Intellect supports new OGC procurement tools

09 January 2009

New procurement tools launched today by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), developed in close collaboration with Intellect’s Public Sector Council and suppliers, have the potential to reduce bid costs by many millions of pounds and will help reduce the average length of public sector procurement processes by several months.

Brian King, vice chair of Intellect’s Public Sector Council, said:

“Both the Pre-Qualification Tool and Joint Statement of Intent have great potential to make the process of buying ICT smoother and quicker between public and private organisations. It’s very much a win-win situation. In using these tools we estimate that the length of an average procurement cycle will be significantly reduced, resulting in a clear cost saving benefit.”

The PQT will help senior management decide if a project is fit for purpose and provide more efficient procurement and delivery. The JSI ensures a common understanding and set of objectives, giving both parties more clarity.

John Higgins CBE, Director General, Intellect, commented:

“The debate on public sector ICT projects has been unfairly stuck in a rut. Like our morose fascination with the national football team it seems we have an obsession with focusing on a few problems, rather than the real progress we’ve been making. In joint collaboration industry and government have been quietly developing world leading public services where technology places the citizen at the centre of service delivery and provides significant efficiency savings to the tax payer. The Joint Statement of Intent and Pre-Qualification tool are yet more examples of the progress being made in this area. Now it’s time for everyone to get behind the team.”

James Johns, Director of Strategy for Civil Government at EDS, an HP Company, who helped develop the Joint Statement of Intent, said...

"There is no shortage of documented best practice in the field of Government ICT, but all too often best practice is not common practice, despite the large volume of guidance issued by the organisations like the NAO and OGC, and industry bodies such as Intellect.

The new Joint Statement of Intent is intended to reinforce the adoption of this guidance by making it easier for Government organisations and their IT suppliers to achieve a common view of the business outcomes they expect from an ICT programme and to establish the critical parameters of time, cost and quality within which these outcomes must be delivered for the programme to be considered a success. It will also help teams to agree the ways of working and behaviours they expect their teams to exhibit in pursuit of these goals.

Whilst we acknowledge that JSI is not going to be a silver bullet, we do know that it can be invaluable in establishing the open, trusting and communicative working relationships which are so vital for successful programme delivery."

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