Shared Services In The Research Councils

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Shared services in the research councils

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2011-10-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 0102976732

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Shared services in the research councils by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

The implementation of a project to create a centre to streamline back-office functions - such as finance, HR and procurement - for the seven research councils has so far not been good value for money. When finally operational 15 months late, the Centre was delivering services across the five functions planned but some services, particularly finance, are not yet where they need to be. By the end of March 2011 the project was £51 million over budget. Available evidence indicates that to date the project has underachieved against total expected savings by at least £73 million. The original business case, which led to the decision to opt for the shared service centre, was flawed. The projected savings to be made from better procurement were uncertain and a proper financial analysis should have prompted a re-evaluation of the available options. The reasons for the overrun and delay included complex governance arrangements, slow decision making and the lack of a clear vision for the project from the outset. The contract with Fujitsu, the supplier of the Centre's ICT systems, was terminated wasting £13 million because some elements of the system then had to be rebuilt in-house. When the project did start to go off-course, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, as sponsor Department, did not intervene. A single shared service platform has the potential, if managed effectively, to offer broader benefits through streamlined processes. The report concludes that there is significant scope for further savings.

Efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2012-03-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0102975450

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Efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

In 2004, the Gershon Review recommended that the Government pursue the sharing of services, including human resources, finance, procurement and payroll, to achieve cost savings. It has been up to individual departments to establish their own arrangements and, between 2004 and 2011, eight major shared service centres emerged. The five centres examined by the NAO were expected to cost £0.9 billion to build and operate but, to date, they have cost £1.4 billion. They were also expected to have saved £159 million by the end of 2010-11. While, in one instance Government has achieved break-even in a time consistent with the private sector, its overall performance has been varied and the two centres that are still tracking benefits report a measured net cost of £255 million. Most departmental customers have not acted as 'intelligent customers' and they will need to build in-house capability with enough business and technical understanding to manage the services and work with the centres to achieve efficiencies. Among other findings are that the software systems used in the centres have added complexity and cost; and that, as the use of the centres has been voluntary, departments have struggled to roll-out shared services fully across all their business units and arm's length bodies. The Cabinet Office has recently gained approval for a new strategy and business case. The NAO considers the approach is ambitious and has challenging timescales. The Cabinet Office is actively working with departments on its implementation.

Medical Research Council annual report and accounts 2010/11

Author : Medical Research Council
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2012-04-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0102974977

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Medical Research Council annual report and accounts 2010/11 by Medical Research Council Pdf

The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded organisation dedicated to improving human health. It supports research across the entire spectrum of medical sciences, in universities and hospitals, in its own units and institutes in the UK and in Africa. The MRC works closely with key stakeholders and research funders - UK health departments, other departments and agencies, the six sister research councils, industry, and the academic and charity sectors - giving a high priority to research that is likely to make a real difference to clinical practice and the health of the population. This annual report describes progress in 2008-09, highlights key awards and partnerships, and outlines plans for the future.

Research council institutes

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2007-03-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215033256

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Research council institutes by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee Pdf

Incorporating HC 1307-i & ii, session 2005-06

Efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2012-07-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215046714

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Efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

Since 2004, central government has sought to reduce the cost of administering finance, human resources and procurement services through sharing back-office functions. In previous examinations the Committee found that the Government had not yet realised the potential to save taxpayers' money. The renewed focus on improving shared services is welcomed. The Committee expects the Cabinet Office to engage constructively with their recommendations. This report considers five of the eight shared service centres. Whilst performing adequately, they had cost £1.4 billion to build and operate compared to an expected cost of £0.9 billion. These five centres were also expected to have saved £159 million by the end of 2010-11. In the event, the Ministry of Justice centre broke-even, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs centres did not track their total savings, and the Department for Transport and Research Councils UK, have reported a net cost to date of £255 million. The current strategy will only be effective if the Cabinet Office demonstrates strong leadership. So far it has been left up to individual departments and their arm's length bodies to decide whether they use shared service centres leading to low take-up. Those bodies which have become customers of shared service centres have retained their own processes resulting in over-complicated systems which also undermine the scope for efficiency. The Cabinet Office should also develop comparable data on the cost and quality of services provided by the shared services centres and should consider whether it can extend its shared services strategy to include other common functions needed by central government departments

Whitehall Effect

Author : John Seddon
Publisher : Triarchy Press
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2014-05-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781909470484

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Whitehall Effect by John Seddon Pdf

John Seddon explains how successive governments have failed to deliver what our public services need and exposes the devastation that three decades of political fads, fashions and bad theory have caused. With specific examples and new evidence, he chronicles how the Whitehall ideas machine has failed on a monumental scale - and the impact that this has had on public sector workers and those of us who use public sector services.

Organizing for Coordination in the Public Sector

Author : P. Lægreid,K. Sarapuu,L. Rykkja,T. Randma-Liiv
Publisher : Springer
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2016-04-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781137359636

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Organizing for Coordination in the Public Sector by P. Lægreid,K. Sarapuu,L. Rykkja,T. Randma-Liiv Pdf

This collection focuses on public sector coordination, key aspect of governments' have sought to tackle contemporary policy challenges. By guiding the reader through 20 case studies of novel coordination instruments from 12 countries, the compendium gives valuable lessons for achieving better coordination of public policies.

