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Our Ref: Your Ref: Contact: Tel: Fax: E-Mail: Date:

Andrew Rose 07951 409714 [email protected] 5 May 2021

Members of the Transformation and Digitisation Committee

Chief Executive’s Office

Archie Aitken

Head of Legal & Democratic

Solutions

Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street

Motherwell ML1 1AB

DX 571701, Motherwell 2

www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk

Notice is given that a Remote Meeting of the TRANSFORMATION AND DIGITISATION COMMITTEE is to be held on Monday, 17 May 2021 at 1:00 pm which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached.

Head of Legal and Democratic Solutions

Members : Councillors: C Barclay, A Beveridge, C Cameron, O Carson, S Coyle, T Douglas,

K Duffy, S Farooq, W Goldie, P Hogg, J Hume, P Kelly, G Lennon, J Linden,

H Loughran, A Masterton, M McCulloch, F McNally, I McNeil, N Mooney, L Roarty,

N Shevlin, A Stubbs, A Valentine, N Wilson.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MEETING HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR 12 MAY 2021

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http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/

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AGENDA

(1) Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act2000

(2) (PoW: 003.2 Part 1) DigitalNL - Year 3 Service Design Programme (page 5 - 18)Submit report by the Head of Business Solutions detailing the status of the approved year twowork packages for the Programme, outlining those proposed for Year 3 and Year 4 of theProgramme and seeking approval to commence Year 3 of the Programme (copy herewith)

(3) (PoW: 003.2 Part 2) Digital Business Partnerships: Community Benefits Update (page 19 - 30)Submit report by the Head of Business Solutions providing the six-monthly monitoring updateon progress by the Council’s digital business partners, PwC and Agilisys, in deliveringcommunity benefits as part of their contractual obligations to the Council (copy herewith)

(4) (PoW: 003.2 Part 3) DigitalNL - Digital Skills and Inclusion (page 31 - 42)Submit report by the Head of Business Solutions providing an update on progress to driveforward digital skills and inclusion in North Lanarkshire (copy herewith)

(5) PoW 069.1 - DigitalNL Communications and Engagement Activity (page 43 - 48)Submit report by the Head of Business Solutions providing an update on the communicationand engagement activity that continues to be developed and implemented as the DigitalNLProgramme moves from design concepts to actual build and go live arrangements (copyherewith)

(6) ICT Service Delivery Options (page 49 - 72)Submit report by the Head of Business Solutions assessing options for ICT service deliveryagainst the Council's strategic requirements and presenting the findings (copy herewith)

(7) Contracts Awarded Below Committee Approval Threshold (page 73 - 76)Submit report by the Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions notifying of the contractsawarded between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021 with a value below the financialthreshold requiring Committee approval (copy herewith)

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North Lanarkshire Council Report

Transformation and Digitisation Committee

☒approval ☒noting Ref KH/LB Date 17/05/19

(PoW: 003.2 Part 1) DigitalNL – Year 3 Service Design Programme

From Katrina Hassell, Head of Business Solutions

E-mail [email protected] Telephone 01698 302235

1. Background 1.1 Members will recall a series of reports submitted to the Transformation and

Digitisation Committee during 2020 which informed of progress with the service release plan for Year 1 (2019/20) work packages and sought approval for the recommended work packages for Year 2 (2020/21).

Executive Summary

At its meeting of 21 March 2019, the Policy and Strategy Committee approved the indicative 5-year investment for the digital transformation programme, and an illustrative programme of work for the first year of the Programme. In May 2020, the Transformation & Digitisation Committee considered progress against the Year 1 programme, giving further approval to proceed with the work programme outlined for Year 2. Year 2 of the programme has a scheduled end date of 31 March 2021. This report details the status of the approved year two work packages and outlines those proposed for Year 3 and Year 4 of the programme. This report seeks Committee approval to commence Year 3 of the programme and provides an indicative end date for the Digitisation Programme of March 2024.

Recommendations

It is recommended the Transformation and Digitisation Committee: -

1) consider progress made to date against the digital transformation programme, 2) approve the proposed Year 3 work programme, and 3) note the indicative Year 4 work programme with a potential end date of March

2024

The Plan for North Lanarkshire

Priority All priorities

Ambition statement (18) Ensure our digital transformation is responsive to all people's needs and enable access to the services they need

AGENDA ITEM 2

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1.2 The Service Release Plan was approved by the Transformation & Digitisation Committee in May 2020. By September 2020 the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the planned work continued to emerge and an update was provided to the Delivery Board and Transformation and Digitisation Committee on the movement within the service release plan. In the intervening months since, the Service Release Plan has continued to be reviewed and adapted in line with recovery planning and instructions from Gold Command following Scottish Government announcements.

1.3 During the period 23 March 2020 until the current time, Business Solutions has maintained its ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing environments and requirements. This has, inevitably, had an impact on the deliverability of the approved Service Release Plan, and the budgeted savings associated with the DigitalNL Transformation Programme with a significant proportion of planned 2020/21 activity having to be either delayed or postponed until 2021/22.

2. Report Year 2 Update

2.1 On 13 May 2020, the Transformation & Digitisation Committee approved the Service Release Plan for 2020/21 (year 2). Year 2 contained 17 separate work packages, with many further sub-divided to support resource allocation and cost monitoring. This resulted in 62 discrete transformational activities being planned for Year 2, as illustrated within Appendix 1.

2.2 Table 1 below summarises progress against the currently approved, and accelerated,

DigitalNL work packages. Members will note that 94% are either complete or ongoing, with 6% (4 in total) unable to commence in year as planned as a result of Business Solutions having to deploy resources to develop and enable a range of infrastructure, hardware, software, and online solutions in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

Programme Status Status Code Number: %

Planned Activity

Complete PAC 24 39

In Progress PAIP 7 12

Covid19 Impacts

Delayed Workstreams (Move to PACD 4 6

Accelerated Workstreams

• Completed CAC 3 5

• In Progress CAIP 12 19

Multi-year Activity MYA 12 19

Total 62 100

Table 1

2.3 Appendix 1 illustrates in more detail the impact the pandemic has had on the planned Year 2 service redesign activity. To enable work identified by the COVID19 Recovery Group or required in response to Scottish Government announcements to progress, various service transformation sprints due to commence from April 2020 were either delayed (e.g.: Fleet Service, code PAIP) to January 2021 or postponed until 2021/22 (e.g.: Protective Services, code PACD).

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2.4 In postponing these planned activities, Business Solutions released capacity to accelerate 16 others. The most significant item accelerated by the COVID19 Recovery Group was a proof of concept build for dynamic scheduling – an essential tool for all mobile workforce, field teams and organisations with complex scheduling needs. Having successfully built and tested the proof of concept, work has now commenced to run a pilot of the field services solution in Adult Health and Social Care and Housing Repairs. If successful, this functionality will thereafter be rolled out to other service areas with mobile workforce and complex scheduling requirements.

2.5 Further changes to the Year 2 programme arose in response to Scottish Government

funding announcements. The Covid19 – Response and Recovery Report for Business Solutions (Transformation & Digitisation Committee, September 2020) highlighted DigitalNL resources were used to develop processing bots, online booking forms and online application forms for a range of business support funds. Following the January 2021 announcement in respect of the new business support grant for taxi drivers, Gold Command endorsed a further realignment of resources to enable these new requirements to be more fully automated than the preceding business support funds. On 14 January 2021 a development team consisting of Council services and the Council’s system integrator (SI) partner, Agilisys Limited, was mobilised to design and build the business grants application system in the new Dynamics Platform. Work progressed quickly through the phases and the system went live on 22 January 2021. This new system has also been used for the Discretionary Fund and will provide the basis of all business grant applications.

2.6 Members will wish to note that packages categorised as Multi-year Activity are largely those expected to be in place for the duration of the SI Contract. These are a combination of Programme Management support, service re-design and knowledge transfer, as well as the work packages needed to support the delivery of the Cloud infrastructure, Digital Workplace (Rollout of Microsoft 365) and the Digital Platform (new Customer Relationship Management system and Website). These work packages will continue for the duration of Year 3 unless there is a need to a pause them to reflect changing priorities linked to COVID19.

Proposals for Year 3 2.7 The initial planning session for the Year 3 work packages was held on 20 January 2021,

with a range of follow-ups used to assess resourcing required for these proposals to proceed. As per the Year 2 Plan, all Statements of Work that include our System Integrator partner, Agilisys, now include a break clause to enable us to pause or cease a work package in the event of further COVID19 restrictions or requirements. The key deliverables for Year 3, outlined in Appendix 2, can be summarised as follows:

Category Description Year 2 Status Code (where relevant)

Programme Management

Ensures robust governance, financial controls, risk management, benefits management, etc

Multi-year activity (MYA)

Service Redesign 18 areas are included as “releases” for 2021/22, with 2 requirements gathering/ITT preparations also included for the H&SC and Housing Line of Business Systems

6 continuing from year 2 (PAIP):

Waste, POD, Fleet, Built Environment, Environmental Assets, Back office processes

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4 rescheduled to commence in Year 3 (PACD)

Protective Services, Licensing and remainder of Legal Services, Financial Solutions (inc Revenues/Benefits), P2P

7 accelerated to 20/21 and continuing into Year 3 (CAIP)

H&SC Field Services, H&SC Digital Transactions, H&SC AI, Education & Families, Business Grants, LOB ITTs for H&SC and Housing

3 New for Year 3

Financial Inclusion, Facility Support Services, Planning & Place & Regeneration

Business Intelligence Hub

Provides a new capability within the council, operating hand in hand with service delivery to provide information, intelligence, and insight

Planned activity in progress (PAIP), but always envisaged for delivery across 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23

Intelligent Automation Automation opportunities to be identified as part of all service re-design sprints above. 2 smart technology pilots are currently under discussion within Housing and Health & Social Care

New for 2021/22 as previous 2020/21 work packages in this area are complete.

Digital Platform (CRM) The design and build of the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and Website is complete. Further developments of the CRM system and Website will be introduced in line with the service sprints above.

Multi-year Activity (MYA)

Waste Solutions, Complaints and Business Grants now all live on this new CRM system

Cloud Migration Continue to move Line of Business systems and Infrastructure to Microsoft Azure in line with the Council’s “Cloud first” strategy


Digital Workplace Conclude the roll-out of M365, improving employee productivity and collaboration and optimising employee engagement


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Digital Economy & Place 2 key aspects are underway; Improve Digital connectivity across North Lanarkshire and address the digital skills gap for both residents and staff.


