Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to transition IT infrastructure and support services to a shared service
Public sector Flex, the framework which allows the Cabinet Office and Fujitsu Services to provide information and communication technology (ICT) as a shared service across the public sector, has signed its second customer, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
Fujitsu will initially focus on bringing together the two key divisions within the department that were formerly functions within the Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Education and Skills. The contract which is split into two phases will begin immediately and will see Fujitsu provide a single managed service, to fulfil the newly merged department’s immediate need for IT services. This service will later be transformed to the public sector Flex shared service.
The service for DIUS, will provide 1000 users across London, Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn with access to the appropriate business applications whilst providing a standardised IT service that incorporates a service desk, mobile working and business continuity service.
Phase two is planned to be underway by early 2008 and will see the seamless transition of the single managed service to a shared service under public sector Flex.
Ian Watmore, Permanent Secretary of DIUS comments, “I want DIUS to live up to its name in being innovative and I am delighted to be at the forefront of Government best practice in a shared IT solution.”
He continues, “Following the recent formation of DIUS, a key priority for the new organisation has been to select an IT service that would not only provide an existing, class-leading standardised IT facility but one that would also provide a low risk transition to a shared service approach in order to make considerable cost savings and free up resources for frontline services.”
Karen Delafield, Chief Technology Officer of DIUS, says, “We are delighted to join Flex. It offers us great value for money, utilising a well proven infrastructure and the opportunity to contribute to a shared services solution that will offer benefits and economies of scale across Government. The ease of procurement, under the umbrella of the Cabinet Office Framework, has enabled us to move fast and achieve very challenging project timelines. We look forward to building an innovative IT environment based on the Flex shared service.”
Peter Court, Chief Information Officer within the Cabinet Office comments, “This is excellent news; I am really pleased to have DIUS on board. Interest in joining Flex from other public sector bodies continues to grow and allows us to reap significant benefits for Government the taxpayer and the environment.”
Eithne Wallis CB, Managing Director, Government at Fujitsu Services comments, “This is the first of many customers that we expect to sign up to public sector Flex. We are currently in discussions with over fifteen public sector organisations who are interested in reducing costs and improving the effectiveness and functionality of their IT infrastructures.”
