Digital transformation of States' services "will deliver huge benefits for the whole community"

Friday 19 April 2019

A UK-based technology and transformation company will help our government to "dramatically improve" ease and access to public services, subject to States approval.

A two-year procurement process for the digital transformation and future delivery of the States’ IT services has reached a key milestone with Agilisys Limited being appointed as the preferred bidder.

As the proposed strategic partner for the States’ Future Digital Services Programme, Agilisys will help to drive in technology while enabling efficiencies and long-term savings.

The final say over whether to approve the bid - the funding for which is yet to be published - will be taken to the States' debating chamber by Policy & Resources. 

"We are delighted to see Agilisys appointed as Preferred Bidder after an incredibly thorough tender process," said P&R President Gavin St Pier. "They put together a superb case which was competitive financially. This will be a partnership that will deliver huge benefits not just for the States, but the whole community."

Deputy St Pier said it was important that the States support the proposal: "The option of doing nothing isn’t one that is realistic as the current model is unsustainable."

States of Guernsey Chief Executive Paul Whitfield said digital transformation is essential if the States are to deliver its strategic goals.

"At present, the States does not have the capacity or capability to deliver the level of transformation planned or the ability to rapidly access the necessary expertise."

Mr Whitfield said Agilisys will provide technology solutions that improves the States' access to resource and expertise.

"This includes support for the Public Service Reform framework where a savings target of £26m for the States of Guernsey is set to be achieved by 2021," he said. "As well as enabling the wider Public Service Reform savings, this will avoid significant additional costs anticipated in continuing to provide ‘in-house’ IT services for the States."

Chief Information Officer Colin Vaudin said the proposed model "will ensure we aren’t faced with a significant increase in operating costs over the coming decade."

"Enhancements to day-to-day IT provision will also significantly increase the quality of service provided to internal users and the public and will generate further efficiencies across the organisation," he said, adding that the focus would be on "how islanders want to interact with government". 

Although it is a ten-year strategic programme, he said there were opportunities for "noticeable changes" in the short-term, including in the Revenue Service, which was largely panned by users in a recent survey.

And he reiterated that Agilisys, which intends to set up a local branch, was the right strategic partner for two main reasons. 

"One is their ability to deliver the technology we need not just for today, but for tomorrow," he said. "And two is because of their experience in transforming digital services and their success in doing so over the last 20 years.

"It is about delivering public service reform enabled by technology."

Agilisys also plans to enable the development of the local digital sector by supporting with, among other things:

• The establishment of MedTech and FinTech innovation hubs in the island.
• Launching the Guernsey Venture Catalyst Challenge to stimulate interest in business building and relocation on island. 
• Scale-Up activity in conjunction with Economic Development and the Digital Greenhouse. 
• A full Digital apprenticeship pilot in partnership with Arch Apprentices.
• A Guernsey-based ‘cloud’ for system hosting and data storage, which could be made available to businesses.