Operational Efficiency in the Public Sector

The Review of Public Sector Efficiency, completed in 2005 by Sir Peter Gershon, concluded that ICT should be at the heart of delivering efficiency and reduced cost across Government.

The review also argued that joined-up Government could only be delivered through better use of common ICT systems and strategies.

Progress has been made since 2005 in improving Public Sector efficiency through ICT – but progress has been patchy and some initiatives have been more successful than others. In 2009 HM Treasury undertook the first formal review of efficiency since Gershon. The report, produced by the House of Commons Treasury Committee, ran to over 150 pages.

In response to that review, Cisco published its own recommendations for cutting costs in the Public Sector. The thought leadership paper – available here – makes reference to some of the opportunities identified by HM Treasury, based on evidence collected from across the Public Sector. It provides ten recommendations on how best to use ICT to drive out costs.

We believe that ICT continues to be a key driver for Public Sector efficiencies – if implemented in an appropriate manner. Our paper focuses on opportunities to enable location-independent working, to unify workforce communications and to better exploit video. But we also concur with some of the recommendations made by the Treasury in terms of building a better estates strategy through more intelligent use of ICT – by implementing smart, connected building management and by introducing energy management.

Work undertaken by Kable, the Public Sector analysts, indicates that, on average, only 3% of departmental spending relates to ICT. But ICT remains one of the key instruments for removing cost and introducing efficiencies for the remaining 97% of departmental spend.

ICT promises to create efficiencies through consolidation and virtualisation. It can drive down cost across businesses and between departments.

At Cisco we can offer practical advice and guidance on driving efficiencies that directly link to the recommendations made by UK Government over the last decade. Our ten recommendations are at the heart of this advice.

And at a time when senior executives and operational managers are being asked to seek means of delivering services better, we are able to cite real-world case studies that show the metrics on the efficiencies and cost savings that can be achieved.

This video may be a good place to start. Hear a Public Sector ICT leader, a senior business manager and consultant, and a Cisco executive discuss how ICT can result in new ways of doing business and delivering services across Government.