The only way is Essex

摘要

When four Essex districts joined forces to purchase their IT services together, all the parties had a common aim - to look at ways to make savings. At Rochford DC - one of the councils involved -we will not enter into a shared service agreement unless it offers a better deal than what is already in operation. But, given the fact that ICT procurement costs are sizeable, it made sense for us to explore whether, by working in partnership with other authorities, we could not only make savings but also improve the service we already had. We got together with Braintree DC, Castle Point BC and Colchester BC to outline our shared criteria. Then, each authority set up a project team - which was where the work really started.