In 2012 the UK Government set out its programme of digital transformation, which aimed to make the most high-volume services ‘digital by default’. As of 2018, The Government and other public sector organisations had spent more than £3.2bn on digital, data and technology services.
COVID-19 has seen digitally agile working practices become essential for public sector organisations to operate effectively. Changes to working practices, such as facilitating remote working and the growth of government self-service portals are pivotal to service delivery as we transition to the new normal. They are under pressure to develop new methods of digital transformation, but also to identify existing inefficiencies and create strategies to achieve more suitable processes.
The public sector must ensure it is equipped with an effective digital infrastructure to operate in this challenging environment. By implementing systems able to deliver core services remotely and offer effective self-service options for users. It must do this while also providing exceptional levels of cybersecurity in a manner compliant with the Digital Service Standard & Technology Codes of Practice.
As the public sector continues to work towards achieving its objective of being ‘digital by default’, it must expand and improve its portfolio of self-service options available to users. Our supply chain can offer solutions ranging from initial diagnostic work, discovery & feasibility studies, through to identifying and delivering migration from legacy systems and supporting change management to embed new ways of working. Our supplier partners also ensure that any data and information processed through self-service portals is handled in a manner compliant with Digital Service Standard & Technology Codes of Practice.
Our marketplace has already successfully delivered complex business continuity planning requirements across the public sector. Recent requirements include review and update of cyber security systems, replacement of legacy systems and rollout of new technology platforms, and design & delivery of effective remote working options.
As we move beyond the COVID-19 crisis, remote working platforms will enable the public sector to adopt smarter working practices. This will protect against future disruption whilst offering the potential to reduce costs in office space, as workforces become more agile. Internal stakeholders may already be suffering from the change fatigue associated with new digital infrastructure, therefore there is a need to ensure any digital transformation programme has the adequate groundwork to succeed.
Through our pre accredited supply chain public sector organisations can receive a complete front-end analysis of their transformation programme. This will identify migration and exit risks, whilst facilitating the creation of mitigation strategies. Detailed change management planning ensures the public sector is robust to future pressures that may emerge such as skills gaps and takes actions to ensure effective implementation.
Our outcomes-based model allows us to deliver a fully managed end to end service, delivering efficiencies and cost savings for your organisation, and ensures you only pay for what is delivered. With even greater pressure on budgets anticipated in the coming months managing outcomes is essential to ensuring a cost-effective digital transformation programme. From the implementation of new software and systems through to cyber security, our category experts work with you to develop a gold-standard specification that draws upon our experience of successfully facilitating digital transformation in the public sector.
In order to ensure that the public sector can keep up with the pace and urgency of change in today’s digital world, a fresh approach is required, that embraces the benefits of agile governance.