Intellect government chair highlights IT demands

The head of the IT industry association's government group has said the next government will have to make much better use of technology

Janet Grossman, chair of Intellect's Public Sector Council, said the need to cut the public deficit will create pressure to reduce staff costs, and that IT can be an enabler in doing so.

Taking part in a round table on Redesigning the Public Sector, organised by SAP, Grossman responded to a question about which political party is best placed to change the image of government IT, she responded: "The reality is that, regardless of who gets in, they will have to make significant changes to processes and people costs. The Conservatives have been more formal and precise about what they intend to do.

"It is harder for a sitting government to do that; if the policies are in place it's harder to articulate what would be different. But all the parties plan to reduce spending."

She added that government investment in IT sometimes comes under attack but it has a public welfare rather than a financial value, and that this can make it harder to support when problems arise. But there are possibilities to lay the ground for the more successful use of IT.

"If the incentives are right for chief operating officers to reduce costs, and if the Treasury deals out the money in a more sensitive way, it would change the culture of government and help to make it more efficient," she said.

Grossman added that existing procurement procedures often add to the problems by tying government and suppliers into long term deals while preventing the former from taking advantage of advances in technology. One of the priorities for government should be to work out a way to change this situation.

"I see so much more room for improvement and so much can be returned to the taxpayer," she said.

Simon Godfrey, director of business development and government relations at SAP, said that a survey of 100 public sector chief information officers and IT directors showed that 71% thought government needs to be more ambitious with technology. They said more guidance is needed on aligning business and organisational goals, and that there could be quick wins in reducing complexity and simplifying IT processes.

In addition, officials in central government are apparently running into more problems with IT; they are more likely than their local government counterparts to believe technology is seen as a problem rather than part of a solution, and have been unable to plan due to a possible change in government.

"The message to the incoming government is loud and clear: ICT needs to be closer aligned to organisational needs," Godfrey said. "There needs to be more guidance on how to do more with less and a faster move to simplified and shared services that reduce complexity and drive efficiencies for the public."