Knowledge Transfer and DevOps

Comprehensive training programme to enable NLC staff to develop and support our new technology when the System Integrator contract terminates in the Autumn of 2021


Table 2

2.8 In addition to delivering the transformation activity summarised in Table 2 above,

members will acknowledge that during 2021/22, Busines Solutions must also undertake all necessary training, support the insourcing of Culture Leisure North Lanarkshire Limited, deploy new Software Asset Management Tools, and upgrade and rationalise the use of Netcall, of which the latter is a solution used by multiple functions to answer telephone, email and social media enquiries regarding front line services. Given this gives rise to competing resource challenges, all are included for Members consideration and approval, as appropriate, within the DigitalNL Year 3 programme.

2.9 Members are aware a commitment was given at the February 2020 meeting of the

Transformation and Digitisation Committee to present a progress report regarding the approved DigitalNL Year 2 Work Packages. This report can satisfy that requirement.

Indicative Proposals for Year 4 and Year 5

2.10 Year 4 of the Programme will see the completion of the remaining service sprints as outlined in Appendix 3. Year 4 will also see the start of the continuous improvement programme which will include re-visiting the service areas involved in the first phase of the service re-design. A key lesson learned from the first sprint – Waste Solutions, is the importance of agreeing the closure of the sprint with the Head of Service and ensuring any further system enhancements or process changes follow the change control process with the request properly assessed and prioritised.

2.11 At the end of Year 4 (March 2023) the DigitalNL Transformation programme will potentially cease, with ongoing system development and enhancements transitioning to Business as Usual within Business Solutions. It is expected that from Year 5 the Business Change team will reduce in size, operating with permanent members of staff and a significantly reduced complement of specialist resources to drive forward any enhancements and the continuous improvement programme.

3. Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty 3.1 There are no specific requirements for an assessment under the Fairer Scotland duty

arising from this report.

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4. Impact 4.1 Financial impact

A combination of capital and revenue investment is required to deliver the proposed Year 3 work packages. In approving the FBC in March 2019, committee acknowledged costs and work packages were illustrative and subject to finalisation. An updated investment profile for the programme was subsequently submitted to and approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee in October 2020, with values of £5.328m and £2.327m included for capital and revenue respectively for year 3. A continuous review of the budgetary requirements is in place to reassess required budget phasing and savings for the remaining years of the Programme. Work on a detailed resource plan for the remaining years of the Programme is underway to enable such to be considered by the Policy & Strategy Committee in June 2021.

4.2 HR policy / Legislative impact

With service design expected to deliver end to end automation, and digital first offered to customers and businesses wherever possible, employee roles will need to change, with 671.9 FTE identified as the potential impact within the approved DigitalNL Business Case (March 2019). In conjunction with Financial Solutions and the People and Organisational Development (POD) teams, the FTE impacts within the approved business case have been updated to reflect structure changes processed over the last two years, with DigitalNL now considered to have scope to impact 584.2 FTE over the duration of the Programme. A DigitalNL HR working group is established to engage, consult and manage any workforce changes arising from this iterative transformation programme.

4.3 Technology / Digital impact These have been identified as part of the DigitalNL Programme.

4.4 Environmental impact

There are no Environmental impacts. 4.5 Communications impact This is covered under the Communications and Engagement Strategy and is part of a

separate report to this committee. 4.6 Risk impact

Risk management takes place through the robust governance arrangements for the DigitalNL Programme and will be reported to the Transformation and Digitisation Committee.

5. Measures of success 5.1 Success will be evidenced through technology being efficiently and effectively

deployed, in an agile manner, to support the implementation of new digital service

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delivery models and solutions. Service delivery models and solutions are designed to

meet the needs of modern businesses and communities.

5.2 Specific measures of success will be identified and evidenced as The Plan for North Lanarkshire and all programmes of work (including DigitalNL) progress.

6. Supporting documents 6.1 Appendix One - DigitalNL Year 2 Work Packages (2020/21) Status Update

Appendix Two - DigitalNL Year 3 Work Packages (Proposed – 2021/22) Appendix Three – DigitalNL Year 4 Work Packages (Indicative – 2022/23)

Katrina Hassell Head of Business Solutions

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Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3

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☒approval ☒noting Ref LJ/JL Date 17/05/21

(PoW: 003.2 Part 2) Digital Business Partnerships: Community Benefits Update

From Head of Business Solutions

E-mail [email protected] Telephone 07903 096121

Executive Summary

This report provides the six-monthly monitoring update on progress by the council’s digital business partners, PwC and Agilisys, in delivering community benefits as part of their contractual obligations to the council. The report highlights where progress has been made in recent months, as both partners have adapted their approaches to reflect continuing Covid-19 restrictions, including remote and blended learning within our schools and colleges, and wider social distancing measures. Although a number of new opportunities are now being developed by Agilisys, the report highlights our scope to secure further community benefits through PwC in the immediate future is limited as they have negligible work packages operational under the terms of the framework agreement we have in place with them. The report describes where progress has been made during the reporting period and provides a comparison of actual against planned progress, using a Red, Amber, Green assessment methodology to identify projects underway, those at risk and those that are unlikely to proceed. The monetary value of community benefits secured to date, using direct costs where incurred and an ‘investment value’ based on staffing resources deployed by each business partner to support project developments is also provided.

Recommendations

The Transformation and Digitisation Committee is requested to: 1) Note progress by the digital business partners, Agilsys and PwC, in delivering

community benefits during the period October 2020 to March 2021;

2) Note the increasing unlikelihood of securing further community benefits through PwC

in the immediate future as the company presently has negligible service delivery

requirements under the terms of the agreement in place between the parties;

3) Agree that council services and the Digital Skills and Inclusion Group should

continue to engage with the digital business partners to identify potential

opportunities for further community benefits wherever possible with a particular focus

on initiatives designed to improve community outcomes and address digital

exclusion; and

4) Otherwise note the contents of this report.

AGENDA ITEM 3

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1. Background 1.1. The council’s digital business partners, PwC and Agilisys, are both required as part of

their contractual arrangements with the council, and wider Procurement regulations, to provide additional community benefits which support our digital ambitions and deliver tangible outcomes for local communities and/or individuals.

1.2. At its meeting in May 2020 this Committee approved the monitoring arrangements

and six-monthly reporting framework to ensure that community benefits are developed in accordance with the commitments made by both PwC and Agilisys in their separate tender submissions and designed to deliver lasting benefits for North Lanarkshire’s communities.

1.3. In approving the monitoring and reporting framework, members noted, however, that both partners’ capacity to develop community benefit initiatives was severely impacted by lockdown restrictions because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The introduction of home working, both within the council and across businesses more generally; remote or blended learning within schools, New College Lanarkshire and the University of the West of Scotland; and general physical distancing restrictions, have all prevented PwC and Agilisys from delivering community benefits as originally envisaged.

1.4. Notwithstanding these restrictions, there is a contractual responsibility on the business partners and a statutory responsibility on the council to ensure that community benefits are realised and leave a wider legacy in the local area to reflect the levels of public sector investment in each company. To this end, Business Solutions continue to engage with both PwC and Agilisys to identify and support the development of potential community benefit initiatives; progress is reported to this Committee, the DigitalNL Projects Board and the Digital Skills and Inclusion Group.

2. Report 2.1. This is the third community benefits update report under the previously approved

monitoring and reporting framework and progress overall, during the last six months has been better than anticipated. Both PwC and Agilisys have identified alternative approaches to community benefits that allow projects to be delivered remotely.

2.2. It should be noted however, that PwC has completed the initial Schedules of Work

included within the contract framework and further call-off contracts have not been issued during the period covered by this report. This means that PwC’s community benefit activity focuses on concluding projects that had already commenced with limited opportunity to develop new initiatives due to the team no longer being on site or in regular dialogue with the DigitalNL team.

2.3. Appendix 1 summarises the status of current community benefit projects and provides a comparison to illustrate where there has been a shift in direction, or indeed a failure to deliver the community benefit as originally envisaged, due to Covid-19 or other


Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base


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factors. Members will note that while several potential projects are no longer able to be delivered, several initiatives are underway, and these are highlighted below. Community Benefit Highlights - PwC

2.4. Support for Education 2.4.1. New World, New Skills

In October last year PwC’s Social Mobility Co-ordinator met with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Lead Teachers from high schools across North Lanarkshire to outline the range of online education and employability resources that are freely available via PwC’s website. As a result, three high schools1 signed up to PwC’s ‘New World, New Skills’ series with 69 young people from S4 and S5 participating in the course. Over a series of six modules, participants were introduced to a range of information on potential career options and skills based sessions designed to increase their awareness and understanding of the world of work, particularly where traditional operating and business models are adapting to increased digitisation, automation and home working. PwC sought feedback from participating schools and although student responses were limited due to the reintroduction of remote learning, the council has responded positively, highlighting that the series was well-structured, with interesting sessions and good activities, and the accompanying handbook was easy to use and provided a helpful overview for teachers. The council has also provided constructive feedback on how the series could be improved in the future. Braidhurst High School incorporated the modules into their Employability Award programme and feedback from the DYW Lead Teacher confirms that the pupils really enjoyed the sessions and benefitted from them.

2.4.2. Employability and World of Work

PwC are working directly with DYW Lead Officers from Braidhurst and Brannock High Schools to design and produce a series of four modules which can be used in careers and Personal and Social Development Classes. The modules cover a range of topics designed to open young people’s eyes to the range of careers and pathways that may be available to them and also support them in developing individual confidence and employability skills. Module 1 focuses on providing pupils with information about PwC and careers available within similar type companies. The module highlights different career routes into professional services’ type organisations and uses hypothetical client challenges to provide pupils with an insight into the work undertaken by PwC staff on a day to day basis. Module 2 provides pupils with information about the skills that employers might look for and the ways that they can demonstrate these. It also supports pupils in structuring a CV and covering letter; deconstructing a job description to identify essential requirements; and, relating and articulating skills and personal qualities that they may already possess. Module 3 provides pupils with the basics of business etiquette, covering first impressions, workplace attire and online etiquette, particularly in relation to technology and social media.

1 Braidhurst; Greenfaulds; and, St Margaret’s High Schools participated in ‘New World, New Skills’

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Module 4 focuses on raising awareness and providing pupils with information about diversity and inclusion and how they may be able to support a colleague in a minority group in the future. The module highlights commitment by PwC to be an inclusive employer and provides pupils with an opportunity to think about the unconscious bias they may have.

2.4.3. It was originally envisaged that the modules would be delivered online and in realtime with PwC’s Social Mobility Team engaging directly with the young people and their teachers. Due to the extended remote and subsequent blended learning in place from January to the middle of April, however, this became an increasingly less feasible option. As a result, the modules have now been pre-recorded, with Teacher Support Packs produced by PwC to assist teachers in delivering each module. Ultimately, however, there are wider benefits to this approach because the council now has the recordings and accompanying Teacher Support Packs as a permanent resource that we may roll out to all high schools including students in the Pathways Programme.

