UK online Annual Report 2002

Government's Strategy (continued)

More Efficient Government

Electronic service delivery (ESD) has the potential to make Government itself more efficient and so allow resources to be re-allocated. It can also offer very significant improvements in customer experience, leading to higher levels of take-up.

Transactional services can be made more efficient through investment in IT: for example the use of intelligent online forms in preference to traditional paper forms. Such 'intelligent front-ends' can reduce the inefficiencies which arise from incomplete or incorrect forms. When required fields are left blank, users can be automatically prompted to fill in the necessary section, and links to guidance on how to complete the form properly can be provided. This potentially improves the accuracy of data received and reduces the cost of manually contacting people for further details. But to be successful, these systems must be highly usable, with a design based on detailed customer research.

Providing an electronic service alongside traditional services can, potentially, double the cost of delivering a service. So it is important that the ESD forms a core part of the business change process. In this way, although there may be short term additional costs, we will realise the potential to make back-end process more efficient, even if services are delivered using traditional channels. Additionally, as users switch to online access, departments may be able to make savings from the lower volume of transactions through conventional channels. In time, it may be possible to switch some of these off provided that this does not disadvantage the service user.

To ensure the benefits of the e-Government programme are maximised - and in line with the Public Accounts Committee's conclusion in its report Improving Public Services Through e-Government, OeE will work with the Treasury to consider developing guidance addressing the appraisal of risks involved in realising the benefits from e-delivery projects, taking into account the take-up of e-services and the potential to divert resources from traditional channels.

Ensuring high levels of take-up

Once the services that people want to use are available, high levels of take-up will be a key measure of the success of the services - and essential to realise efficiency gains. Successful e-services are already achieving high levels of take-up. For example, NHS Direct receives around 100,000 calls a week to the telephone helpline and half a million visits to NHS Direct Online each month. And during 2001/02 Ufi/learndirect [www.learndirect.co.uk] reached over 246,000 learners who, between them, took up more than 570,000 courses.

People will only switch to using online services if they can see a real advantage to themselves. The attraction of e-Government will vary from service to service and between groups of customers. But in practice, this will require that services are more convenient, easier and quicker to access - as well as being more personalised around the customer than traditional channels.

To identify the topics, services and sites which interest people most, OeE has started to collect data on levels of use for central Government websites. As we collect more data, we will be able to identify trends and inform work to develop the services which should attract high levels of use.

The new Cabinet Office Public Service Agreement includes the target to "ensure departments meet the Prime Minister's targets for electronic service delivery by Government: 100% capability by 2005, with key services achieving high levels of use". To achieve this OeE will work with delivery organisations to develop strategies for ensuring maximum take-up. These will be firmly based on a clear understanding of the characteristics, needs and interests of service users - and on ensuring that services are developed in ways that directly address these needs.

A mixed economy for Government

A key part of our e-Government strategy is to open the market to private and public sector intermediaries, so facilitating a mixed economy for the supply of public services. Allowing and incentivising intermediaries to engage with public services on behalf of the customer will foster innovation, accelerate the delivery and take-up of e-enabled public services. For the mixed economy to succeed we need to support a marketplace where Government can come together with partners to deliver e-Government services that better meet the customers' demands.

The aim is that in five years, there will be a fully developed mixed economy in the supply of public services, where consumers can engage with intermediaries from the public, private and voluntary sectors to use public services in the manner that suits them.

Customers engaging with intermediaries from the public, private and voluntary sectors to use public services in ways which suit them

As a result of the Treasury's cross-cutting review of the role of the voluntary sector in delivering public services, OeE and the Home Office Active Community Unit, in partnership with the rest of Government and the voluntary and community sector (VCS), will work to draw together various ICT initiatives for the VCS into a coherent ICT investment strategy. This strategy will include resources and an implementation plan and be completed by July 2003. To clarify sources of funding, the Home Office will set up a portal to provide a single point of information about Government support available to the VCS.

We are currently taking forward the strategy to open the Government market by focusing on these crucial strands:

• Principles of intermediary involvement. OeE is producing a policy framework for intermediary engagement, which outlines the 'rules and principles' for Government to work with intermediaries and vice versa. This will detail principles such as rights and obligations of intermediary and Government, ESD standards and code of conduct.

