The project issues
Barking and Dagenham invests approximately £6.5m per annum in information systems and supporting infrastructure and wanted to ensure that it was receiving value for money and is among the top performing local authorities.

The Council therefore decided to undertake an improvement review of Information Management and Technology Services to ensure continuous improvement and realise efficiency savings. Socitm Consulting was commissioned to research all options including full or partial externalisation and to propose changes that would lead to improvements of quality of service and value for money within a realistic programme of change. Specifically the review considered:

• Effectiveness of the current structure and organisation in delivering ICT and how it could be improved by alternative models and strategic management processes
• How effectively the Council uses ICT to modernise its services
• Improving the quality and cost effectiveness of systems management, systems development, customer support and technical development
• How IT improvements are reviewed and evaluated across the Council
• Quality of project and programme management within ICT
• Gershon Efficiency Targets (7.5% over 3 years)
• Management and Leadership capacity (attitude + behaviour) of ICT to enable and underpin the Council's provision and improvement of services for customers
• Transition and change management for improvements to service delivery within ICT

The Socitm Consulting solution
The Best Value Review was carried out according to local guidance and the principles of the government's Best Value regime (Challenge, Compare, Compete, Consult):

• We examined whether there an appropriate level of service to the Council and whether the service had the capacity to deliver future services and support the modernisation and change agenda.
• We used appropriate metrics to benchmark the ICT services against similar organisations from which Barking and Dagenham might learn and improve.
• We evaluated alternative delivery models including part or full externalisation.

The methods used included full discussion with appropriate professional staff and a systematic survey of users of the ICT services, viewed in the light of our understanding of requirements at strategic and operational level across the Council.

The benefits to the client
Barking and Dagenham were able to call upon independent experts in best practice in local government ICT provision to review their ICT service objectively and recommend pragmatic and effective options for improvement. The recommendations were based on a clear understanding of the Council's strategy, a transparent internal consultation process which was designed to ensure maximum buy-in, and an awareness of the standards achieved and innovations introduced in peer organisations. The recommendations should enable Barking and Dagenham to align its ICT service better with its business objectives, achieve efficiency savings and improved quality of service, motivate staff at all levels and introduce effective performance monitoring for the ICT service.

Sarah Bryant, Head of I M & T at Barking & Dagenham, commented: "The Best Value review has come at just the right time for us, in that the Council has undergone an organisation realignment which ICT must respond to. The review results will enable us to move forward with some confidence and in a way that that has full support of the ICT stakeholders".

Project identification
Client organisation: London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
Client contact: Sarah Bryant, Head of I M & T, 020 8227 2015, sarah.bryant@lbbd.gov.uk
Lead consultant: Peter O'Neill, peter.o-neill@socitm.gov.uk
Project no: 5497