Financial management report

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2012-07-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0102977224

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Financial management report by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

Following the spending review, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is targeting a 27 per cent reduction, after inflation, in core resources between 2010-11 and 2014-15. However, this does not take account of a near doubling in student loan payments arising from the higher education reforms, much of which the Department expects will be repaid sometime after 2014-15. Once these are included, the Department's total spending is forecast to reduce by 6 per cent, after inflation, during the four year period. The Department is also working on a number of other reforms associated with the settlement, including attracting private investment into Royal Mail, setting up the Green Investment Bank by September 2012, and providing £1.3 billion to modernise the Post Office network. The Department has worked hard over the last 18 months to improve its financial management, and current practices have enabled it to keep its day-to-day financial management on track. However, the Department recognises that its current financial management capacity and skills will not be sufficient if it is to manage the substantial challenges ahead. It is implementing a number of change programmes aimed at integrating financial management across the department and its partner organisations. The outcomes of this are as yet unclear and the NAO has identified key areas for action. These include improving the quality of information available to support decision-making, strengthening cross-department arrangements for scrutinising investment proposals, and improving sponsorship of partner organisations.

Higher Education in Scotland and the UK

Author : Sheila Riddell
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2015-11-12
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781474404594

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Higher Education in Scotland and the UK by Sheila Riddell Pdf

This book examines the impact of devolution on Scottish and UK higher education systems, including institutional governance, approaches to tuition fees and student support, cross-border student flows, widening access, internationalisation and research policy.

Delivering Public Services That Work Volume 2

Author : Charlotte Pell
Publisher : Triarchy Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2012-04-24
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781908009937

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Delivering Public Services That Work Volume 2 by Charlotte Pell Pdf

Case studies of The Vanguard Method being used to deliver radical change in the public sector

Improving the delivery of animal health and welfare services through the Business Reform Programme

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2012-07-18
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 0102977232

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Improving the delivery of animal health and welfare services through the Business Reform Programme by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

Between 2005-06 and 2011-12, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency spent £103 million (from the agreed budget of £123 million) on reforming the way it delivers animal health and welfare service. The Business Reform Programme was designed to improve the quality of the Agency's data, upgrade its ICT, standardize and automate its processes, and enable private vets to submit bovine tuberculosis tests online. It is now forecast that the Programme will be completed by 2013-14. The Programme has been strongly managed over the last few years and the Agency has made tangible progress in addressing some key challenges at the same time as achieving cost reductions, £4 million to date. In addition to reducing headcount by 119 full time members of staff, over halfway towards its final forecast of 214, new ICT is enabling staff to share data across offices, helping the Agency to generate better information on costs and performance and helping the Agency work more efficiently. Despite reducing the number of staff tracking the movement of cattle testing positive for bovine TB from 43 to 28, the number of tracings carried out in a year rose by 24 per cent. However, there have been issues with the implementation of the new ICT, and only 11 of the 497 private veterinary practices signed up to submit bovine TB test results online are currently doing so. The final stages of the reform programme are critical for securing the full benefits of the new ICT

The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2010-03-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 0215545192

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The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee Pdf

The pressure to be seen to be making cuts across the public sector is threatening to undermine both the Government's good record on investment in science and the economic recovery. Whilst the contribution of a strong domestic science base is widely acknowledged, methodological problems with quantifying its precise value to the economy mean that it is in danger of losing out in Whitehall negotiations. Scientists are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the impact of their work and there is concern that areas without immediate technology applications are being undervalued. The Committee believes the Government faced a strategic choice: invest in areas with the greatest potential to influence and improve other areas of spending, or make cuts of little significance now, but that will have a devastating effect upon British science and the economy in the years to come.

Sessional Returns

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2012-09-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215048385

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Sessional Returns by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons Pdf

On cover and title page: House, committees of the whole House, general committees and select committees

Digital Britain One

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2011-12-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0102976872

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Digital Britain One by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

The Government has not in general measured the benefits delivered by its two central internet services Directgov and Business.gov, and the infrastructure service Government Gateway, which together cost some £90 million a year, according to a report today by the National Audit Office. Government departments and other public bodies use Directgov, Business.gov and Gateway to provide information to the public and to support a range of government online services. It is crucial that the Government Digital Service (GDS), established in March 2011 to implement a new strategy to deliver all government information services digitally, builds in the right mechanisms to achieve value for money as it plans the future of digital shared infrastructure and services. Today's report does conclude, however, that it is likely that Directgov, Business.gov and Gateway have delivered some cost savings to the public bodies which use them, through the reuse of common infrastructure. The public and businesses using the services have also benefited. Directgov (providing government information for the public) and Business.gov (a family of four services, one for each of the four nations of the UK, providing information for businesses) have enabled citizens and businesses to access information in a more organised way. Even though financial benefits are not clear, performance has been managed and most targets have been met. Since 2006, 1,526 government websites have been closed. Determining how successful the Government has been in closing websites has proved difficult, however, because the baseline numbers were based on an estimate and targets have changed over time. At the start, the Government was unsure how many sites it had and not all bodies have complied with the policy to close sites.

Digital Britain 2

Author : Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 52 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2013-03-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0102981396

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Digital Britain 2 by Great Britain: National Audit Office Pdf

As the government strives to get everyone using online services, it must make sure it doesn't ignore people without internet access. This group of approximately 4 million people is skewed towards those aged over 65, in lower socio-economic grops or iwth disability. The Cabinet Office needs to make sure it understands these people's needs better and move forward with its plans to support them. They must not be put at a disadvantage because they either can't or don't want to go online. In some cases, fewer than 50% of transactions are completed online. To achieve its expectation that 82% of transactions are completed online, the Cabinet Office needs to understand better and break down the barriers that stop people with internet access from using online government services.