• Facilitation. OeE is setting up an e-venturing unit to attract ideas and innovation for Government service transformation and proposals for intermediary engagements. It will be accessible via the OeE website [www.e-envoy.gov.uk] and directly www.e-venturing.gov.uk.

e-procurement

Over the last two years the OGC has investigated the contribution electronic procurement can make to deliver better value from Government's procurement and purchasing activities. This included ground breaking research work through a series of live pilot projects run in Government departments and managing the roll out of the Government Procurement Card (GPC)^[39] across central Government.

All of the pilot projects were successful and a report that converts learning into guidance (eProcurement: Cutting Through the Hype) is available on the OGC website^[40]. At the same time the Master Agreement with Visa for the provision of the GPC has come to the end of its term, exceeding all expectations in terms of the value of the business conducted using the card (some £340m with two month's figures still to report, while the original projection was £300m). OGC is closing negotiations for the provision of card services to central and wider Government for the next five to seven years.

Following completion of the e-Procurement pilots, OGC is working with departments to develop a strategy for the adoption of e-Procurement across Government that covers the period to March 2006. OGC will publish this in the next few months.

Setting common standards to enable joined up delivery

Common standards between departments are a key element in the e-Government delivery programme. The UK was one of the first countries to publish an interoperability framework to facilitate adoption of common standards - a lead which other countries are now following.

e-Gif

The 'e-Government Interoperability Framework' (e-GIF part 1 and part 2) is a mandatory policy framework. It sets out policies and standards for connectivity and the seamless flow of information across the public sector. Since its first publication in October 2000 it has become a benchmark policy on IT standards and is being implemented in all departments and local authorities. OeE updates the e-GIF every six months. Version 4 incorporated the Metadata Framework (e-GMF), dealing with tagging and categorisation of information.

e-GIF sets out standards to enable the seamless flow of information across the public sector

Technical and semantic interoperability are essential for the public sector to provide citizen-centric services and information. Key policies of the e-GIF are the adoption of internet and web standards, with emphasis on the use of XML for data integration, and developing and providing XML Schemas for Government processes that can be reused across the public sector. An essential element of developing XML is the agreement on definitions of data. A Government Data Standards Catalogue has been developed as part of the e-GIF. These agreed definitions are now being used in many projects, including the National Land & Property Gazetteer. (NLPG). The e-GIF also describes well-established management and communication processes, which are implemented through the GovTalk website [www.govtalk.gov.uk].

To help public sector bodies and IT suppliers with the implementation of the e-GIF, OeE is arranging for an Advisory Service to answer questions, provide advice and guidance and a self-assessment tool that will enable people to establish whether they are complying with the e-GIF. This service will be operated by National Computing Centre (NCC) and will start during Q4 2002.

The EC's Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) programme is working to establish interoperability and metadata policies for all Member States. OeE is closely involved in those projects and will continue to provide the UK's input into the development of these policies.

Open Source

OeE published a new policy on the use of Open Source Software (OSS) in Government in July, in response to the rise to prominence of OSS with its significant market share in parts of the software infrastructure market. The policy also responds to the EC's eEurope - An Information Society for all initiative [http://europa.eu.int/index_en.htm] which supports the use of OSS in the public sector. OeE and OGC developed the policy jointly, derived from a report by QuinetiQ.

The policy supports a 'level playing field' in OSS and proprietary software procurement and seeks to avoid 'lock-in' to proprietary IT products and services. Government will also consider obtaining full rights to bespoke and customised software code where this achieves best value for money and will explore further the possibilities of using OSS as the default exploitation route for Government funded R&D software.

OGC have reviewed their procurement guidelines and made advice available on their website [www.ogc.gov.uk] on how to assess the merits of OSS v propriety solutions in procurements, on areas of the software infrastucture and application marketplace where OSS has strengths and weaknesses.

A UK Government Open Source Software Special Interest Group has been established, jointly chaired by OeE and OGC.

Putting the key infrastructure in place

The e-Government infrastructure in the UK compares well internationally. Common infrastructure web products and services across Government are a crucial element in providing efficient, joined-up services - and avoid duplicating development costs. Over the past year, OeE has successfully delivered several high profile projects.

ukonline.gov.uk

The ukonline.gov.uk portal, gives access to all UK Government information and services online using a single web address. It is the easiest place on the web to find in-depth access to UK Government information and services online. With the Government Gateway, the portal provides a quick and easy means of carrying out transactions with Government via the internet. The priority in developing the site was to ensure a friendly and accessible experience, both for the novice and the frequent internet user, and content is organised around the needs of the citizen.

Citizen feedback during the first year of implementation has informed a significant improvement of ukonline.gov.uk . In January 2002, OeE relaunched the portal with a new look and feel. The new portal is more intuitive, easier to navigate and easier to search. It is also has a more scaleable and reliable infrastructure.

