The team decided that there was insufficient resource both to start implementing e-procurement and at the same time produce a formal strategy document for presentation to chief officers and members. After recognising their problem, Oxford City Council decided to bring in consultants from Socitm Consulting to document their strategy, thus freeing up in-house staff to implement it.
E-procurement is one of the key elements in the e-government agenda which local authorities are required to implement by 2005. The Byatt Report into local government procurement identified it as an area where real savings could be made, and the subsequent National Procurement Strategy confirmed its importance. More recently, the Gershon efficiency review has pointed to research suggesting that universal adoption of e-procurement by local authorities could produce annual savings of £1.1 billion.
Socitm Consulting put together a team with experience in business strategy, procurement in general and e-procurement in particular. The consultants met with the key officers involved, obtained the relevant documents and then worked together to assimilate the information and to draw up the first draft e-procurement strategy. This was presented to the client within four working days and, after three more elapsed days, the task was completed.
Socitm Consulting has grown rapidly since its launch in 1997 to become the consultancy most used by local authorities in the areas of e-government and ICT. It has completed more than 650 projects for over 270 different clients. Heavily involved in all aspects of e-government strategy, planning and implementation, Socitm Consulting carries out a wide range of other projects in the areas of benchmarking and performance management, partnership management, change management and technology management.
Quelle: Publictechnology.net, 10.12.2004
