Income Support Development –Request for temporary contract posts
Summary
The development of the income support system is now in a critical phase as both the Law Drafting and IT workstreams have begun in earnest. The project plan still shows an implementation date of May 2007 and this tight timescale can only be met by using the expertise and knowledge of certain key staff. This means that staff must be released for this project leaving gaps in existing services that will have to be filled in order not to diminish service or cover to our customers.
Background
Experience with the implementation of the NESSIE system and the legislative changes emanating from “Continuity and Change” showed the value of using key staff at critical times within these projects. The staff in question varied as the projects moved on and it is likely that the Income Support development will follow a similar course. Process Managers and Policy experts may be required at the early stages to map out key processes whilst front facing staff will need to be used as the project moves into data requirement capture and user testing.
The IT project plan has four phases, inception, data requirement capture, construction and testing with testing starting in November 2006. At this stage a great deal of activity will be turned on data capture or conversion which will involve checking amending and potential direct customer contact to potential future recipients of income support. Initial inception workshops have already started and it is clear that from March, to keep the project on track, staff will need to be released and gaps left behind need to be filled. At the time of data take on the Department might need 5 temporary contract posts. However this number may not be needed at once and would increase over the period of the project. Initially in March the project would need 2 temporary contract posts.
The intention is to have upto 5 temporary contract posts available from March 2006 until the end of December 2007 to cover the development, transition and implementation of the income support system. The specific purpose of these posts is
to cover or ”backfill” the areas which will suffer from the release of key staff but strictly on the basis that these posts will not be absorbed into the general fabric of the Department , and
to assist with testing, data take on and conversion prior to implementation.
The cost for this is estimated to be £78,000 in 2006 and £100,000 in 2007. It had been hoped to incorporate this cost into an overall start up budget which would include IT development. The initial estimate of these costs was £2 million but with the delay in finalising the IT contract with Cap Gemini, this request is put forward separately so that recruitment can begin.
Recommendation
The Minister is ask to request the Minister for Treasury and Resources to approve the recruitment of upto 5 temporary contract posts to undertake two necessary functions
to cover existing members of staff used during the development and,
to assist in the data take on and conversion.