OeE updates the content daily using a sophisticated content management system with customised content for region and Welsh language preferences. As a result, the portal's content is more timely, up-to-date and relevant for citizens interested in the day to day concerns of central and local Government, as well as regional and national areas of the UK.

The portal also has greatly enhanced accessibility with a clearer design and colour scheme and an improved 'Easy Access' area. This provides access to ukonline.gov.uk for those who are partially sighted, blind or have low reading skills. The site was awarded the Royal National Institute for the Blind's (RNIB's) prestigious 'See it right' logo in February 2002. This structure also works particularly well with alternative digital access media, allowing viewing of the site on Internet-enabled Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

Since the relaunch, users have risen sevenfold to 320,000 a month viewing more than 3 million pages.

Earlier this year, OeE ran a ukonline.gov.uk marketing campaign, to raise awareness of the portal and educate customers about the services provided by Government. This included an online advertising campaign and the submission of keywords to search engines. The online advertising campaign delivered 113,657 clicks to the portal; the submission to search engines delivered 150,675 clicks to the portal.

Access for all

The Government is working on a programme to add new media and channels to ukonline.gov.uk to ensure universal and inclusive access for all citizens. As part of its relaunch, OeE built ukonline.gov. to be available on a variety of platforms - and has already started work with DTV, instant messaging providers, WAP phones and PDAs.

From 1 July 2002, the UK online content has been available on MSN Instant Messenger where a tab provides a changing selection of thumbed links to Government services online.

The current site is just the beginning. The way people use and the feedback they give is already driving how the site develops and improves. OeE plan to add new content, improved search capabilities and further transactional services over time.

One of OeE's main projects this year is to develop a pan-Government toolbar. This will be a navigation toolbar to be used across all Government websites to replace the current version. It will incorporate some significant developments:

• a pan-Government search facility. The UK online search engine will be immediately accessible from the toolbar;

• user-centred design. The toolbar is designed to work in conjunction with department websites to create a well-balanced user experience.

The Government Gateway

The Government Gateway is a key component of e-Government infrastructure. It allows secure authenticated transactions and joined-up Government services to take place via the web. The Gateway is an authentication and routing engine built on open standards, allowing different systems in different Government departments to communicate with the Gateway and with each other. This means that in future, electronic transactions involving many different departments at once will be possible, ensuring a truly joined-up electronic public service.

The Government Gateway hides the complexity of dealing with Government and provides a joined-up user experience

OeE launched the Government Gateway in January 2001 and it has provided enrolment and transaction handling for a number of departments. Once registered with the Gateway, citizens and businesses can enrol for services with a single identification credential: a user ID and password, or a digital certificate. This hides the complexity of dealing with Government and provides a joined-up user experience.

At the beginning of July 2002, OeE upgraded the Gateway to improve functionality which allows:

• services from local authorities and, potentially, links to private sector partners such as pension providers. These services will be enabled using the new Gateway 'Hub and Spoke' model. As an important step towards achieving our 2005 objectives, all departments and Government organisations outside of the GSI will now have access to the Gateway;

• simpler registration and enrolment by presenting the Gateway screens directly into portals and applications;

• pre-registration of citizens and businesses to speed the process of dealing with Government online;

• provision of services where the citizen or business is dealing with Government for the first time, such as VAT registration or benefit applications;

• redesigned screens and better help pages.

Over the next year, OeE will focus on completing the Gateway's middleware components. We are investigating ways of notifying citizens of important central and local Government information via email and SMS. We are also looking at how to improve the way documents and information are submitted to Government.

Once the core Gateway components are complete, the roll-out of Government services online will gain momentum. Over the next 12 months OeE will add further transactions, additional departments and enriched functionality. We are discussing future transactions with departments currently using the Gateway and with various organisations in central and local Government. The list of potential stakeholders is growing quickly and includes:

• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP);

• Northern Ireland Land Registry;

• Central Sorting Office for Stakeholder Pensions;

• Local authorities;

• The Scottish Executive for Environment and Rural Affairs.

Gateway Partnerlink

The Partnerlink (www.govtalk.gov.uk/gateway_partnerlink) initiative focuses on forming partnerships with commercial vendors interested in facilitating transaction delivery through the Government Gateway. These may include software applications for routine forms such as tax assessment, or hardware devices that allow data exchange and conversion with legacy systems. Partnerships with the developer community will help to increase the choice of front and back-end Gateway-compatible products for Government departments, organisations and businesses wanting to provide Gateway-enabled services. These will increase points of entry for citizens accessing these services, help drive take-up and provide an improved and more tailored user experience.

