You hear consultants talking about making savings through Transformation and using Lean techniques but its quite unusual to have practical examples of how savings have actually been achieved. Last week at SOCITM East, we heard a great presentation from Laura McGilivray, Chief Executive of Norwich City, talking about how they had recovered from a £6m deficit and a cut in CSR of £8.9m. The required saving was £13.5m from a spend of £55m.

Laura made specific reference to Revenues and Benefits. Average time to process benefit claims was 37 days. To save money 2nd class post was used. Frequently this led to an exchange of correspondence before all the evidence was gathered to process the claim. Using Lean techniques, the claimant was contacted direct by telephone and asked if the could come in the same or next day and could they please bring items A and B etc. Overall a much quicker turnaround and the public welcomed the change. As a result average processing time was reduced to 11 days and more significantly, the change saved 7 jobs.

Introducing change is all about changing attitudes. Everything was translated into jobs - not providing tea and biscuits at meetings? How many jobs will it save? Diaries for members when everything is published in-line? Sharing City Hall with other public sector bodies?

Significantly, the cash office has closed. What about the disadvantaged without bank accounts, and Norwich's share of the 8.7m who have never used the Internet? Well Norwich turned the negative into a positive. To achieve the saving required a plan to help the cash office users. First requirement was identify them - who were they and when did they use the service. Once identified, they then provided a focused service - advising them of the change and hand holding them through the on-line alternatives. So a double-header that not only saved money but also took on digital inclusion.

Laura explained the Norwich vision is to develop the 'knowledge economy' (Norwich is already one of the top 10 UK economies) building on the strong enterprise in the City. It was good to hear such a strong advocate with a vision and drive to make things happen. I blogged back in January (see earlier posts) of how the economic downturn was not all negative and should be treated as an opportunity to re-invigorate services. Norwich appears to have taken this on with a vengeance. Its not all positive - there is a further £8.3m to save - but I kind of think they will get there.

BDUK Funding and Public Sector Networks

Nothing attracts Local Government like a big pot of money to bid for. No - I’m not knocking Local Government. That used to be my world for 23 years and personally I had a lot of success (and fun) bidding. These days there are armies of consultants (some good, some bad) all too willing to help your bid. Competitive funding seems to be disappearing as a policy of government but BDUK seems to have given it an interesting twist.

BDUK aims to develop Britain into the best Superfast Broadband service in Europe by 2015. The next funding round is circa £50m and it is seeking Bidders with projects ‘ready to go’. For most, this will mean they are not in a position to bid. Essential requirements include a Broadband Plan (mapping Black, Grey and White areas), Action Plans, Community engagement (demand), Procurement Strategy etc and matched funding. The BDUK money is not to help you get to this in position nor is it to fund project management etc. The funding is purely for infrastructure.

Still interested? Well, the timescales are very short (18th April for final Spring round bids) but BDUK also has stated that it is looking for expressions of interest from parties (Local Authorities and LEPS) for future funding (29th April). Future funding will not be competitive but a continuous process working with bidders to develop proposals. So, the funding is there for broadband infrastructure projects but to access it you must first develop your overall broadband strategy and, significantly, find match funding.

Again BDUK threw a surprise by suggesting that in looking for innovative bids it would consider co-funding from Public Sector Network Projects. In such cases there would have to be innovation to drive up availability of services on-line. Joint funding with other public sector partners – education and health – would also be encouraged. So, an interesting new dimension to your planning for PSN. The need to link in to your Broadband Strategy if you want to attract BDUK funding? Bet you weren't expecting that one!

Link to BDUK Bidding Guidance, Plan Template and Expression of Interest: http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7906.aspx

Eastern Region PSN Workshop

The following conference has been arranged with E2BN to consider PSN networks for Eastern Region - all welcome. Unfortunately I will be skiing in Austria so Ian Wilcox of the Cabinet Office has kindly stepped in for me. Attendance is strongly advised for all staff working in Networking, ICT Strategy and Shared Services.

