Confirmed: key eGov contract given to UK company

Tuesday 23 February 2016

It's been confirmed that the £1.2 million contract to get the States into the digital age has been given to a UK firm, after tenders by local contractors were all rejected by the States’ procurement office.

The decision was originally revealed last week by Bailiwick Express, but at the time, the States refused to confirm it, or comment further, saying that the process for selecting a lead contractor for 'eGov' remains ongoing. But on a blog published yesterday by Jonathan Williams, the States Business Change Director responsible for eGov, the decision was announced to give the contract to ASE Consulting Ltd.

The contract is for a “design authority” to create the blueprint for how a 21st century tech-enabled public sector will operate.

Mr Williams' blog says:

"The eGovernment programme is entering a period of negotiations with the preferred supplier for the design authority contract. ASE Consulting Ltd, (ase.co.uk) a UK firm with a proven track record in public sector design architecture, have been named as the preferred supplier.

"eGov is a fundamental part of the Reform programme. For services to be built around customers, the way systems interact with each other and the use of data must be standardised across the organisation. These developments should result in significant improvements to the way services are delivered and should also increase efficiency and cost effectiveness across the States. 

"Several suppliers applied via an open tender process that started in November of 2015, all applicants included UK subject matter experts within their teams. The preferred supplier will be able to bring extensive experience with public sector clients in several jurisdictions, which will enable expertise in Jersey to build and grow over the course of this contract.

"The first priority for ASE will be to proactively engage with the local technology community through facilitation by Digital Jersey.

You can read the full blog post here.

But local digital firms expressed their anger last week that a key contract should go outside the island, at a time when Jersey is trying to build a reputation for digital excellence. None of them wanted to speak publicly for fear of endangering future bids for work. 

Their frustration is amplified by the fact that two key States policy documents – the States Strategic Plan and the Jersey Innovation Review – appear to place a premium on giving local talent the opportunity to take on key projects in the digital sphere.

The Strategic Plan included a line that the government would: “Develop a plan to promote additional jobs and growth in the Technology sector, with a particular focus on Fintech.”

The Innovation Review, completed by economist Tera Allas, included a specific recommendation to reform public sector procurement to reward local innovation.

The recommendation stated: “Government should review and, where appropriate, reform government procurement guidelines and practice to reduce bureaucracy, increase transparency, and reward innovation (i.e., value as opposed to just low cost), and publish statistics on government procurement by size and age of company.”