Actu
Steria awarded major UK Government contract to transform shared services and help drive Civil Service reform
November 2013 by Marc Jacob
Steria has been selected to partner with the UK Cabinet Office to form a joint venture, Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL). The deal will save taxpayers’ money by consolidating the government’s back office functions.
In a contract potentially worth in excess of £1bn over 10 years, SSCL will deliver shared procurement, finance and HR services to government customers including DWP (Department for Work and Pensions), Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the Environment Agency and UK SBS[1], with potential to expand its services to these and other public and private sector organisations in future.
Paris, France, 1 November 2013 - Steria, a leading provider of IT-enabled business services, has been selected by the UK Cabinet Office to lead Shared Services Connected Ltd. (SSCL), a joint venture which will transform the way that shared back office services are delivered across the public sector.
In a contract potentially worth in excess of £1bn over 10 years, the move forms part of the government’s Next Generation Shared Services (NGSS) programme which is a key element of the Civil Service Reform agenda for a more cost-effective and unified Civil Service. The overall transformation of government’s back office functions, including NGSS, is expected to deliver between £400 and £600 million per annum for the UK taxpayer.
Through Shared Services Connected Ltd. (SSCL), Steria will work in partnership with the government to consolidate existing service centres for DWP (Department for Work and Pensions), Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the Environment Agency and in scope services of UK SBS1. SSCL will enable economies of scale, the adoption of common processes and systems, and continuous improvement in the range and quality of services offered to its customers. The company will deliver a new ICT platform and, leveraging Steria’s business intelligence, analytics technologies, consulting expertise and insight, will use data from the new platform to drive even greater benefits including savings and other business efficiencies for customers of the new organisation.
Shared Services Connected Ltd. will be a UK tax-paying business that will contribute to growth and job creation in the UK. SSCL will invest in technologies and skills to create centres of excellence which will not only improve levels of service, but will stimulate innovation, create high-value jobs and develop skills in the UK.
SSCL is an independent joint venture between Steria Limited (75%) and the Government (25%). It will serve up to 160, 000 current users across 13 different public sector organisations. Around 1200 staff who currently work in the delivery centres for DWP, Defra and EA, are transferred to the new company on 1 November 2013. UK SBS1 is expected to join by 2015.
François Enaud, Steria CEO, commented, "This is an incredible landmark contract for Steria and demonstrates our winning strategy and leadership in public services transformation as well as in shared services. We will bring this experience to bear in the new Shared Services Connected Ltd. organisation and are delighted to play our part in helping the UK Government improve efficiency and transform its ways of working."