E2BN will be hosting a PSN workshop on 23rd February 2011, to be held in the Rose room Endeavour House, Suffolk County Council, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX
We will explore the current government thinking, learn from work already under way in the region and other parts of the country and see how the new regional public sector network can be exploited for PSN and make savings for us all.

9:30 Arrival – Tea / Coffee and refreshments
9:50 Welcome
10:00 PSN Primer –Ian Wilcox, PSN Local Government Liaison, Cabinet Office
10:40 Local Government experience of procuring PSN services –Noelle Godfrey tbc
11:00 Tea & Coffee
11:20 SEGfL & EMBC experience on PSN and the savings achieved working regionally - Peter Banbury & Mike Kendall
12:30 Security and Governance - Mike Thomas, Global Crossing
13:00-13:45 Lunch
13:45 Gov Connect (GC) and GCF & PSN transition - Sue Eltringham & Tim Orton, Buying Solutions
14:15 Savings, Community Benefits ideas on the regional aggregated approach to GC/PSN (poss Siemens Devon Case study?)
14:40 JANET & PSN easTERN progress and experience from other regions tbc, JANET (UK)
15:00 Tea & Coffee
15:15 Q&A; Discussion and Options and ways forward for the region - ALL
15:45 Closing Summary and Feedback - Chris Kastel

SOCITM Connectivity in the Public Sector

The Yorkshire and Humber Transformation Support Framework is holding a morning event, requested by Buying Solutions, to discuss the future of GCSX connection post the expiry of GSi in August 2011. The Morning will also include a Y&H PSN update (by myself Programme Director Y&H PSN), GCSX Gateway to NHS N3 Network and an update on the Warnings Advanced Reporting Point WARP in Yorkshire and Humber.

This should be a great event with a real opportunity to find out the latest on these connectivity issues and the opportunity to question Project Managers direct. This event is essential for anyone involved in Strategic Planning and Network Architecture. The event will also touch on how the PSN partnership could develop, strongly linked to G Cloud and Shared Services/Procurement. The event will include practical examples where savings could be achieved now and in the medium term. Anyone involved in ICT budget savings and in particular networks and telephony (fixed and mobile) should attend. The event will be a full morning session and held in the Moorfoot building located near the centre of Sheffield.

The provisional agenda is attached and places are free. If you would like to attend then please contact Andrew Rudd to confirm your place. Map - http://bit.ly/gVPi10

Thursday 17th February
Location : MoorFoot, Sheffield, S1 4PQ Conference Room 3, Meeting Rooms,

AGENDA
09.00 Onwards
09:30 Welcome and Y&H PSN update Simon Norbury (Programme Director PSN Y&H)
10:15 Government Connect GCSX N3 Gateway Gary Mccloskey (N3 GCSX Interconnect Programme Manager – DWP)
11:15 Gov Connect migration to GSi Convergence Framework (GCF)
• the procurement of the replacement of the GSi
• the GSi Convergence Framework (GCF)
• the forthcoming changes following the withdrawal of DWP funding in March 2011 Sue Eltringham (PSN Transition Manager - Buying Solutions)
12:15 WARP in Yorkshire and Humber - Ralph McNally (Solutions Architect Sheffield City Council)
12:30 Close

Contact Andrew Rudd,Business Support Officer - Enterprise Architecture, Business Information Solutions(BIS) , Sheffield City Council.
Telephone: 0114 27 36619 Andrew.Rudd@sheffield.gov.uk

Government Connect GCSX Charges April 2011

Want to know the new GCSX charges to take effect from April 2011? Then read on.

The pricing was announced at the SOCITM West Midlands PSN event. The good news is a small reduction in the charge to local authorities over the previous estimate (approximately 15.5k) for a 2mb circuit, down to £13,218.

