Home Office completes shared services project

Centralised finance, procurement and human resources systems now available to all

The project was completed on time and on budget

The Home Office says it has completed the installation of a £13m shared services enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

The project provides finance, procurement and human resources systems as a shared service for a number of agencies and is estimated to save the department between £40m and £50m in total. It was implemented with the help of supplier Fujitsu.

John Collington, Home Office group commercial director and programme director, said: "With Fujitsu’s support and expertise, we successfully delivered a major government IT programme, on time and to budget, which is now delivering tangible benefits to the business, including projected cost savings of £40m-£50m. We can also share the lessons learned with other departments and realise an even greater long-term return."

The programme was implemented over a number of phased approaches during a three-year period.

The £40m-£50m savings will be achieved through greater back-office efficiency, economies of scale using centralised systems and services, headcount reductions and procurement savings with better supplier management.

The Home Office says staff expenses can now be paid within days and 93 per cent of supplier invoices are paid within 26 days – an increase of 23 per cent in just five months.

Fiona Spencer, Home Office director of Shared Services said: "Key to the SBS programme’s success was good governance and a proven methodology, ensuring that there was clear accountability and transparency."