The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is setting up an application delivery centre (ADC) to ensure new developments exploit existing technology investments wherever possible.

The first project to come under the group’s remit will be the front-end customer account management (Cam) system for the in-coming Employment Support Allowance (Esa) ­ a key part of New Labour’s welfare reform agenda.

The multimillion-pound Cam deal was signed with Accenture in July, and the IT must be up and running when the new benefit starts at the end of 2008. The ADC will help meet the demanding timetable, said DWP chief information officer Joe Harley.

‘An immediate driver for creating the group is the opportunity to reuse the IT underpinning the Pensions Transformation programme and create a common set of components that can be used across the department,’ said Harley.

‘It is a way to consolidate all activity under a single leadership whose job it is to get things in on time, reusing what has been proven to work to bring down risk and cost. Maybe in the future we can start getting things done in months rather than years.’

The combined pressure of calls for more joined-up services and administrative spending cuts of five per cent per year has led to a growing focus on ensuring the public sector makes the most of its IT investments.

The reuse agenda is key to the Transformational Government strategy championed by the central eGovernment Unit, headed by Whitehall CIO John Suffolk.

‘I can see no logic to rebuilding an asset ­ be it a system specification, business case or architecture ­ if the public sector already has one that can legitimately be used instead,’ said Suffolk. ‘It is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money, elongates the time frame and increases risk.’

The major IT transformations of recent years are the end of the beginning, said Ovum government practice director Eric Woods.

‘Now it is about delivering better and quicker services,’ he said.

'It is about exploiting capability, not just pumping more and more money in.’