However, there is a significant change for aggregated partnerships in that new charges per aggregatee are introduced for Infrastructure £4,585 and CoCo compliance £999. These new charges will significantly increase costs for aggregated partnerships such as Kent, Hampshire and London. In the example below of a partnership of 8 members the charge will be nearly doubled.

The pricing announcement caused some disappointment as they effectively stymied the development of a new GCSX partnership in the West Midlands. The plan was to use the existing education based network and morph it into a PSN partnership after additional security separation had been applied. The cost of the additional hardware and extra charges meant it was not cost effective.

The new charges are detailed below:

Non aggregated 2mbs connection
Connectivity £6,450
Core Infrastructure £4,585
BS Management Charge £276
CoCo Compliance Charge £999
First Line Service Desk £908
Annual Cost: £13,218

Charges for aggregated 10mbs GCSX connections
Connectivity £26,500
BS Management Charge £861
First Line Service Desk per Aggregator £908
Annual Base Aggregator Cost: £28,269
CoCo Compliance Charge per Aggregatee £999 (x N*)
Core Infrastructure per Aggregatee £4,585 (x N*)

For example, an Aggregation based on a 10mb circuit with eight Aggregatees and no resilience would pay:
Base 10mb charge £28,269
9* x CoCo charge £ 8,991
8 x Application charge £36,680
Total £73,940
*8 x Aggregatee CoCo + 1 x Aggregator CoCo

Charges for aggregated 100mbs GCSX connections
Connectivity £49,950
BS Management Charge £2,287
First Line Service Desk per Aggregator £908
Annual Base Aggregator Cost: £53,145
CoCo Compliance Charge per Aggregatee £999 (x N*)
Core Infrastructure per Aggregatee £4,585 (x N*)


The explanation of the detailed charges are as follows:

Connectivity: Direct connection to the GSi GCSX. This charge is applicable to all directly connected LAs and the lead Aggregator (not the aggregatees).

Core Infrastructure: Core services (e.g. platform assurance, GC email, anti-virus and inter-GSi connectivity). This charge is applicable to all; LAs, Aggregators and Aggregatees.

Buying Solutions’ Management Fee: This charge is applicable to all directly connected LAs and the lead Aggregator (not the aggregatees).

CoCo compliance: CESG charge for services received in connection with annual authorisation of the GCSX Code of Connection. Charge is applicable to all. (The DWP Siemens arrangement to support assessment of GCSX Codes of Connection expires on 31 March 2011 when responsibility passes to Buying Solutions.)

First Line Service Desk: C&W will be the lead supplier for the replacement DWP service desk. The charges are applicable to each directly connected Local Authority and the lead Aggregator (not each individual aggregatee).

Invoices covering annual charges from 1 April 2011 will be issued within the first quarter of financial year 2011/12. Rebates will be provided at the point where individual organisations migrate to an alternative service. No changes will be necessary to individual GCSX service contracts as a result of these new arrangements.

Buying Solutions explain the reason for these changes as the previous system would have resulted in escalating charges to remaining connected customers as the total number of connected customers reduced (e.g. as a result of migration to PSN or GCF). The new charging mechanism introduces fixed per customer charges for the remainder of the term.

Obviously the vast majority of Councils with 2Mbs connections will benefit from the reduction over the original estimated prices. Aggregated partnerships should look to PSN as a way forward using the GCSX Gateway in the interim.

Crowdsourcing an ICT Strategy - Update

Way back in July, I blogged about an exercise I did with SOCITM SW regarding crowdsourcing an ICT Strategy. The group came up with many ideas but the overwhelming favourite was for a regional workshop with Chief Executives and Senior Directors to discuss the problems and challenges where ICT had a key role to play. We all talk about ICT getting a seat at the top table but in practice CIOs find this very difficult to achieve. The aim of the workshop was to put ICT on the agenda. The plea for support from ICT Managers in the SW gave me an interesting insight into life at the coal face.