Community Benefit Highlights - Agilisys

2.5. Significant progress is being made by Agilisys, working in partnership with a range of

council services and co-ordinated through Business Solutions, to develop a number of community benefits. Agilisys’s Programme Director, with responsibility for delivering the North Lanarkshire contract, is now taking lead responsibility for developing the community benefit workstreams. Current workstreams include the following.

2.5.1. Avado Online Training – Data Analytics

Agilisys has procured 200 training licences from online training provider Avado, who specialise in digital, marketing and transformation/business agility courses. The training provides a series of six bite sized modules that are designed to support companies or individuals in better understanding the importance of business intelligence and how company data can be analysed to improve marketing, customer services and performance for example. A small team of officers from Community Learning and Development, Routes to Work, Enterprise, Education and Families, Libraries and Business Solutions piloted the modules to identify the most appropriate target audience. This is confirmed as small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are looking to make smarter use of business intelligence already available to them and/or companies who have limited experience in using existing company data, such as performance information or customer profiles, and combining this with other data sets to enable them to make better informed decisions. Engagement is taking place, through Business Gateway, to identify potential companies and target individual employees who are most likely to benefit from this type of training. Early discussion is also underway to consider how the Avado training modules may be used to support longer term engagement with companies and to encourage them to network and consider shared training and development opportunities.

2.5.2. World of Work

Similar to the employability modules being developed by PwC, Agilisys is also designing and developing a series of online modules, in playbook format, that may be used by senior phase pupils, modern apprentices (both within the council and our partners such as MEARS and Amey), Routes to Work and the Pathways Programme.

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A short-life working group comprising representatives from Education and Families, Talent and Organisational Development, Business Solutions and Agilisys provides oversight and co-ordination to ensure that the modules are relevant and reflect the North Lanarkshire context as far as possible. To this end, the modules include recordings by young people in North Lanarkshire who have already secured employment following an apprenticeship or support received from programmes such as Routes to Work or Supported Employment. The modules are designed to increase young people’s awareness, motivation, resilience and persistence and include activities and practical exercises to assist them in writing a personal statement or CV, preparing for interview and ultimately tips to help them adjust to the workplace and the personal motivation, attitude and self-discipline required to engage in work, commit to the job and sustain employment. The modules are planned for release in the new academic year from mid-August onwards.

Module 1 – #starts with you

Module 2 - #my personal brand

Module 3 - #getting work ready

Module 4 - #working life

2.5.3. LearnNL

Following discussion with Talent and Organisational Development, Agilisys has made several of its more generic online corporate training courses available to the council. Around 100 courses have been uploaded to LearnNL and the extensive list of topics includes Mental Health and Personal Development, Business Ethics, Creating a Digital Culture, Customer Service Essentials, Introduction to Microsoft Teams and many more. It is intended to publicise and heighten awareness of the availability of these courses as part of wider Digital Workplace employee communications referred to in the separate report included on this agenda. A number of the courses are also suitable for young people preparing to leave formal education and enter the world of work and consideration is also being given to extending access to relevant courses to students in the Pathways Programme, supported employment and mainstream education.

2.5.4. Technology and Innovation Days

Original plans by Agilisys to host a series of technology and innovation workshops did not take place during 2020 as originally envisaged due to the introduction of home working and social distancing requirements. In 2021, seminars have been delivered remotely as part of the Digital Scotland (February) and Holyrood Events programmes (February and March) and Agilisys Marketing is exploring further opportunities to deliver training and awareness raising seminars digitally. Monitoring and Reporting

2.6. The previous report to this Committee noted the requirement for heightened

monitoring to ensure that planned community benefits are delivered, insofar as

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possible within Covid restrictions, as per the council’s expectations, and also to provide robust management of community benefit commitments by PwC and Agilisys.

2.7. Satisfactory progress has been made with Agilisys and PwC, during the remainder of

their contractual term on site, both submitting monthly progress status reports to the DigitalNL Projects Board as approved by this Committee.

2.8. In addition, the workstreams described at paragraphs 2.4 and 2.5 above are all delivered through partnership working between the council and the digital business partners and this provides the opportunity for ongoing dialogue and oversight by Business Solutions. The extent to which each digital business partner is meeting its community benefit commitments is also assessed and scored, by both the council and the individual partner, as part of the formal quarterly contract monitoring arrangements.

2.9. The Digital Skills and Inclusion Group (described more fully in the separate report on this agenda) continues to work in partnership with Agilisys and PwC (as appropriate) to identify new opportunities and potential opportunities for wider community benefit activity with Education and Families, North Lanarkshire businesses, employability services and local communities – especially where digital exclusion is identified as a key local priority.

2.10. Continued monitoring and scrutiny will be provided by this Committee through the six-monthly update reports.

3. Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty 3.1. There is no requirement to complete a Public Sector Equality Duty or Fairer Scotland

Duty impact assessment in relation to this report. Members are advised however, that appropriately targeted community benefits, linked to locally determined priorities, can make a significant impact in helping to reduce socio-economic disadvantage. To this end, the council will continue to explore where partners can deliver services and resources that improve outcomes by addressing digital exclusion, improving access to digital training and education and ultimately supporting the delivery of inclusive growth for all in line with the shared ambitions and The Plan for North Lanarkshire.

4. Impact 4.1. Financial impact 4.1.1. Although there are no direct financial impacts arising through this report, the council

has a statutory responsibility to secure additional community benefits where it is awarding public contracts with a significant value in excess of £4m. Moreover, by not actively ensuring that suppliers deliver community benefits as per their tender submission commitments, the council is failing in its duty to secure additionality and maximise the benefits for North Lanarkshire, its residents and communities.

4.1.2. As part of the community benefit progress status reports, referenced at 2.7 above,

and in line with the methodology previously approved by Committee to calculate the potential monetary value of community benefits, digital business partners are required to demonstrate, as far as possible, the equivalent value of community benefit outcomes. At its simplest this includes providing evidence of direct costs incurred, but it also includes calculating the equivalent value of personnel resources deployed by the business partners in developing individual projects.

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4.1.3. The Employability and World of Work modules designed by PwC represent an estimated investment value of £10,500. The other online learning materials are provided freely via PwC’s website as part of the company’s wider social responsibility commitments.

4.1.4. The community benefit activity by Agilisys to date includes a mix of direct and indirect costs as illustrated below.

Community Benefit Direct Cost Investment

Value Comments

Avado Online Learning £50,000 200 licenses purchased. NLC to decide split across different SMEs and learning groups

World of Work modules £20,000 Current estimate – will be finalised on completion of modules

LearnNL training £100,000 Equivalent cost to NLC if purchasing courses externally

Keynote speaker at Lanarkshire Women in Business seminar

£550 Reported to Committee in November 2020

2 x student placements £2,000 Reported to Committee in May 2020

4.1.5. In their tender submission Agilisys stated that the company would invest the

equivalent of 0.5% of the revenue associated with the digital transformation programme in technology to support initiatives with young people in North Lanarkshire. Notwithstanding development of the ‘World of Work’ modules described in this report, it has been difficult to engage with young people due to the pandemic. Using the actual contract value of just over £9.6m, Agilisys’s investment to date equates to just under 1.8% (£172,550).

4.2. HR policy / Legislative impact 4.2.1. There are no HR, policy or legislative requirements arising from this report 4.3. Technology / Digital impact 4.3.1. Community benefits delivered by Agilisys and PwC have the potential to make a

positive impact on the council’s ambitions to be a leading digital authority and also to improve outcomes and address the impacts of digital exclusion within North Lanarkshire’s communities.

4.4. Environmental impact

4.4.1. There are no environmental impacts arising from this report. 4.5. Communications impact 4.5.1. There are no immediate communication requirements or impact. Specific

communications will be issued by Education and Families to ensure that DYW Lead Officers in high schools are aware of the educational resources developed by both PwC and Agilisys. Similarly, engagement with SMEs in relation to the Avado Online modules will be channelled through Business Gateway and where the council already

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has direct contact with individual companies who fit the target eligibility criteria. Further communications will be designed as required to meet the individual needs of specific community benefit initiatives or deliverables.

4.6. Risk impact 4.6.1. Robust monitoring by this Committee, coupled with ongoing monitoring by Business

Solutions and the DigitalNL Projects Board minimises the risk of the council failing to secure community benefits at the anticipated levels. As several community benefits are now coming to the point at which they will be delivered within education facilities and local businesses, individual risk assessments will be completed to identify any potential risks and develop suitable mitigation and control measures.

5. Measures of success 5.1. Measures of success include delivery of planned community benefits as described in

this report along with further community benefit initiatives and community-based outcomes developed through the Digital Skills and Inclusion Group and wider opportunities as appropriate.

6. Supporting documents 6.1 Appendix 1 - Status Update: PwC and Agilisys Community Benefit Workstreams


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Appendix 1 Status Update: PwC and Agilisys Community Benefit Workstreams

Key:

GREEN - Complete or in progress AMBER - Limited/No progress but potential for future

development RED - Cancelled or unlikely to proceed

Agilisys Both PwC

Community Benefit New or

Existing PwC or Agilisys

As Previously Reported – November 2020 Update as at May 2021

Annual internship / placement opportunities for local students.

Existing Both 2 internships by PwC in 2018 and 2019. GREEN - Complete – remove for future reporting 2 placements provided by Agilisys in early

2020. Agilisys Commence dialogue with New College

Lanarkshire and University of West of Scotland to provide remote placements.

AMBER - Opportunity to consider potential placement opportunities from August 2021

Capacity within local supply chain companies to bid for DigitalNL transformation works.

Existing PwC NLC to identify capacity in the business intelligence sector at a local level.

RED – Unlikely to proceed. PwC currently not contracted. Remove for future reporting

Sponsor Lanarkshire Business Awards and COP 26 Climate Change events.

Existing PwC 2020 events cancelled. Potential to consider sponsorship of future events.

RED – Unlikely to proceed. PwC currently not contracted

Council staff trained to sustain digital service redesign activity within NLC post-contract.

Existing Both 4 NLC employees trained in robotic processing by PwC.

GREEN - Complete – remove for future reporting

PwC trained 5 employees in Service Sprint activity and analysis. Training delivered by Agilisys for Digital Transformers. Agilisys to provide training for NLC staff in website design and build.

Deliver a range of support and developmental opportunities for pupils.

Existing PwC Access to PwC’s online education and employability resources. Further activity by PwC to rollout employability and personal skills training across secondary schools between November and December.


Activity to support Developing the Young Workforce.

Existing Both Support for Pathways Programme by both partners.

GREEN – development of online employability modules by both business partners at an advanced stage

Training and networking opportunities for social entrepreneurs and social enterprise companies.

Existing Agilisys No progress to date. Opportunity to revisit this during remainder of contractual periods.

