Agenda item

(Technology & Support Services Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-033-2014/15).

(1)        That the proposed projects scheduled for progress during the financial year 2015/16 be agreed;

(2)        That a sum of £200,000 be included in the Capital Programme for 2015/16 for the following ICT projects:

            (a)        BACS (Banker Automated Clearing Service) electronic payment     system replacement;

            (b)        UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)  Replacement;

            (c)        PC Remote management tools; and

            (d)        implementation of other projects identified from the ICT Strategy to             improve productivity/efficiency or maintain service; and

(3)        That £75,000 be included in the Capital programme for 2015/16, as a contingency sum for the Corporate Flexible working roll-out.

The Portfolio Holder for Technology & Support Services presented a report on the Capital requirements for the proposed ICT projects in 2015/16.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that ICT were historically allocated £300,000 per annum in the Capital programme for the updating and maintenance of the core technical infrastructure. Following the revision of the Capital programme, this blanket allocation had been removed and now all proposed ICT projects had to be considered and agreed on an annual basis.

The Portfolio Holder informed the Cabinet that three priority Strategy projects had been identified, namely: replacement of the Banker Automated Clearing Service (BACS) electronic payment system; replacement of the Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) to provide back-up to the Council’s servers in the event of a power loss; and PC Remote Management Tools to allow the remote deployment of software and management of hardware. The estimated cost of these projects for 2015/16 was £67,000. Further projects had been identified from the ICT Strategy, including: upgrades to the Citrix system used to deliver software applications to users; a replacement ICT Service Desk System which had been in place for seven years and was no longer fit for purpose; the replacement of the Council’s iPhones issued to staff; and integration between the corporate Land and Property Gazetteer and the Academy system used by Revenues & Benefits and the Northgate OHMS system used by Housing. The estimated cost for these 12 projects for 2015/16 was £133,000. Finally, £75,000 was being requested as a contingency sum in the Capital Programme for the Corporate Flexible Working roll-out project, to equip staff with tablets, laptops, terminals and smart phones as required. The total sum requested for inclusion in the Capital Programme for 2015/16 was £275,000.

In response to questions from the Members present, the Assistant Director of Resources (ICT) stated that the purchase of systems on a ‘support-and-upgrade’ basis was considered but often this option was more expensive. For example, a previous agreement with Microsoft on a similar basis had cost the Council £60,000 per annum. The general policy employed was to get as much value as possible from the existing systems until they were no longer supported and then upgrade. However, this would be reviewed for the proposed system purchases, such as the Citrix upgrade. The Portfolio Holder agreed that the replacement ICT Service Desk System could be a cloud based system and this option would be examined. However, the Assistant Director highlighted that cloud based systems tended to be revenue based for costs rather than capital based, but that the proposed solution would be reviewed to ensure that the Council was getting the best possible value.

The Assistant Director assured the Cabinet that the Council’s old iPhones would be resold to recoup some of the costs of the replacement units; currently, old iPhones were valued at £40-45 per unit. The Portfolio Holder for Governance and Development Management wanted reassurance that if either the Academy or Northgate OHMS systems were upgraded, then this would incorporate the integration with the Corporate Land & Property Gazetteer system. The Assistant Director stated that much of the integration was undertaken in-house by the ICT department, and that the integration would be maintained in the event of system upgrades.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy supported the inclusion of the UPS replacement. This item was expensive due to the number of batteries involved but would prevent damage to the Council’s systems if the power supply to the Civic Offices was cut.

Decision:

(1)        That the proposed projects scheduled for progress during the financial year 2015/16 be agreed;

(2)        That a sum of £200,000 be included in the Capital Programme for 2015/16 for the following ICT projects:

            (a)        BACS (Banker Automated Clearing Service) electronic payment     system replacement;

            (b)        UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)  Replacement;

            (c)        PC Remote management tools; and

            (d)        implementation of other projects identified from the ICT Strategy to             improve productivity/efficiency or maintain service; and

(3)        That £75,000 be included in the Capital programme for 2015/16, as a contingency sum for the Corporate Flexible working roll-out.

Reasons for Decision:

To maintain the current ICT infrastructure, improve business continuity within the Council and allow staff to fully utilise the benefits available from modern technology.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not approve the three projects identified as critical. However, this would adversely impact upon the reliability of the ICT infrastructure and delay the long term vision of flexible working and improved processes.

To not approve the implementation of the corporate Flexible Working projects. However, this would inhibit the benefits to the Council of more efficient working practices and the usage of office space.