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IT PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FOR E-GOVERNMENT

Outsourced IT Services: Development & Support London Borough of Wandsworth Brief Provide support, maintenance and development services for software applications and databases used by the London Borough of Wandsworth. Business Case Wandsworth Council have a large number of software applications developed in-house and by third parties. These systems are based on a wide range of technologies. Many of them are business critical. Wandsworth need a single supplier with the necessary skills and infrastructure to support the existing systems and develop new ones. Implementation Most local government outsourcing suppliers set up a dedicated team working at the client’s site. We took a more flexible approach. We based our staff at our office to ensure that our project management methodology and quality systems were applied. We assigned staff to the project as required, so that there was no need for the core dedicated team to include people with skills required only occasionally. Wandsworth staff log calls directly to our help desk and see us an in-house resource rather than a supplier working at arms length.

As well as providing help desk support and bug fixing, we develop new applications, enhance existing ones and carry out preventative maintenance work. Local authorities need to demonstrate accountability. We help them by providing detailed monthly reports, so Wandsworth know exactly what we are working on and hence how their money is being spent. The contract has been in place since October 1998 and has been renewed since then. Benefits Our approach generated cost savings of over £100,000 per year for Wandsworth, compared with the previous support arrangements. At the same time, the level of service and quality of work were both improved.