AMBER – potential opportunity for Agilisys to engage via the Digital Skills and Inclusion Group

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Community Benefit New or Existing

PwC or Agilisys


Deliver PwC’s Scale-up programme to businesses in Glasgow City Region.

Existing PwC No progress. Limited number of companies in North Lanarkshire operating at the scale required.

RED – Will not be progressed - remove for future reporting

Support development of digital skills in local communities.

Existing Agilisys No progress to date. Opportunity to revisit this during remainder of contractual periods.

AMBER: No progress to date, however, opportunity to revisit this during remainder of contractual period. This will be rolled into the broader Digital Skills Group and plans for engaging with a smaller cohort of businesses post the digital skills survey referenced in separate report on this agenda.

PwC staff to provide volunteering activity within local community groups / charities.

Existing PwC No progress to date. Opportunity to revisit this through liaison with PwC’s Glasgow and Edinburgh offices.


Deliver activities as part of Cyber Awareness Week.

Existing PwC Briefings delivered as part of Cyber Awareness Week 17–23 February 2020


Potential for further activity in 2021 and 2022.


Deliver digital skills training, via an online portal, for up to 200 young people aged between 13 and 15, targeting those living in areas of multiple deprivation.

Existing Agilisys No progress to date. Experience suggests limited opportunity to deliver this during remainder of contractual period and focus will shift to concentrate on employability skills training in partnership with Routes to Work.

GREEN - Focus is now concentrating on providing up to 200 training places, delivered by Avado Online Learning. Avado’s ‘DotNative’ training provides 6 x 1-hour bitesize modules in data analysis and reporting in a business setting. Discussion underway between Agilisys, Avado and council services to identify target groups and recipients.

Scotland based graduate programme to recruit six graduate trainees for a two-year period.

Existing Agilisys No progress to date. Opportunity to revisit this during remainder of contractual period.

GREEN – Agilisys in discussion with NLC about supporting Skills Development Scotland’s Data Analytics Fast Track Programme. Internal Agilisys leadership to ‘recommit’ to the Scotland based graduate programme post COVID

Agilisys to host Technology and Innovation Days.

Existing Agilisys Elected member event scheduled for May 2020 cancelled, however, opportunity to deliver future events remotely.

GREEN - Exploring opportunity to deliver events remotely

Digital integration designed to enable collaboration, using M365, with key 3rd sector organisations.

Existing Agilisys This workstream was not due to commence until April 2021 when NLC’s migration to M365 is complete.

GREEN – Commencement of this workstream, subject to security assurances,

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Community Benefit New or Existing

PwC or Agilisys


is linked to completion of NLC’s migration to Microsoft Office 365.

Share insights and experience of mental health awareness and wellbeing training with NLC.

New PwC Underway – dialogue in place between PwC and NLC Training and Organisational Development.

GREEN – This has been deferred at NLC’s request to allow for wider engagement by NHS Lanarkshire and Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire employees

Develop an online introductory training model in robotics for use in schools and via CLNL Ltd.

New PwC Underway – in design phase. AMBER – Although committed this may be impacted by competing priorities during the remainder of PwC’s contractual RPA obligations

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☐approval ☒noting Ref KH/YW Date 17/05/21

(PoW: 003.2 Part 3) DigitalNL – Digital Skills and Inclusion


E-mail [email protected] Telephone Yvonne Weir, Enterprise Manager 07508 001238

Executive Summary

This report provides an update on progress to drive forward digital skills and inclusion in North Lanarkshire. Over the last year, the coronavirus crisis has undoubtedly changed the way we live, learn, work, and do business. The requirement for digital skills, the use of digital technology and the need to have access to affordable digital connectivity and devices has increased exponentially. The pace of digital transformation is set to increase and whilst there has been rapid progress across many areas, the crisis has also increased awareness of the impact of digital exclusion and digital skills gaps. Through PoW003.2 and PoW061.2 and our digital transformation programme, the council is fully committed to working across its services and with our partners, communities and businesses to support the economic recovery and growth of North Lanarkshire, and to ensure our staff, learners, service users, residents, communities and businesses have access to the digital skills, devices and connectivity they require. Through PoW088, the council has far reaching ambitions to be a leading digital authority with world class future proof digital infrastructure providing gigabit capable fibre broadband connectivity to homes and businesses, whether they are in remote and rural communities or low income households in more densely populated areas of the authority. From town centres to business parks and our more rurally located communities, we see universal connectivity as a key enabler in delivering our shared ambition of ‘inclusive growth and prosperity for all.’ To meet this ambition, the council is going to market early May 2021 to procure a digital connectivity partner to deliver the ongoing and future digital infrastructure and connectivity the council requires to operate and deliver its services and to lever investment to meet the wider digital ambition through increased coverage, take-up, affordability and choice. Work is underway to finalise the route to market and ITT for this following extensive market engagement. The work taking place to enhance digital skills and inclusion is critical to maximise the impact and benefits to be gained from digital transformation and improved connectivity.

Recommendations

It is recommended that Transformation and Digitisation Committee: (1) Note the contents of this report

AGENDA ITEM 4

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1. Background 1.1 The council’s DigitalNL transformation programme has three key aspirations: to

digitise council services, upskill staff and residents, and stimulate economic growth.

The council’s Digital and IT Strategy clearly identifies that digital transformation both

internally within the council and externally across North Lanarkshire is central to the

council achieving its priorities and ambitions within The Plan for North Lanarkshire. It

recognises that the council requires to effectively embrace, expand, and use

technology to ensure council services are designed and delivered to support the

changing needs of local communities and businesses. Ensuring our workforce,

communities and businesses have the digital skills to utilise and exploit this digital

transformation and existing and emerging technologies and connectivity is

fundamental to the success of the programme.

1.2 Over the last year, the coronavirus crisis has undoubtedly changed the way we live,

learn, work, and do business. The requirement for digital skills, the use of digital

technology and the need to access affordable digital connectivity and devices has

increased exponentially. The pace of digital transformation is set to increase and

whilst there has been rapid progress across many areas, the crisis has also increased

awareness of the impact of digital exclusion and digital skills gaps.

1.3 The council has far reaching ambitions to be a leading digital authority with world

class future proof digital infrastructure providing gigabit capable fibre broadband

connectivity to homes and businesses, whether they are in remote and rural

communities or low income households in more densely populated areas of the

authority. From town centres to business parks and our more rurally located

communities, we see universal connectivity as a key enabler in delivering our shared

ambition of ‘inclusive growth and prosperity for all.’ To meet this ambition, the council is going to market early May 2021 to procure a digital connectivity partner to deliver

the ongoing and future digital infrastructure and connectivity the council requires to

operate and deliver its services and to lever investment to meet the wider digital

ambition through increased coverage, take-up, affordability and choice.


Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes

Ambition statement (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy

Priority Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across our communities



Ambition statement (23) Build a workforce for the future capable of delivering on our priorities and shared ambition

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1.4 In order to maximise the impact of a world-class digital infrastructure, support

economic recovery and growth, and to ensure that all the work streams related to

digital skills and inclusion are fully integrated, a multi-disciplined Digital Skills and

Inclusion Working Group was created in 2019. The Working Group was established to

oversee the co-ordination of the overall digital skills programme and the

establishment of a NL Digital Skills Academy in line with the 2019/2020 Employability

Review and resultant Workforce for the Future Strategy, and the council’s Digital Economy and Place Ambition Report.

1.5 The Digital Skills and Inclusion Working Group is led by the Council’s Enterprise Manager supported by the Communities team, Libraries, Business Solutions, Digital NL team, Education and Families, Talent and Organisational Development, and Health and Social Care. The council’s digital partners: PWC and Agilysis are also represented on the group recognising their skills and expertise and contribution through community benefits within this area. The Working Group is responsible for reporting progress to the wider Digital NL Delivery Board, Corporate Management Teams, the Transformation and Digitisation Committee and other relevant Committees.

1.6 The overall objective of the Working Group is: To develop and deliver digitally

confident communities with people and businesses that have the connectivity, confidence, and skills to use digital services. To build a digital ready workforce across North Lanarkshire.

1.7 Aligned to this objective, the working group has identified the following 5 workstreams which collectively deliver against this objective:

• Digital Teaching and Learning – building digital skills and capabilities in our children

and young people and delivering digitally enhanced learning environments

• Digital Business – continually building digital skills, innovation and capability within the North Lanarkshire business community and workforce that drives inclusive economic growth

• Digital Council/Workforce and Skills – enabling a modern workforce who embrace a culture of innovation and change supported by leadership and capabilities to deliver the Council’s shared ambition

• Digital Communities – supporting residents, communities and the third sector to improve their digital skills and capabilities and access digital learning environments. Maximise inclusion so that everybody benefits from investment in digital

• Digital Health and Care – supporting our residents and workforce to embrace and adopt digital solutions to support the delivery of care within our communities

1.8 This report will provide an update of work undertaken by the workstreams of the

Digital Skills and Inclusion Group, the headline results from a recent business survey on digital skills and next steps in the establishment of a Digital Skills Action Plan.

2. Report Alignment with Scotland’s New Digital Strategy 2.1 On 11 March 2021, the Scottish Government launched its digital strategy – “A

Changing Nation: How Scotland will Thrive in a Digital World.” This can be viewed at:

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https://www.gov.scot/publications/a-changing-nation-how-scotland-will-thrive-in-a-digital-world/ The strategy sets out a series of measures and has 8 overarching principles. One of the Principles is “A Skilled Digital Workforce - To develop and sustain a digital future for Scotland, and to ensure no one is left behind, we need to ensure that our young people are equipped with the skills to thrive in the digital world, and ensure that our organisations are planning for the digital roles that they will need in the near and longer term.”

2.2 The new strategy is split into 3 priority themes with accompanying actions. These are as follows:

• People and Place • No-One Left Behind • An Ethical Digital Nation • Digital Education & Skills

• A Strong Digital Economy • Helping All Businesses to Become Digital Businesses • Supporting Our Digital Technology Sector

• Digital Government and Services • Public Services Working for Us All • Transforming Government

2.3 The Digital Skills and Inclusion Group reviewed the strategy at its March 2021

meeting and will continue to ensure close alignment through established workplans.

Update from Digital Skills and Inclusion Workstreams Digital Teaching and Learning 2.4 Digital teaching and learning within educational establishments has been integral in

the response to the coronavirus crisis and the most recent lockdown with the move to remote learning for almost all children and young people. The crisis has accelerated the council’s plans to:

• Maximise access to digital learning for economically disadvantaged children • Develop the digital skills of our current and future workforce • Strengthen the digital curriculum and improve the quality of remote learning

2.5 At the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown period, Gold Command made the decision to

establish a Digital School. This was to strengthen the digital learning offering to all children, young people and staff across North Lanarkshire and focusses on developing 5 areas:

• Tackle the digital divide experienced by young people – develop equity of

access to technology and connectivity to engage fully in learning at home. • Improve communication to families – develop guidance and communications to

support families to create a learning environment at home • Improve Continuous Lifelong Professional Learning – Further develop training

programmes to enhance the skills knowledge and confidence of staff in delivering learning digitally

• Improve the curriculum – Align current digital learning and activities to ensure a consistent and progressive curriculum

• Improve the use of data – develop systems to track use of and engagement with digital learning to inform school improvement and learner journeys.

