Department of Health: ICT

(asked on 15th December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to implement the guidance set out by the Government Commercial Function in its paper entitled Exiting Major IT Contracts: Guidance for Departments, published in November 2017, in respect of (a) using market engagement, (b) setting up disaggregation work, (c) risk assessment, (d) developing a programme plan through the transition, (e) identifying the skills and capabilities that will be needed in the future and (f) any other work related to that guidance.


Answered by
Philip Dunne Portrait
Philip Dunne
This question was answered on 22nd December 2017

The Government Commercial Function published Exiting Major IT Contracts: Guidance for Departments in November 2017. The Department welcomes this guidance and has begun activities to ensure it is implemented.

The guidance recommends activities that complement existing policies and process for procurement and contract management in the following areas:

- Using market engagement: The Department regularly uses Market Engagement for strategically important contracts and this is embedded in the procurement process and procurement strategy template;

- Setting up disaggregation work: Departmental procurement policy requires procurement leads to consider dividing services into smaller contracts that could be awarded to different suppliers;

- Risk assessment: The Department has developed a contract management toolkit, including tools to assess and manage risk within its contracts. This includes the application of contingency strategies to mitigate the impact of such risks, if they occur;

- Developing a programme plan through the transition: A Contract Management toolkit has been developed to provide contract managers with tools to provide commercial assurance. The toolkit provides specific guidance on how to develop plans to ensure a smooth transition into Business as Usual service delivery (“steady state”);

- Identifying the skills and capabilities that will be needed in the future: The Department is developing a capability program and a range of learning tools to ensure that contract managers have the appropriate skills and knowledge to manage contracts effectively; and

- Any other work related to that guidance: The contents have been communicated to all commercial colleagues. The Department publishes a ‘Procurement News’ newsletter is for public sector colleagues within the Department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs) who have an interest in procurement and commercial activities. The contents of the guidance were communicated to ALBs in the November Edition.

The Department continuously reviews and improves processes and guidance relating to procurement and contract management and will refer to this guidance in review activities planned for 2018.

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