, cost-effective public services which are responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses. We want government ICT to be open: open to the people and organisations that use our services; and open to any provider – regardless of size.
3. We have identified the following challenges, many of which are interconnected:
· projects tend to be too big, leading to greater risk and complexity, and limiting the range of suppliers who can compete
· Departments, agencies and public bodies too rarely reuse and adapt systems which are available ‘off the shelf’ or have already been commissioned by another part of government, leading to wasteful duplication
· systems are too rarely interoperable
· the infrastructure is insufficiently integrated, leading to inefficiency and separation
· there is serious over-capacity, especially in data centres
· procurement timescales are far too long and costly, squeezing out all but the biggest, usually multinational, suppliers
· too little attention has been given at senior level to the implementation of big ICT projects and programmes, either by senior officials or by ministers. Similarly, senior responsible owners (SROs) have rarely been allowed to stay in post long enough.
4. To address these challenges, we have done – or will do – the following:
· introduce new central controls to ensure greater consistency and integration
· take powers to remove excess capacity
· create a level playing field for open source software
· greatly streamline procurement and specify outcomes rather than inputs
· create a presumption against projects having a lifetime value of more than £100 million
· impose compulsory open standards, starting with interoperability and security
· create a comprehensive asset register
· create a cross-public sector Applications Store
· expect SROs to stay in post until an appropriate break in the life of a project/programme; and
· encourage boards to hold ministers and senior officials to account on a regular basis for the progress of ICT projects and programmes.
5. This strategy sets outs the strategic direction of central government ICT and the key actions that will be delivered over the next 24 months. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) Delivery Board will publish a strategic implementation plan, in collaboration with departments and HM Treasury, by summer 2011. All these initiatives will be funded from within existing spending plans. They are all about spending money better, rather than spending more, and will be used as exemplars of the Government’s major projects methodology.