Government worker using a digital system

Government playbook to ensure better value from digital services overhaul

An estimated £46bn is to be spent on digital projects across public sector this year. To ensure taxpayer money is best used and investment supports the Levelling Up agenda, the Government have published a new playbook.

Bringing together expertise from across government and industry, the Digital, Data and Technology Playbook provides an 11-point guide to delivering cost-effective, impactful digital services.

The digital overhaul is also aimed at supporting job growth across the UK.

As our society becomes increasingly digitally-driven and connected, the ability to deliver high quality public services in the online world is increasingly important.

Young public sector worker using a laptop

However, this must be achieved in a way which also prioritises value for money, as public sector budgets become increasingly complex.

A number of methods are touched on in the report to support digital teams to improve efficiencies and cut costs rather than quality, such as improving supplier relationships and reducing legacy IT issues.

Interoperability is another key hallmark flagged, with all new digital products bought by government needing to be able to work with existing systems, enabling the effective sharing of data across suppliers and departments in reusable and open formats.

The new government playbook also seeks to break down barriers for small and medium-sized (SME) businesses, urging teams delivering government-ran digital services to focus on ways SMEs can be involved in the project.

Often, due to their nature, SMEs are able to provide agile and innovative digital solutions to particular challenges.

Young worker using a PC

One of the goals of this Government’s digital approach is to make it easier for public sector organisations to work with SMEs, as well as helping those smaller businesses to take advantage of tender opportunities and drive job growth across the country.

Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “This Playbook will draw on the wealth of digital expertise at our disposal to produce better services at lower cost.

“This will go hand-in-hand with a new procurement regime that takes advantage of our position outside the European Union, offering more opportunities for small businesses to bid for government contracts, encouraging greater innovation in public services and ultimately delivering better value for taxpayers.”

Learn more about improving digital services. Download the Digital, Data and Technology Playbook here.

PSE Mag

PSE February/ March 2024

Digital Infrastructure - the key to shaping the future of our rural communities

Dive into our latest edition for February/March!

 

Videos...

View all videos
Online Conference

Presenting

2024 Online Conferences

In partnership with our community of public sector leaders responsible for procurement and strategy across local authorities and the wider public sector, we’ve devised a collaborative calendar of conferences and events for leaders of industry to listen, learn and collaborate through engaging and immersive conversation.

All our conferences are CPD accredited, which means you can gain points to advance your career by attending our online conferences. Also, the contents are available on demand so you can re-watch at your convenience.

Public Sector Executive Podcast

Ep 51. Diversity, equality and representation with Stuart Love, Chief Executive of Westminster City Council

It is the role of local government leaders to make the decisions that will best deliver for the communities that they represent. That much is obvious.
 

How can they do this, however, if they are not accurately representative of those very communities?
 

Great strides have been made in ensuring that everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, or social class is represented in some way within local government. Chief Executive of Westminster City Council Stuart Love joins host Dan Benn to talk about why this work is important, the different work that is being done in Westminster, and how his background influences his stance on equality and diversity.

More articles...

View all