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https://www.gov.scot/publications/a-changing-nation-how-scotland-will-thrive-in-a-digital-world/


2.6 In order to support digital learning and tackle digital exclusion, the council has issued 5,034 devices to children and young people and issued 1,745 internet connectivity solutions through funding from Connecting Scotland. A further 1,253 devices planned for the next phase of the deployment programme. Children and young people in priority groups such as those working with the Virtual School (Care Experienced Young People) and Pathways Programme have all been issued with a device.

2.7 The Virtual Classroom was launched in January 2021 to provide an online and

interactive platform for young people including learning areas such as literacy,

numeracy, STEM and health and wellbeing. By 26 March the virtual classroom had

593,446 users. The Virtual Classroom offer will continue for universal remote learning

in term 4.

2.8 The Senior Phase Digital Classroom was established to deliver aspects of the

senior phase curriculum through a virtual learning environment, reducing the need for

travel between schools/colleges. In addition to Highers and Advanced Higher, the

virtual learning environment is also supporting the delivery of Foundation

Apprenticeships and Early learning and Childcare.

2.9 The digital skills of Education staff have also been improved through a range of

bespoke training programmes. There were 2,366 attendees at 8 sessions in early

January, 896 attendees at a further 33 follow-on sessions and further training is

planned for April and May.

2.10 Twenty-four North Lanarkshire establishments have participated in one to one

dialogue on their remote and digital learning offer as part of Education Scotland

National Discussion on Quality Assurance of remote learning which will be critical

moving forward to ensure best practise and continuous improvement. Feedback from

pupils has also been undertaken on their experience of digital learning and there is

weekly tracking on engagement.

2.11 One of the most exciting advancements in the digital skills offering has been the

creation of the 5G Immersive Classroom at the Muirfield Centre in Cumbernauld in

partnership with BT. The project went live in February 2021 and gives children, young

people and wider community users a 360-degree digital experience. The key aims of

the project are to:

• To provide virtual learning experiences to enhance learning and teaching

• To enhance pupils’ experience of digital technology • Improve literacy across learning through collaborative shared experiences and

stimuli

• To provide opportunity and stimulus for interdisciplinary learning

• To provide distraction therapy through sensory and experiential virtual technology

• To develop experience and knowledge of the world of work

2.12 Moving forward the Digital Teaching and Learning Workstream plans to:

▪ Bring forward an update on Vocational Education and Foundation Apprenticeship digital skills programmes.

▪ Further develop family learning and skills ▪ Measure the impact of the Immersive Classroom at Muirfield. ▪ Map Digital Skills opportunities for children and young people across

establishments from early level to senior phase. ▪ Further plan for remote and blended learning across education

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Digital Business

2.13 The Coronavirus crisis has resulted in many businesses across North Lanarkshire reviewing their business models and exploring how they adopt and utilise digital technologies. It has also further highlighted the requirement for digital skills and capabilities within businesses. This will continue to be a key feature of North Lanarkshire’s economy recovery and future economic growth. Support for development of digital skills and technologies is an integral part of North Lanarkshire Council's Economic Recovery Plan.

2.14 In order to establish a baseline for digital skills and to identify current and future digital

skills requirements and skills shortages, the council has undertaken a Digital Skills

and Connectivity Survey of the local business base. A seconded student in early

2021 from the University of Strathclyde supported the development of the question

set and following agreement with the Digital Skills and Inclusion Group, the survey

was launched on 9 March 2021. The survey was promoted widely on social media as

well as via key partners and stakeholders and closed on 6 April 2021.

2.15 The results of the survey are now being fully analysed and will be used to identify opportunities and to help shape curriculum, employability, business support and skills offerings. The results will also be shared with key partners. The headline results are as follows:

▪ 99 businesses responded to the survey of which 91% were businesses with fewer than 50 employees

▪ Of the 79 businesses who answered the question: “To what extent are Digital Skills currently important to your business?” 48.1% responded Critical and 35.44% responded important

▪ 67% of the 79 businesses advised that they currently have a digital skills gap within their organisation

▪ The demand for staff with no digital skills has decreased whereas the demand for basic, general, and advanced digital skills has increased and expected to continue to increase in the future

▪ The range of areas where a digital skills shortage was reported is wide and covers areas such as digital marketing, website development/content management, digital design, cyber security, business automation, administrative/clerical functions, and IT systems/hardware/software support

▪ Businesses reported finding it difficult to keep up with the fast pace of change in the world of technology

▪ The key barrier businesses reported facing in relation to accessing digital skills training was lack of funding

2.16 Work is underway to collate a comprehensive digital toolkit/resource pack of

digital business support available to local businesses via the council and partner organisations. This will enable the council to raise awareness of business growth funding opportunities available to support ecommerce and introduction of new digital technologies as drivers of business growth and economic recovery.

2.17 The council in partnership with New College Lanarkshire and the University of

Strathclyde launched a Smart Hub at the Motherwell Campus of New College Lanarkshire on 30 April 2021. The Hub will be home to a robotics and automation training facility and provide dedicated space for manufacturing Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to meet, learn and access business support and academic expertise. The Hub will also work with local schools to raise awareness and engage

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pupils with manufacturing and give them the opportunity to develop their skills by using the technologies within the Hub.

2.18 As part of the council’s Economic Recovery Plan, the council will be launching grant funding to support economic recovery and growth enabling businesses to use the funding to address both short and longer terms requirements. It is anticipated that there will be significant demand for digital projects through this funding when it is launched to enable businesses to diversify and adapt their business operations through the adoption of new digital technologies.

2.18 Digital business skills training, digital marketing support and specialist advisory

support towards the adoption of digital technology will continue to be promoted and delivered through the council’s Enterprise Team and its Business Gateway service. During 2021, there is expected to be further national funding available to provide support through Business Gateway's "DigitalBoost" initiative which provides access to SMEs to a range of online resources, workshops, coaching and one-to-one digital training and support. The council will be seeking to maximise the funding it can drawdown through this initiative. Furthermore, through funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the council is currently procuring a framework of expert help services across 11 specialist areas for businesses including support for Digital Marketing and Digital Development. This support will provide up to 21 hours of a specialist expert’s time to support eligible business with their business sustainability and growth ambitions.

2.19 As part of Invest NL, the council will seek to market North Lanarkshire as a base for

the growth of the digital and technology sectors building on its physical and digital connectivity, and existing technology/key sector clusters.

Digital Council/Workforce and Skills 2.20 As the council progresses its DigitalNL transformation programme, a critical element

of the work is supporting the digital transformation of services and building a digital workforce for the future. The response to the coronavirus crisis has undoubtedly accelerated the council’s move towards a modern digital learning and working environment with considerable support being put in place to support managers and employees to adapt and work digitally, remotely and in an increasingly agile way.

2.21 Enabling a Digital Council and the introduction of new systems and technology means new jobs, redefined roles, new ways of working, learning new systems and processes, the redesigning of services and the need for the development of new skills. Through PoW 061.2, targeted training plans are being developed and reviewed to support workforce specific sprints within the Digital NL programme. Bespoke interventions are being put in place to enable staff to get digitally expert to the level they need for their roles, and train the trainer models are also being developed to ensure knowledge transfer and skills build/peer support in services.

2.22 To support the council’s digital transformation, the council has been enabling digital skills

of the workforce through its new modern online learning platform LearnNL. The platform

was launched in 2020 and is being developed as the go-to platform for all formal learning.

It contains a wide catalogue of e-learning resources for staff and managers. Since the

launch of LearnNL, over 7,000 users have now activated the system and over 140,000

learning activities have been accessed. The content and curriculum available are being

continually reviewed and refreshed and LearnNL resources have been critical in

supporting the ongoing rollout of Office 365 and Teams across the council.

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2.23 Work is underway to engage employees through learning pathways offering a range of

self-guided, bitesize, and blended learning including e-learning, face to face, and

collaborative discussion.

2.24 The council has launched a Leadership Academy to develop leadership skills across the

council. A series of awareness raising sessions have taken place with the council’s corporate and senior management teams to raise awareness of the academy and to

discuss digital workforce and skills plans. Digital Personal Development Reviews (PRDs)

are also being developed moving forward for staff.

2.25 Through New College Lanarkshire, the Council has utilised funding available through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) to enhance the digital skills of staff. A total of 48 staff have attend sessions in intermediate and advanced excel with plans underway to support a further 24 staff through this training.

2.26 Work continues to explore apprenticeship opportunities across the council in digital

fields. A further staff member is taking up a Graduate Apprenticeship in Cyber

Security in 2021 with 2 Graduate Apprenticeships in this area already in progress

from 2019. There have been 4 new Modern Apprenticeships approved for Digital

Applications (SVQ3), IT & Telecoms (SVQ4) and Information Security (SVQ4).

2.27 Knowledge transfer is also critical with the council working closely with its digital

partners PwC and Agilysis to support workforce development and skills within the

council’s Digital/Business Solutions teams from the experts working on site.

2.28 Moving forward the focus of this workstream will continue to be on building a Digital Workforce for the Future supporting the council’s current and future workforce to develop the skills needed to excel in the modern workplace. A refresh of the Workforce for the Future Strategy is underway and there will continue to be a focus on digital skills within this Strategy. Critical to this will be the identification of digital skills, digital careers, and pathways. There will be a focus on recruitment, induction, and the pipeline of talent (including apprenticeships/traineeships) working closely with education, employability programmes and Developing the Young Workforce. There will be a continued development of modern learning spaces and learning zones including LearnNL and the Leadership Academy. Longer term, there will also the opportunity for the council to develop new workplace learning approaches e.g. gamification and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality for immersive workplace learning experiences.

Digital Communities 2.29 The Digital Communities workstream has a primary focus on Partnership Working

and Community Development. The workstream has been enhancing links between the Digital Skills and Inclusion working group and existing community-based partnerships notably the community based Digital North Lanarkshire project. This project is being reviewed and there will be a draft strategy developed with joint recommendations produced for future work with local digital skills providers. Consideration is also being made to a sector wide seminar in 2021 around Digital Inclusion.

2.30 A key focus is on digital inclusion and discussions are underway to review the existing

Public Access Computing network and public Wi-Fi in community centres and establishments to ensure that required hardware, software, locations, and support are in place. Through the Connecting Scotland programme work has been undertaken to

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increase access to free personal digital devices and connectivity for individuals and families who face barriers to their connectivity.