Fortunately I was invited by Eastern Region to repeat the event and post CSR and the coalition government it came up with some very different results. I plan to blog more later on the outputs. The interesting point for me was that Vic Freir (Somerset) was on the same agenda with SOCITM President Jos Creese and we had an interesting chat beforehand. It seems that the workshop idea is taking off and will take place shortly with SOLACE at their Regional Conference. SOCITM will be attending as is seen as a huge opportunity for ICT to increase its influence. All credit to SOLACE SW for responding so positively and it highlights that its no use bemoaning the lack of influence unless you are prepared to get off your backside and do something about it. Well done SOCITM SW and the timing could not have been better.

Workshop Session:
An opportunity to ‘set the scene’ for Chief Executives/ Senior Directors to the opportunity that ICT represents. The workshop would support local ICT Officers in taking a more central role in the savings process. This project had the singular advantage of being a quick implementation, minimal resources, easy to manage, a quick win, low cost and supporting the ICT professional role.

4,000 Holes in Blackburn Lancashire ...

Ever wondered why there are so many roads and pavements dug up with no apparent sign of any work going on? Recent events directly outside my house gave an insight but also caused me to question is the cheapest the best approach?

Let me take you back to the beginning. I arrived back home from Leeds to find strange paint markings on the pavement outside my house. First thoughts were maybe we were to be ‘saved ones’ in some apocalyptic event. Later my neighbour informed me there was a problem with the water main and the recently re-laid pavement would have to be dug up on both sides of the road.

The following Wednesday (as promised) two large holes appeared in the pavement and my neighbour had water again – but the holes remained. The one pavement was completely blocked so the safety ‘elf’ had erected a plastic barrier in the road to create a walkway. This would definitely protect everyone from our 4x4’tless neighbour’s dubious driving. Well, apart from the old gentleman whose buggy could not negotiate the kerbs and he had to drive down the middle of the road to get by the hole and the walkway.

We also received a short note from Veolia explaining that the next day a separate contractor would arrive to fill the hole with recycled aggregate and take away the spoil. Sure enough the next day a large ‘Grab’ lorry arrived, stopped in the middle of the road and partially filled the holes – leaving room for another contractor to finish off with tarmac the next day. In minutes, the operator had also removed the soil dug out of the hole. The whole operation was planned so efficiently that the contractor didn’t even have time to stop off for a pee – so he walked between the rear wheels of the lorry and the wheel arch and went where he stood – in the middle of the blocked road. Very nice manners!

He quickly drove off leaving a small wet patch on the road and a load of plastic barriers blocking the driveway. No problems, my 89 year old neighbour quickly removed them. He wasn’t doing anything else and so much more efficient for him to do it than a contractor. (Yes, I could have moved them but cannot see the drive from my office window!)

The next day another contractor arrived and filled the holes with tarmac and even repaired the crazy paving on my neighbour’s drive. They drove off and then another contractor arrived to remove the plastic barriers. A final contractor should have arrived to wash the road and pavement down with recycled water – but its 4 days later and still no sign. Maybe the washing contractor is a ‘higher being’ and the G-cloud has not produced the rain!

All in all it has taken 5 separate contractors to get us this far and we are still waiting for the 6th. All through Veolia stressed its green credentials but that’s 6 separate vehicles, 9 operatives and 3 days of disruption, just to fix a broken water pipe. Pitkin (Norman Wisdom) and Mr Grimsdale would have fixed it in an afternoon and still had time for a brew!

Am I just showing my (increasing) age and longing for a bygone age? Driving back from Bristol recently I had the misfortune to discover that a combination of 3 sets of road works had created an ‘Italian Job’ style traffic jam that meant it took 2 hours to do the 2 miles from the M40 to home. Yet, at only 1 of those road works was any work being done. It might be cheaper for the utility companies but at our expense in unnecessary delays and frustration. Why should it take 3 days to fill a hole in the road?