Request relating to eGovernment procurement review and Information Services strategy (FOI)

​​Request

A.

What review has there been into the procurement process for eGovernment? If there was a review, what prompted it and who commissioned it? What did it cost? What were the findings?

B.

When was a Director of eGovernment and Digital Services appointed – and when and why were they later removed from the post?

C.

Is there a new Information Services Strategy (current one says 2011 – 2013)? When was it published – and was it drawn up in line with eGovernment plans?

D.

What is the timetable and budget for replacing / upgrading corporate systems in HR, Finance, Tax and Social Security? Do they have separate budgets and timetables? Will they continue to operate on different systems?

Response

A.

There was a desktop review undertaken of the tender process following a decision to suspend the tender and realign the eGov Project. The review was commissioned by the Chief Executive Officer. The cost of the review was £9,884. The findings of the review identified that further work was required to fully understand whether the initial project had been sufficiently market tested before the tenders were issued; whether more tenderers would have returned a reply with the revised scope/more market engagement and; whether there was confidence that there had been sufficient engagement with a wide enough range of potential suppliers to identify the best solution/partner.

B.

Following the decision to refocus the eGov project to deliver digital services to the customer in a more targeted way, the first major development is being centred on the Social Security and Income Tax department. The delivery team was selected from the departments involved to ensure the relevant experience in these areas was available

C.

The launch of the latest Information Services strategy is due in Q2 of 2015. The eGovernment vision is a part of the Information Services strategy and delivery of eGovernment components forms part of the new Information Services strategy.

To clarify eGovernment plans and the Information Services strategy are inextricably linked.

D.

The HR & Payroll system is due to be replaced between the end of 2015 and mid-2016. With regards to the allocated budget, the information is considered commercially sensitive, at this time, due to the imminent invitation to tender. We are therefore applying a qualified exemption, Commercial Interest Article 33, of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. See Exemptions below.

The Finance system is due to be upgraded between the end of 2016 and mid-2017. The budget allocated is already published in the Gov.je public domain, within the Addendum and Budget Statement 2015. For your ease of reference, the Addendum and Budget Statement 2015 can be downloaded below.

The Tax system is currently being evaluated and a replacement is being planned. The budget for this project and the process required for policy and changes is being developed as part of the eGovernment initiative to bring together the two systems.

The Social security system is currently being evaluated and a plan for its replacement will be designed over the next 9 to 12 months.

Exemption

Article 33 - Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if:

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).