2.31 There is ongoing enhancement of online learning resources and access to the new Learner Management System which is available within libraries. This will help to ensure that further local digital skills and inclusion resources are readily accessible, available and are actively promoted. The workstream will review the range of audio, visual and software support available to staff and volunteers to allow high quality, up-to-date content to be created and distributed.

2.32 In relation to training and volunteering, the workstream will continue to work in

partnership with VANL, strategic partners and the third sector to further engage with volunteer Digital Champions linked to both frontline provision and the building of community capacity. It will ensure that relevant training opportunities for staff and volunteers are jointly co-ordinated and are accessible to those supporting learners across the full range of locations and working hours.

Digital Health and Care

2.33 The Digital Health and Care workstream continues to be developed focussing on how the council supports residents and its workforce to embrace and adopt digital solutions to support the delivery of care within our communities.

2.34 A key focus of the Digital Health and Care workstream is exploring opportunities to

support people to remain as independent at home for as long as possible through the use of assistive technology and the associated digital skills for service users and carers to utilise this technology. This includes the installation and development of innovative technology through the “tech flat” at Allershaw Tower which showcases how this technology can be utilised.

2.35 Work is underway on the Analogue to Digital programme for telecare services and

resources are in place to take this workstream forward including associated skills

training.

2.36 The council is also looking to replace the mySWIS database and is augmenting and

expanding safe platforms for communication especially for looked after children and

vulnerable adult populations. There will be resultant digital skills and inclusion

requirements from these changes. There is also continued roll-out of leadership

academy and online training to staff across the service.

Community Benefits

2.37 The council continues to work collaboratively with our business partners, PwC and Agilisys, to identify opportunities for community benefits. This is part of a full, complementary report to this Committee. The ongoing work through the community benefits is reported and discussed at each Digital Skills and Inclusion Working Group.

2.38 Positive progress is being made across several key areas including:

• Joint work with the Digital Business Workstream to identify 200 local SMEs and third sector organisations to take advantage of the Avado online bite-size training modules.

• Identification of a number of areas where PwC and Agilisys can support NLC’s education and in particular the Learner Pathways Programme through a range of targeted interventions.

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Next Steps – Digital Skills Action Plan 2.39 Following the results of the Digital Skills and Connectivity Survey, work will now

commence over the next quarter on the establishment of an overarching Digital Skills Plan. This plan will look more closely at both current and future digital skills requirements and skills shortages, and map pathways into digital roles and careers. This will assist in developing ongoing curriculum and skills training to ensure no one is left behind digitally in our communities, our young people and those seeking employment are equipped with the digital skills they need and businesses have access to the skills support and trained staff they require. This will align with work being undertaken in other key sectors to identify skills action plans including construction and care.

3. Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty 3.1 The work to build digital skills, reduce the digital skills gap and develop a digitally

ready workforce supports the recommendations of the Fairness Commission and the Fairer Scotland Duty to reduce the inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage.

3.2 Specific equality impact assessments will be undertaken, where appropriate, in line

with Council policy and the fairer Scotland duty assessment process noted above.

4. Impact 4.1 Financial impact Costs associated with delivering digital skills internally within the Council are reflected

within the overall Digital NL Programme investment and our Workforce for the future plans previously approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee. We continue to focus on maximising our drawdown of funding through the Apprenticeship Levy, Scottish Government’s Flexible Workforce Development Fund, and other sources including the European Regional Development Fund to ensure best value for the Council.

4.2 HR policy / Legislative impact

There are several Council wide impacts on existing HR policies and processes. This will be managed through the programme governance.

4.3 Technology / Digital impact The work being carried out through Digital Skills and Inclusion workstream seeks to

maximise the uptake and benefits of digital transformation and connectivity within the council and for learners, residents, communities, and businesses.


Increased use of Digital Technologies will have a positive environmental impact in terms of reducing travel and there will be efficiencies around use of material resources.

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4.5 Communications impact The council continues to positively communicate the digital skills and inclusion activity

to its staff, learners, residents, communities, and businesses. 4.6 Risk impact

Effective identification and management of risk is considered critical to the success of the DigitalNL programme. A comprehensive risk assessment and Risk and Issue Log is being managed and monitored throughout the programme.

5. Measures of success 5.1 Ongoing measurable progress against our ambitions to build a Workforce for the

future and achieve our Digital Transformation plans 5.2 Measurable increase in digital skills, capability and confidence across our workforce,

residents, businesses, and communities.

6. Supporting documents 6.1 The Digital Economy and Place Ambition Report, Digital and IT Strategy, Economic

Recovery Plan and Workforce for the Future Strategy are all available on request. 6.2 The Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy: “Changing Nation: How Scotland will

Thrive in a Digital World” can be viewed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/a-changing-nation-how-scotland-will-thrive-in-a-digital-world/


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☒approval ☒noting Ref KH/LB/LG Date 17/05/21

PoW 069.1 - DigitalNL Communications and Engagement Activity


Email [email protected] Telephone 01698 302235

Executive Summary North Lanarkshire Council is acutely aware of the scale of change underway and the responsibility associated with providing secure and accessible online solutions that serve residents and enable our workforce to operate remotely, in line with the Government ‘work from home’ guidelines that continue to be in place. The DigitalNL programme has an approved Communication and Engagement Strategy and a supporting Roadmap which is maintained on a rolling basis. However, the Covid-19 crisis placed an accelerated need for digital transformation across the organisation to meet the shift in customer requirements. This report provides an update on the communication and engagement activity that continues to be developed and implemented as the DigitalNL Programme moves from design concepts to actual build and go live arrangements. Several next steps are highlighted within the content of the report including the development of the Driving Digital Locally engagement programme and the refocus of the Digital Transformer Community.

Recommendations It is recommended the Transformation and Digitisation Committee:

(1) Note the contents of this report. (2) Approve the next steps outlined herein.

The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities


(23) Build a workforce for the future capable of delivering on our priorities and shared ambition

(24) Review and design services around people, communities, and shared resources

AGENDA ITEM 5

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mailto:[email protected]

1. Background

1.1 North Lanarkshire Council’s digitisation programme was well underway when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, bringing with it the increased demand for online information

and services and the need to offer and support the introduction of virtual working.

1.2 To meet this requirement, significant communication effort has been dedicated to

driving the uptake and use of online tools such as Yammer and Teams, along with the

introduction of the wider Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite to bring people together

and support the continuation of services to our customers and communities.

1.3 External communications using online, traditional, and local partnership channels have

also been instrumental in raising awareness of the new digital service provision

available to the public.

2. Report 2.1. In line with the approved Communication and Engagement Plan further activity has

taken place on the key communication and engagement themes identified previously. Communications Overview Digital Workplace – moving to Microsoft Office 365 (M365) 2.2 Deployment of M365 to employees is a key strand of the Council’s digitisation

programme and all staff are now fully migrated over.

2.3 The “Working with Microsoft Office” group on Yammer continues to provide progress

alerts and support for colleagues. This forum also allows colleagues to support and

learn from each other through sharing tips and ideas on how to use the products in the

M365 suite.

2.4 Work continues with the Training and Organisational Development (TOD) team to

encourage members of staff to participate in the M365 e-learning models available

within LearnNL. Over 750 bite sized videos and training materials are available to

support those migrating to the digital workplace.

2.5 To encourage manager buy in and to promote the e-learning modules, a survey was

conducted with all 3rd tier managers in April to gauge what collaborative tools were

being used within their own teams, the results were then fed into the managers training

sessions taking place in May.

2.6 Communications to encourage employees to participate in these modules is continuing

internally with 2,200 hits on the e-learning materials. Over 900 courses have been

completed with the most popular being the “Getting Started with O365”.

Digital Transformers 2.7 With migration now complete and phase one of the Digital Transformers coming to an

end, our next phase is adoption and collaboration using the new tools. We need to

encourage staff to take advantage of the e-learning modules and to embrace the new

way of working, our Digital Transformer Community will be key to this.

2.8 We had a network of 50 Digital Transformers recruited in 2019, and recently issued a

survey to gain feedback on their experience and opinions of the role. Of the 41 Page 44 of 76

responses received, most had a positive experience pre-pandemic. Since the

pandemic took over though, their contributions to the Programme have slowed down,

becoming largely reactive to the technical issues arising from the migration. 33 have

indicated they still want to be involved in the next phase.

2.9 Plans are now underway to rebrand the Digital Transformers with a more proactive

focus. We have migrated to M365 so are now transformed and need to now

champion our new ways of working. We plan to relaunch the role, renamed as

“Digital Champions”, with our participants having a more advanced role hosting

virtual bite size training sessions, writing blogs, hosting webinars on IT tips and tricks.

We will introduce “Digital champion of the Month” as an incentive for the new

champions. This new advanced role will require support from managers to allow their

staff to dedicate 3 hours per month to this new role. The new Digital Champions will

be launched early June as part of the Records Management Week.

2.10 Digital Champions will have an important role to play in supporting their peers to help

them gain the knowledge to work collaboratively using the new tools.

2.11 The new Champions will meet virtually every month and take part in new training that

they can then cascade to their own service area.

Introduction of new on-line services

2.12 Members will recall the presentation by the Head of Strategic Communications at the

Transformation and Digitisation Committee in November 2020 regarding Waste

Services being the first business area to go live in the new Customer Services Hub.

The presentation content highlighted the drive to encourage increasing numbers of

residents to create a personal MyAccount which is driven through the Scottish

Government portal linked to the council’s new Customer Relationship Management system. This will encourage residents to switch to self-serve options.

2.13 An aspirational target for MyAccount registrations was set at 100,000 by 31 March

2021. As at 29 March 2021, 73,967 MyAccount registrations have taken place.

2.14 Since that meeting there have been several activities, led by the Strategic

Communication function, to support the DigitalNL Programme to increase use of the

newly deployed on-line offering.

2.15 A pilot took place in Bellshill and Viewpark in April whereby residents who reported a

housing repair that needed a technical officer to inspect it, were able to receive a

video call to view the repair.

2.16 Week 1 of the pilot was carried out during the final stage of the COVID restrictions

and tenants were aware that the Council were not carrying out physical inspections

or repairs, therefore calls were lower than expected, as a result Coatbridge was

added to the pilot. Results from week 1 were encouraging with 57% of the calls

being successful, 29% had connection issues and 14% required a physical

inspection.

2.17 In week two of the pilot COVID restrictions were lifted therefore physical inspections

began again, the decision was taken to pause the pilot due to resourcing and the

demand for physical inspections at the end of week 2 with the potential to

recommence on 17th May for an additional two weeks.

2.18 Residents can now book a van in to a recycling centre online, cutting down the

number of calls to the Customer Hub.

