The UK government’s attempt to get all its services running online
by 2005 is failing according to a new report released by Forrester
Research on Friday. Additionally, this failure is endangering the
projected £3.7 billion taxpayer saving the government was expecting
as a result of trading electronically with suppliers, and assisting
citizens over the internet.
The Forrester report, which was based on a study of 14
government departments conducted last year, included interviews
with staff and opinions from government technology suppliers. The
departments were assessed and graded on a scale of A to F based on
their long-term vision, how likely the department was to make that
vision work and their understanding of what help they needed from
commercial partners and their expected saving.
Forrester gave most departments failing grades with 9 of the 14
getting a grade D or E. They also report that only 13% of supplier
companies questioned believed the government would achieve its 2005
deadline.
“The study showed that the government
doesn't really understand how to work with fast moving, small
e-commerce vendors and how to build partnerships," commented the
author of the report, Caroline Sceats.
How the departments performed
Education and Employment - C
Trade and Industry - C
Inland Revenue - C
Culture, Media and Sport - C
Environment, Transport and Regions - C
Cabinet Office - D
International Development - D
Office of E-Envoy - D
Northern Ireland Civil Service - D
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - D
Crown Prosecution Service - E
Social Security - E
Customs and Excise - E
Office for National Statistics - E
The report will not come as welcome news to Prime Minister Tony
Blair who only recently appointed Andrew Pinder as the new e-envoy
in the Cabinet Office last Wednesday. Mr. Pinder’s role is to drive
the country into a more ‘digital democracy’.
The government has repeatedly made its on-line targets harder to
achieve by setting such tight deadlines. Tony Blair has
consistently pushed the 2005 implementation date for online
services and pledged £1 billion to the effort.
