The project issues
The Council had been outsourcing its ICT service, and with a limited budget had retained a small ICT department. The Council wished to enter into an arrangement with a commercial organisation to identify and exploit trading opportunities. It recognised that trading would need to be based on solid ICT management and infrastructure and there was therefore a need to review the management and strategic direction of ICT. This was in the context both of selecting an external trading partner and then helping them manage a wider service portfolio. Socitm Consulting was asked to manage the ICT service on an interim basis and help the Council identify the major ICT issues for the development of a strategic trading partnership.

The Socitm Consulting solution
We were responsible for the day to day management of the ICT department, the relationship with the ICT supplier and the ICT aspects of the relationship with the strategic services development partner. While carrying out these responsibilities we made the following improvements to the effectiveness of the ICT function:

• Rationalised and developed the staffing structure of the internal ICT department by redeploying staff
• Worked closely with Members of the ICT Strategic Board to raise the profile and understanding of the importance of ICT among Members and Senior Officers
• Developed a strategy and action plan for May 2008 when their current outsourced ICT Service Contract needs to be extended or replaced.
• Introduced an implementation plan for the consolidation of data centres and telecommunications and the introduction of virtual server technology within existing budgets, offering the opportunities for considerable savings
• Introduced the Council to the Socitm Better Connected, benchmarking and Insight services
• Identified initiatives for further improvement

The benefits to the client
By providing the expertise of a consultancy group highly experienced in managing ICT within local authorities, we helped the Council reassess its expectations of senior-level ICT management. The Council is now well placed to strategically develop the ICT department and the outsourcing of its ICT service within the overall context of improving the cost effectiveness of customer services delivery.

Project identification
Client organisation: Breckland District Council
Client contact: Keith Stevens, Interim Cultural Development Manager, keith.stevens@breckland.gov.uk
Lead consultant: mike.tuck@socitmconsulting.co.uk
Project no: 5835