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Concept Viability: Early engagement with industry
05/01/2007
In light of recent media reports, Intellect has reiterated its concerns about developments in the Government Connect (GC) programme run by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Government Connect is aimed at providing a common infrastructure for secure electronic interaction between local government, central government and citizens. Intellect’s Director General, John Higgins, recently wrote to project owners emphasising that the current development of GC Register undermines its ability to achieve its objectives, does not represent value for money for the taxpayer and risks alienating both suppliers and customers from future projects. Recent actions represent a prescriptive narrowing of the market, restricting choice for customers and effectively handing one company an unfair advantage in other related technologies, Intellect’s letter states. Specific concerns exist in industry and the customer community over the effective mandation of one supplier’s product for the entire local authority market. Industry believes that the Government Connect team disregarded the reservations expressed by suppliers and local authorities by choosing to undertake an evaluation of one product and endorse it as a preferred solution without adequate consideration of the other options available. The resulting market uncertainty is damaging not just to Government Connect but also to the wider public sector. In order to rebuild confidence and trust in both current and future procurements Intellect now calls on GC project owners to provide the following information: - Which GC Register requirements were present in the original document and which have since been added, including dates - The proposed product’s specification, including both self assessments and the demonstration provided to project owners - Details of how the proposed product meets the project requirements as originally stated, and how it complies with existing Government Gateway identity management - Whether local authorities be compelled to install the full product (including elements which would supercede authorities’ existing solutions in other areas) or whether it will be available in a version which solely delivers the GC Register component. - Clarification on the current and planned versions of the proposed product, including each one’s status in terms of Crown IPR, licence fees and support fees. - When all of the above information was provided to the Sponsoring group and GC’s Supplier Advisory group Intellect supports the Government Connect project’s goals, and – as stated in the letter – continues to emphasise industry’s willingness to contribute to future engagement in good faith.
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