The IT sector has been criticised in the past over the failure
of major government IT projects, including problems at the
Department of Work and Pensions and the Child Support Agency.
In response, Intellect published a Code of Best Practice in
December 2003, setting out 10 commitments for members signing up to
the Code. To date, 49 members of the group, including BT, Accenture
and Microsoft, have adopted the Code.
Intellect has added a compliance mechanism to the Code of
Practice that allows suppliers to demonstrate how they intend to
implement the Code in practical terms, and empowers customers to
assess suppliers' behaviour against the commitments.
Launching the new compliance mechanism yesterday, John Higgins,
Intellect's Director General said, "Both Government and Industry
have been criticised in the past for IT project failures. The
development of this compliance mechanism is proof that we've not
been sitting idly by."
He continued: "Companies who adopt this Code are confirming that
they are committed to providing higher levels of service and
project implementation. The new compliance mechanism is another
step forward in reforming supplier and customer behaviour. It
raises the bar and established new benchmarks".
John Oughton, OGC Chief
Executive, said:
"We welcome the new
compliance mechanism, and are confident that it will have a
positive impact on the delivery of ICT projects."
