Month: December 2007

The Research Report identifies the scope of major cost overruns, delays and terminations in 105 outsourced public sector ICT projects in central government, NHS, local authorities, public bodies and agencies in the last decade. There has been wide reporting of individual and department or authority-wide project failures in the national and ICT press but little analysis of the overall scope and evidence. The value of contacts is nearly £30billion with an average cost overrun of 30.5%.

The report findings were reviewed by Michael Krigsman, ZDNet.com (USA), Delays and Cost Overruns: A Constructive Analysis in eGov Monitor, 17 December 2007, Computer Weekly (21 December 2007), The Register (27 December 2007), UKauthorITy.com (31 December 2007) and Kablenet.com (24 December 2007).

ESSU has worked with Newcastle City UNISON with a report and presentation to Members and senior officers detailing the case against the outsourcing of meals at home, resource and day centres. Bids to supply frozen meals from Fresh Community Meals (ISS) and Appetito were rejected. The in-house service, supplied by Neighbourhood Services, must produce an acceptable Service Improvement Plan or the service will be retendered. The report is confidential but see file for press release and Newcastle press coverage.

ESSU has completed a study for Newcastle Tenants Federation which examines the options for the future of the Arms Length Management Organisation of the housing service. The report is confidential.

Dexter Whitfield, Director of the European Services Strategy Unit, has been appointed Adjunct Associate Professor at the Australian Institute for Social Research, University of Adelaide, Australia. Further cooperation between ESSU and ASIR on regional economies, PPP projects and shared services is planned over the next few years.

Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane District Council UNISON branches have commissioned ESSU to prepare a report to draw out the lessons of the £400m contract awarded to IBM and Mouchel Parkman with an unprecedented level of secrecy and ‘commercial confidentiality’. Over 800 staff have been seconded to a Joint Venture Company with a ten-year assured employment. The study will also set out a new agenda for how UNISON will address the transformation and shared services agenda (36 local authorities and public bodies signed a framework agreement).