Shared Services Key Projects
There are numerous shared services projects taking place across the Public Sector in Scotland. Below is an alphabetical list of some of the projects that the Scottish Government is currently supporting. If you would like more information on any of these projects please contact the Shared Services Team at sharedservicesteam@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Common Performance Management Platform for the Police Service in Scotland (ACPOS Platform project) - The Police Service in Scotland is currently embarked on a major business change process. This change process is aimed at fully embracing a performance culture which will operate at national, Force and local levels. It will be tailored at each Force so that, although there will be a standard national performance management framework, each Force will design and operate its own Force and local performance management frameworks. The objectives include:
° To deliver an effective and efficient common performance management software platform
° To work towards joined up performance management between police, government, criminal justice and community planning partners
° To improve police national force and local performance management businesses processes
° To achieve increased effectiveness and efficiency by implementing effective performance management information and knowledge sharing
ACPOS Platform Project Summary Template
Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges - The overall focus of the programme is to deliver advanced procurement performance in Scotland's universities and colleges, in line with the McClelland Review recommendations, by the establishment of a Centre of Expertise, the development of strengthened Collaborative procurement and comprehensive implementation of ePS.
APUC Project Summary Template
Baseline Study - The project is a baseline study of 4 of the 5 corporate services functions - Finance, HR, ICT, and Estates Management - of the Scottish Government, its Executive Agencies / Non-Ministerial Departments and NDPBs, unless there is a reason for their not being able to participate. The initial data collection is with respect to year ended March 31st 2007, and the data gathering will continue over time for future years.
Central Government Centre of Procurement Expertise - The Central Government Centre of Procurement Expertise (CGCoPE) is a professional team of public sector purchasing staff delivering best practice in procurement. The central team is supported by procurement professionals working in organisations. The main purpose of CGCoPE is to stimulate, facilitate and deliver advanced procurement across central government.
Clyde Valley Learning and Development - The Clyde Valley Learning and Development project is about establishing more efficient learning, training and development practices across the eight group members, South Lanarkshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Renfrewshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Council, Inverclyde Council and West Dunbartonshire Council.
Clyde Valley Learning and Development Project Summary Template
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Integrated Service Delivery - The objectives of the Integrated Service Delivery Modelling (ISDM) Project are to develop robust proposals that will:
- Improve access to and quality of services
- Increase the sustainability of service delivery both in the Western Isles and within local communities
- Increase the sustainability of governance at a Western Isles level
- Contribute to the sustainability of local communities Increase local accountability for and community engagement in service delivery
- Reduce duplication of effort and realise efficiencies for reinvestment in service delivery
- Enhance public sector employment opportunities throughout the islands
Integrated Service Delivery Project Summary Template
Customer First - Where possible, any customer who comes into contact with Scottish Councils should have their service delivered, their problem resolved, or their question answered at the first point of contact. This means no unnecessary form filling, no asking for information that has already been given, no unnecessary referrals to other members of staff or other organisations.
Customer First Project Summary Template
e-Care - The inability of agencies to share personal data on citizens has been identified as a major factor in agency failure to provide timely and appropriate services (sometime leading to catastrophic events such as the death of a child at risk). It was recognised that agencies had no reliable, auditable or secure methodology to share such data.
The Modernising Government Fund provided pump-priming allocation to address this issue, with the Scottish Government working in partnership with local authorities and NHS. These projects led to the development of the eCare Framework, which following successful evaluation of the pilots, was agreed by Scottish Ministers (in the then Finance, Health and Education departments) as the support mechanism for a number of key policies whose success was dependent upon the secure sharing of sensitive personal data.
eCare Project Summary Template
Edinburgh & Glasgow Design Phase Pathfinders - Edinburgh (and Glasgow) council have signed up to undertake the design phase of the development of a single framework for shared services, working with the Councils early adopters (Fife and Scottish Borders and (North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire )). They will continue working with the Improvement Service to further develop the toolkit to maximise opportunities and ensure that all local authorities can benefit from the approach.
Edinburgh PathfinderProject Summary Template
Glasgow Pathfinder Project Summary Template
e-Planning - The planning system plays a central role in coordinating Scotland's sustainable economic growth. The ePlanning Efficient Government Programme will deliver a step change in planning service delivery and drive forward efficiencies in the planning system, moving planning away from a paper process towards an electronic way of working. The comprehensive programme will develop and implement the technology capable of making faster planning decisions, thereby increasing efficiencies in the public sector and providing savings to businesses and citizens .
e-Planning Project Summary Template
e-Procurement Scotland - e-Procurement Scotland (ePS) is a fully hosted and managed 24 x 7 e-Procurement service which supports the full purchase to pay cycle providing a range of services including e-sourcing (electronic tendering and auctions) and transactional purchase to pay solutions. ePS was procured by the Scottish Government for the whole of the public sector in Scotland to use.