Partnerlink engages partners via three main routes:

• the Government Gateway Partnerlink website;

• events, workshops, seminars. More than 85 technology companies attended the first seminar in July 2002;

• project specific engagement.

Delivering on the Promise - DotP

Over the past five years, individual Government departments have invested in building the infrastructure to support the electronic delivery of their information and services. As the internet has evolved and become an increasingly important channel for Government, departments have been wrestling with the same problems: managing customers, content, new channels and emerging technologies. Entire infrastructures, both technical as well as people and processes, have evolved - not always with consideration of the customer experience.

As we move towards 2005, the need to reduce this duplication of internet technology spend and resources across Government becomes more acute. OeE is building a central infrastructure designed to host multiple Government websites. This is known as DotP, Delivering on the Promise. DotP, with the Government Gateway, will lead the way in delivering a central common infrastructure, bringing economies of scale benefits to Government departments through a modular 'build-once, use-many' architecture. The Treasury endorses this approach by requiring Departments to prove that equivalent market solutions are better value than the DotP and Gateway offering, before releasing funds.

DotP will enable Departments to concentrate on delivering services - not on technology

DotP will enable Government departments to concentrate on the delivery of compelling services, rather than the underlying technology. It will deliver benefits such as decreased time to market, economies of scale and compliance with Government standards - as well as full content management and hosting of departments' websites. OeE has researched customer needs, defining the types of interaction citizens require of Government - and is using technologies capable of delivering Government information and services effectively.

OeE is working in partnership with major central departments. We envisage that significant numbers of the central Government departments will use the DotP platform. As we achieve a critical mass of content the value of this service will become significantly greater. For example we can realise opportunities for content syndication and cross-site content sharing and increase economies of scale further. This service will also be available to local authorities and agencies.

Government Secure Intranet (GSI)

The GSI underpins e-Government by providing secure, resilient network services. It has some 200,000 end users and handles in the region of one million emails every working day. Increasingly, GSI supports shared systems for internal and external service delivery. For example, the Treasury recently led a shared procurement for payroll services, provided via a link to the GSI connection to access the system. The GSI is now interconnected to the European Union Extranet, TESTA II, which supports international co-operation on trade, consumer protection and other services. A single link to TESTA will replace multiple leased line connections.

OGC leads the GSI succession project and recently launched the procurement exercise. It is expected that contracts for the new GSI arrangement will be put in place by the middle of 2003.

Knowledge Network

The Knowledge Network (KN) encourages a new way of working for Government. The key aim for the KN is to help the Civil Service to access, harness and deploy its collective knowledge, talents and expertise electronically. KN enables Government officials based in the UK to share information and communicate with other Government officials in over 200 countries around the world.

The Knowledge Network allows UK officials to share information with their counterparts in over 200 countries around the world

The KN uses core Knowledge Management techniques and advises peers and others throughout the world on good practice in this field.

The KN will continue its work to support collaborative working across Government in the areas of:

• Communities of Interest - drawing together specialist groups and common business processes, to maximise the potential for collaborative working between officials in multiple departments.

• Corporate Business Processes - using electronic delivery and reporting mechanisms to increase the speed and accuracy of both reporting and information processing in Government.

• Core Business for delivery departments and their regional organisations - providing facilities which will enable departments to deliver information about the impact of policies at a local level.

It will also continue its work in developing policy in the areas of:

• Training and Change Management to support business change.

• Together with the Public Records Office, support the development of the strategy for Electronic Records Management.

Underpinning all these programmes is the KN infrastructure, which is a full accredited facility for information sharing and collaborative working across Government.

Data Centre Hosting Project

OeE is seeking to procure a managed data centre service to host the Government Gateway, Knowledge Network and the UK online portal. Currently, these initiatives are situated in different data centres, in different locations, managed by different vendors. As these key parts of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) grow, disparate hosting environments will not provide the economies of scale, efficiency savings or security resilience model that we need.

The Data Centre Procurement will provide one vendor to manage a range of basic, fully managed and enhanced hosting services for the core e-Government infrastructure. High levels of security and availability, including disaster recovery, will also be required. These services could be available to wider Government once the data centre is fully operational.

OeE plans to award a contract in March 2003 and envisage an implementation period of three to six months, with a go live date in mid 2003.

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