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2.19 50 properties across North Lanarkshire were also installed with an environmental

monitor as part of a pilot programme in May. There was a pre-selected range of

properties to monitor the environment within these properties, particularly in relation

to conditions that promote mould growth. This monitoring is expected to reduce

maintenance and repair costs and potentially extend the asset life.

Stakeholder Engagement

Trade Unions

2.20 The DigitalNL Programme approved by the Policy & Strategy Committee though

iterative and complex has been vastly impacted by the pandemic. With significant elements of the approved Year 2 release plan either on hold or rescheduled, engagement with Trade Unions defaulted over the course of the pandemic to response to high-level programme updates. Given the indicative FTE implications outlined within the separate report to this Committee, effective Trade Union involvement is essential, hence additional measures have recently been introduced to strengthen and re-energise arrangements.

2.21 As detailed in previous reports, 6- weekly meetings are now prescheduled with two

further meetings having taken place on 30 March 2021 and 29 April 2021. Both sessions detailed the programme progress and employee upskilling achieved to date, as well as lessons learned from previous sprints and the proposed year 3 sprint plan reported separately on today’s agenda. The Trade Unions were appreciative of being kept informed of the ongoing Digital/HR transformational work taking place across the Council, they are aware that this is not without complexity and challenge.

Driving Digital Locally 2.22 The DigitalNL Programme aims to provide online, anytime services which meet the

needs of our citizens, so it is crucially important for the Council to truly understand those needs. In order to drive effective collaboration and engagement with our citizens, staff, and elected members, we are deploying Driving Digital Locally as our framework for multi-channel engagement.

2.23 Following previous commentary regarding recruitment to the vacant Communication

and Engagement post for the DigitalNL Programme, the post holder commenced in early March. A key focus of the role is to develop the Driving Digital Locally initiative, with some early work in this regard undertaken through the most recent cycle of Community Boards which commenced on 22 February 2021.

2.24 A Digital NL presentation has been delivered to all 9 Community Boards, with a positive

response and full support of the aims received. During the presentation a request was made for members of the boards to volunteer to join a Digital subgroup, and we have received several representatives from each area who are keen to be involved in this. This will be progressed over the coming weeks.

2.25 Digital Inclusion is a priority and a concern for all Board areas. We want to avoid

duplication in work, as there is a lot of good work already going on across North

Lanarkshire around Digital. The Digital Skills and Inclusion report available

separately on this agenda provides further details of activities planned to increase

digital inclusion, with DigitalNL working collegiately with the Communities team and

key services to feed into the wider digital communities’ framework.

2.26 Youth engagement is also a key objective for the campaign as we wish to ensure our

youth can take advantage of new job opportunities in the technology sector and also

ensure our children and young people are equipped and able to participate fully in Page 46 of 76

digital learning. Presentations have taken place at the Hubs, Active Schools

Coordinators, Community Learning and Development. A full report and plan for

Driving Digital Locally will be presented at the next committee.

2.27 Next Steps • Develop the Driving Digital Locally Engagement Programme, submitting to

Transformation and Digitisation Committee for approval. • Rebrand and launch the next phase of the Digital Transformer programme • Continue to promote the council’s digital platform and encourage public online

channel shift.

3. Public Sector Equality and Fairer Scotland Duty 3.1 There are no requirements for an assessment under the Fairer Scotland duty arising

from this report. However, members should be assured that The Fairer Scotland assessment process will be undertaken as appropriate when designing services for customers, businesses, and residents.

4. Impact 4.1 Financial impact

In the current financial year £10,000 has been allocated for communication and engagement activity and is managed through the overall budget for the DigitalNL programme.

4.2 HR/Policy/Legislative impact There will be changes to some employee roles because of the DigitalNL programme.

The DigitalNL team continues to collaborate with the People and Organisational Development (POD) Team regarding early stakeholder engagement and consultation, as these are key to the successful implementation and delivery of the HR related aspects of this iterative transformation programme.

4.3 Technology /Digital impact

The DigitalNL Transformation Programme has collaboration and self-service at the heart of its design principles, with all appropriately reflected within both internal and external communications.

4.4 Environmental Impact

Providing digital services that offer online, anytime access to services will have a positive environmental impact across several important areas such as minimising waste and recycling, thanks to the limited need for paper forms. The development of a digital workforce will again reduce the council’s carbon footprint by saving energy and reducing emissions, as a result of decreased work-related travel and need for buildings to remain open. This will in turn support the Council’s Carbon Management Plan.

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4.5 Communications impact

This is covered as part of this report.

4.6 Risk impact

Effective identification and management of risk is considered critical to the success of this programme. A comprehensive risk assessment and Risk and Issue Log (RAIDE) is being managed and monitored throughout the programme with high-level risks and all programme level issues being reported to the Delivery Board monthly. Arrangements were updated to ensure any implications arising from the Covid-19 emergency were effectively reflected within risk assessments, mitigations and control measures.

5. Measures of success 5.1 Success will be evidenced through the number of staff taking advantage of the e

learning modules through Learn NL. We can also judge success through the growing numbers of myaccount registrations within North Lanarkshire and the achievement of a 40% reduction in phone-based enquiries. As a result of the ‘quick to click’ communication campaign and uptake of online services.

5.2 Along with improving customer service, this will reduce operational costs and help

achieve financial goals. 5.3 Positive internal culture change driven by successful leadership to create a digitally

enabled and skilled workforce.

6. Supporting Documents N/A

Katrina M Hassell Head of Business Solutions (Chief Executive Service)

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North Lanarkshire NLC Report

Transformation & Digitisation

☒approval ☐noting Ref GR/EW/WRev2021 Date 17/05/21

ICT Service Delivery Options

From Katrina Hassell – Head of Business Solutions

E-mail [email protected] Telephone 07903 096 121

Executive Summary

North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) provides ICT support to elected members, services, and arms-length bodies through a combination of in-house and outsourced resources, with the latter being governed through the ICT Service Delivery contract extension approved by the Transformation & Digitisation Committee in September 2019. WIPRO Holdings (UK) Limited (WIPRO) presently deliver the existing ICT Service Delivery contract, this is due to terminate on 31 March 2022. The contract has the scope to be extended for a further and final two years to 31st March 2024. NLC’s ambitious Plan for North Lanarkshire envisages NLC services, partners, businesses, and communities embracing technology, working together in town hubs to deliver services designed to meet community requirements. In approving WE Aspire in September 2018, committee also noted proposals for NLC’s digital transformation commitments to be delivered through an NLC-wide, integrated ICT service. NLC has changed considerably following the award (2016) and subsequent extension (2019) of the ICT Service Delivery contract, due to several reasons including but not restricted to ongoing digital development and a pandemic response which saw NLC pivot from a traditional office based working environment to home based. All current factors and proposals must therefore be considered when determining the future direction of NLC’s ICT support requirements. A range of options are identified for committee consideration. This report assesses those options against NLC’s strategic requirements and presents the findings for deliberation and approval as appropriate.

Recommendations

The Transformation and Digitalisation Committee are requested to:

AGENDA ITEM 6

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1. Background

1.1 The ICT Service Delivery contract includes an ICT Service Desk, procurement

and support of end user devices, server and storage support, network support

for the corporate environment and an ICT Service Desk and network support for

the school’s environment.

1.2 The contract extension was approved by the Transformation & Digitisation

Committee in September 2019 for a further contract period of 2 years up to

31/3/2022. There is an option to extend by another 2-year period from 01/04/22

to 31/3/24. At the time of approval, WE Aspire, The Plan for North Lanarkshire

and the DigitalNL and SmartNL programmes of work were highly conceptual.

These have developed considerably in the intervening period, and are currently

detailed in the document for 2020 and beyond.

1.3 In approving the contract extension in 2019, fixed costs of £1.621m and

£1.597m applied to financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively, delivering

cost savings of £0.525m over the 2 years and crucially, removing the variable

cost of annual volume settlement for those two years. A retrospective settlement

of £0.160m was paid in lieu of volume adjustments incurred during the final year

(2019/20) of the base contract.

1.4 The ICT Service Delivery contract has operated somewhat successfully, with

WIPRO achieving the levels of performance specified within the inherent

Service Level Agreements (SLA) for the most part. Recently, due to the ever-

increasing levels of tickets arising largely in part due to the Covid19 pandemic,

an agreement has been put in place to temporarily lower the SLA levels for a

limited period. This agreement has been applied since September 2020 and

does not have an end date at present.

1.5 The ongoing delivery of The Plan for North Lanarkshire in a post-Covid19 world

requires levels of flexibility and agility unforeseen when this contract was

awarded and subsequently extended. To ensure NLC obtains value for money

and remains well placed to support its ambition for inclusive growth and

prosperity for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire, we must

examine all available service delivery options.

1.6 In approving the Wipro contract extension on 4th September 2019, the

Transformation & Digitisation Committee reviewed available options against key

1. Note the available options, and. 2. Approve negotiations for option 3 and planning for option 2.


Priority All priorities

Ambition statement All ambition statements

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strategic goals. Whilst circumstances have changed significantly (as explored

in 1.7 onwards), these key strategic goals continue to form the basis of the

options appraisal and the associated ICT service delivery requirements.

Service Delivery Requirement – Summary of Key Changes

1.7 Since the approval of the initial 2-year extension several changes to the

operating model of NLC which have an impact on the council’s organisational requirements have been approved and/or implemented:

o Insourcing of Culture Leisure North Lanarkshire (CLNL) Ltd (complete)

o Staff Transfer: from Education and Families, IT Technical Services to

Business Solutions (in progress)

o Town Centre hubs vision (approved)

o Reduction in Corporate Building Estate (in progress)

o Home and agile working classification (approved)

o Community Boards (in progress)

o The impact of the DigitalNL programme (in progress)

1.8 ICT support for the former CLNL operations was fragmented, with CultureNL

adopting NLC standards and NL Leisure adopting a stand-alone solution. From

01 April 2021 following the insourcing of this company, Business Solutions is

responsible for supporting the ICT requirements of Active and Creative

communities. Whilst many of the existing service and support contracts have

been extended for 1 year to allow the assimilation of service function into

corporate practices and contracts, there is no Wipro support in this area, and

such presents an inconsistent service model.

1.9 To align with the current corporate model, Wipro has been asked to cost for

bringing this service into alignment. Such support would include deskside

support, local site network support, core server support and the service desk

function.

1.10 In line with the intentions of the WE Aspire report (September 2018) and The

Plan for NL (February 2019), the transfer of Education and Families technical

staff to Business Solutions provides an opportunity to consolidate and

standardise the service operating model across NLC, and in particular provides

opportunity for the effective use of council buildings by local communities. Such

is presently complex, fragmented and inefficient, with deskside support in

particular largely dependent upon which building or service a requestor is

located within.

1.11 The vision for Town Centre hubs and local community hubs seeks to

consolidate the NLC estate, maximising impact and affect within communities.