Joint Working in Orkney - The project aims to improve efficiency in both the management and delivery of support services in Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney and other partner agencies. This is to be achieved through closer working and or integration of selected support services.
Joint Working in Orkney Project Summary Template
Local Government Diagnostics - Shared Services are expected to play a significant role in driving up service quality and consistency across Scottish local government as well as delivering long term financial savings. In October 2007, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth released £4.5 million to councils to undertake a Diagnostics Project. Taking the learning from the Pathfinder projects the money was to fund diagnostics of front and back office support services as part of the development of a national approach to shared services across Local Government.
The Improvement Service have set up a Diagnostic Pathway Programme team who are actively engaging with all 30 councils involved in the diagnostics.
A Diagnostic Pathway Toolkit has been developed by the Improvement Service. The toolkit that has been developed builds on the best practice outcomes of both the Edinburgh and Glasgow pathfinders and this will provide us with a consistent approach across local government.
Diagnostics Project Summary Template
National CRM -The National Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Programme is co-ordinated by the Improvement Service and West Lothian Council as lead councils and exists to increase the intensity of collaboration around CRM across Scottish Local Government that will result in demonstrable improvement in customer and organisation outcomes.
Under the programme, a Partnership approach involving the Improvement Service, Lagan, West Lothian Council and a national steering group, has been established to take forward the projects direction and delivery. The projects vision is to:
'increase the intensity of collaboration around Customer Relationship Management across Scottish local government that will result in demonstrable improvements in customer and organisation outcomes'
National CRM Project Summary Template
NoSLA -The objectives of this project were:
To commission the necessary work by the partner authorities working together, to examine the feasibility of creating Shared Services for Revenues and Benefits administration, billing and collection. This includes the administration, billing and collection of Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit; and Non Domestic Rates.
To consider the impact of a change from Council Tax administration to a local income tax on a shared service arrangement.
To evaluate alternative models for future delivery of these Shared Services and their components across the North of Scotland.
NoSLA Project Summary Template
OneScotland Portal - The OneScotland Portal offers a local, national and international presence that provides a convenient access to public services and information in Scotland and support front line customer services staff to deliver first time public services.
The Scottish Government is taking a lead in the development of the 'OneScotland Portal', a signposting service that will provide the citizens of Scotland with a convenient point of access to the Scottish Government, Local Authority, Agency and NDPB public services and information. There will also be links to key services provided by the UK Government e.g. renewal of car tax.
OneScotland Portal Project Summary Template
Public Information Notices Portal - The concept is to create a new channel of communication to local communities via the internet, enabling councils to provide local information regarding services such as road works, property developments and all other types of approved and proposed projects in a clear and easy to use format.
Public Information Notices Portal Project Summary Template
Scotland Excel - A Centre of Expertise in local government procurement has been launched with the backing of 24 Scottish councils. Scotland Excel is one of four sectoral Centres of Expertise and was created to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of procurement across local government in Scotland. Its purpose is to provide local authorities and related organisations with a comprehensive, professional and customer-focused procurement service.
Scotland Excel Project Summary Template
Scottish Courts Fines - It was identified that there was a need to restore confidence in the fine and financial penalties as sentences of the court. In addition to this, a further requirement is that more effective systems were in place for collection and enforcement of these penalties, thus complementing the Summary Justice Reform proposals. The project was completed on March 10 2008.
Scottish Court Fines Project Summary Template
Shared Recruitment Portal - The project seeks to develop a shared electronic recruitment portal allowing Scottish local authorities to recruit from a wider poll of employees, support more effective recruitment practices, reduce advertising and improve efficiency and productivity.
Shared Recruitment Portal Project Summary Template
Shared Workforce Planning - The project seeks to develop a national workforce planning capacity that will allow Scottish local authorities to collectively plan and deliver the level, type and quality of workforce they require for the future in a cost effective manner. A national workforce planning capacity will:
- Ensure local government staffing requirements are better met;
- Improve the workforce planning and development services offered to local government functions; and
- Improve efficiency and productivity.
Project Summary Template Shared Workforce Planning
Tripartite Fleet ManagementProject - A Fleet Scoping Study investigated and identified the potential synergies to be gained from greater collaboration of fleet management between the eight Police Forces, eight Fire and Rescue Services and the Scottish Ambulance Service in Scotland at a national level. Each organisation operates, manages and maintains its own fleet service. Collaboration across the services to date has been fairly limited and informal.
Tripartite Fleet Management Project Summary Template