Though at an early stage, hubs in the Newmains, Chryston and Carnbroe areas

are now approved, creating scope for leisure, culture, education and corporate

functions to be integrated within multi-use campuses, with such requiring an

appropriate standardised ICT support model.

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1.12 The response to Covid has accelerated NLC’s plans for building rationalisation;

this has a direct effect upon the ICT delivery contract in that it reduces the

number of sites and associated desks that require support. The change in the

use of the remaining buildings to accommodate large areas of flexible working

represents a further change to operational practice.

1.13 The categorisation of staff, with large volumes designated home based, is a

considerable change to current operating practices. Although this has been a

response to Covid, it is understood that this change to working may become a

longer-term option. The current support contract was based upon supporting

staff within NLC offices and although we have adapted such in response to

COVID19, a return to base policy is the default position and any change to this

requires a different support model.

1.14 The Delivering for Communities report (December 2020) confirmed Business

Solutions will have technology and strategy oversight of all nine Community

Boards from April 2022. Though detailed arrangements are still in development,

the underlying aim of having communities at the heart of our operating model

considered alongside a transition to multiuse town centre hubs and use of an

integrated ICT solution strongly suggests there may be a future need for local

ICT support requirements.

1.15 The DigitalNL programme has several strands that are directly related to ICT

service delivery that constitutes a significant change to the current model.

Digital Workplace – The shift to M365 with its associated components, Teams,

OneDrive, SharePoint, and modern office productivity tools.

Azure Cloud – Reduction in on-premise NLC owned computing and storage

infrastructure and the move to cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service

Digital Platform – Consolidation to a single Customer Relationship Management

solution, Content Management Solution, and application rationalisation.

2. Report

2.1 The Digital and IT Strategy 2019 – 2024 approved by committee in May 2019

and refreshed in September 2020 illustrates ICT is central to all five NLC

priorities and must therefore remain in place and available for NLC services to

continue to maintain their operations.

2.2 The ICT Service Delivery contract with Wipro is due to end on 31 March 2022

but can be extended beyond this date at NLC’s sole discretion - for a further 2-

year period – if no less than six months’ notice is provided to WIPRO.

2.3 Performance against service levels specified within the contract have declined

over the last year, with Wipro formally requesting – and NLC approving – a

reduction to contractual SLA levels. The pace of change being experienced

throughout NLC, and accelerated by the pandemic, is impacting the price

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agreed as part of the contract extension, with Wipro having to provide resources

well in excess of those anticipated in 2019, and naturally seeking NLC’s support to fund the associated additional costs.

2.4. NLC is seen as a strategic contract for Wipro, it provides presence within

Scotland and is a referenceable central belt public sector service. However, the

annual contract value is low in comparison with other Wipro customers and the

contract has delivered few of the additional values targeted by both parties.

Wipro have expressed desire to continue in partnership with the Council but

frequently reference this contract is now financially challenging given the

increasing service desk volumes and changes to the operational practices of

the Council. Alternative options must therefore be examined but given the

changing landscape which the Council now operates in, an industry standard

methodology was applied to assist in determining suitable options. Such is

outlined below and involves examining technical categories (or towers) and

determining NLC’s appetite, skills, and capacity to resource delivery of such.

Determination of ICT Service Delivery Options

2.5 IT Service delivery is modelled against the reference IT Infrastructure Library

(ITIL) version 3 Lifecycle Framework and is therefore an appropriate method of

determining relevant service delivery options.

The ITIL v3 framework defines the core lifecycle stages as:

• IT Strategy .....................................................Planning

• Service Design .............................................Modelling

• Service Transition ........................................Implement

• Service Operations......................................Managing

• Continued Service Improvement .............Measuring

Each stage outlines requirements for people, processes, and products to build

a structure for an IT Service. The current contract structure allocates several of

these - Incident Management, Problem Management, Service Desk, 2nd line

Technical operations - to the service partner to manage on behalf of NLC.

A high-level schematic of ITIL v3 is included within Appendix 6.4.

2.6 In conjunction with the governance, management, and processes that a service

model encompasses, IT Service teams are commonly structured into “Technical

Towers” which can vary across organisations depending on focus and need.

Within NLC the following Towers are relevant:

• Service Desk function (Service desk analysts, 1st line fix)

• Deskside support (End user device management and support, local

networking, application deployment, Installation, Move, Add, Change,

Disposal)

• Enterprise Server and Storage (Core infrastructure components across

datacentres and cloud)

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• Enterprise Network and Security (Datacentre, Local Area and Wide Area

Networking)

• DevOps (Application development and operations, Line of Business

application support)

2.7 Of these technical towers the DevOps function is the only area excluded from

the current scope of the Service Delivery contract. The other towers have

components spread across the various legacy support teams within Business

Solutions, NL-Leisure, Education & Families and Wipro. This is demonstrated

at a high level in table 1 below:

Bus.Sol NLL E&F Wipro Service Desk

Deskside Support

Ent Server & Storage

Ent network & Security

ITIL Service Management

Table 1

2.8 Table 1 illustrates areas of overlap exist across the current support model; these

overlaps present opportunity for friction and hence require an added level of

service management. They also represent areas of inefficiency where service

requests can move between multiple support groups as dictated by task

breakdown and areas of responsibility. Request fulfilment responsibilities

change dependent upon service requestors business area, i.e., service request

against a PC in corporate areas will be attended by Wipro, within Schools or

NLL by the services staff.

2.9 In determining the ICT Service Delivery options, the structure and skills of the

teams involved must be understood. Members are also reminded that Business

Solutions responsibilities are not limited to traditional ICT support. With the

service constructed to maximise the opportunity and efficiency of digital delivery

across NLC, several areas such as Information Risk and Security, Partnership

Management, Data Intelligence, Business Change and Delivery are delivered

in-house and are therefore not within the scope of this options appraisal.

2.10 Table 2 identifies resource breakdown across some key towers, and also

highlights via the shaded cells, areas which are outwith the scope of this

contract.

Bus.Sol NLL E&F Wipro Service Desk 7 Deskside Support 9 2 32 5

Ent Server & Storage 7 9 Ent network & Security 11 2 3 ITIL Service Management 4 DevOps 24

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Bus.Sol NLL E&F Wipro

Information Risk & Security 6

Bus Strategy – Business Change 8 Bus Strategy – Business Delivery 16.5 Bus Strategy – Partnership & Data Intelligence

14

Senior Management (>NLC15) 9 2 Table 2

2.11 Focussing now on activity within the scope of the options appraisal, Wipro

manages the Service Desk triage and first line fix function; within schools this

solely involves recording the incident/request and allocating to the appropriate

resolver queue. This area has been under immense pressure over the past

year, as every ticket raised is initially triaged here, the shift to homeworking, the

challenges of operating differently in a pandemic, and the huge operational

changes through the DigitalNL programme have all been impactful. As outlined

in paragraph 2.3 above, for the first time SLA targets were not achieved between

July and October 2020, however volumes increased considerably, and it is to

the service providers credit that they operated as well as they have.

2.12 Deskside support is an amalgamation of numerous tasks around device,

application, and operating system management. As the organisation

consolidates its Hub model, it is key that local resources have the flexibility to

operate across the whole user estate consistently in a standardised support

model. At present full support in this area for NL Leisure sites and Schools

resides with NLC, whilst the rest of the corporate environment has task roles

split between Business Solutions and Wipro. The operational fragmentation in

this area is inefficient and results in inconsistent service delivery across the

Council as a whole. The “Bringing into Service” of Windows 10 and the M365

platform has proven challenging within the existing delivery model, requiring

NLC staff to take on more support tasks, whilst solution support is agreed, but

having no control of training and resource scheduling of the 3rd parties resource.

2.13 Enterprise Server and storage is an area that has experienced significant

changes reflecting the modernisation of the marketplace. This area focuses on

core infrastructure used to support the organisation and on providing a hosting

service for the 3rd party Line of Business applications. The continual shift to

cloud provisioned Software as a Service (SaaS), the adoption of Platform as a

Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), has reduced (but not

removed) the need for on-premise datacentre support. There has been a shift

in the support skills required to reflect the need to manage and integrate cloud

services. The split of support responsibilities in this area has always been

challenging and has, on occasion resulted in detrimental functional performance

and operational stability. The transition to Microsoft Azure Cloud services is

another example of the challenges of “Bringing into Service” whilst having no control of 3rd parties’ resources.

2.14 Enterprise Network & Security is another amalgamation of tasks and roles, it

can be considered as having three main constitute parts, Local & Wide Area

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Networking, Edge security infrastructure and System Information & Event

Monitoring (SIEM). The latter is a fully managed service provided by Wipro that

consolidates events and alerts generated by systems and uses machine

learning to identify potential patterns of concern, that may indicate a security

breach or failure. Edge Security encompasses the solutions used to secure our

environment and are delivered by in-house teams. LAN & WAN services

manage the local networks within our premises and the networks used to

interconnect. Similar to Deskside support there are significant differences in

support models dependent upon service requestor, i.e., NL Leisure and Schools

LAN reside with NLC, in corporate buildings operational support is delivered by

Wipro; WAN services are operated by Wipro in all but NL Leisure sites.

2.15 For the three areas of Deskside Support, Enterprise Server & Storage, and

Enterprise Network & Security, where NLC predominately retains the ITIL

components of Strategy, Design and Transition, it can be challenging to bring

new solutions into service with a 3rd party support organisation, particularly

balancing on-going training, and knowledge responsibilities, when the 3rd party

has a defined support role.

2.16 The ITIL Service management roles are Problem, Change, Order Desk and

Asset and Configuration management, these roles are currently allocated to

Wipro staff and in general performs well.

2.17 In considering the complex position detailed within paragraphs 2.5 to 2.16

above, the following four options were identified for a high-level SWOT and risk

analysis:

• Option 1 Invoke the two-year contract extension.

• Option 2 Terminate the contract and return to in-house service delivery.

• Option 3 Negotiate a contract change with Wipro, right sourcing service requirement.

• Option 4 Re-specify services, issuing a new service delivery tender.

2.18 With the contract entering its last year of the current extension period, NLC have

advised WIPRO that an option appraisal will be undertaken to determine optimal

service delivery going forward. WIPRO have provided staffing information

essential for considering TUPE, however dialogue to fully explore and quantify

costs for Option 3 will take a few months to complete.

2.19 The option appraisal was completed by a multi-disciplined team. It was led by

ICT specialists within Business Solutions with advice on Finance, HR and

Legal/TUPE implications provided by suitably skilled and experienced officers

when required.

Option 1 – Invoke the initial two-year contract extension.

2.20 This option would extend the contract to 31 March 2024 and retain the current

“as is” scope. SWOT analysis indicated that this option did not effectively

address the changes experienced by NLC and was weak in alignment and

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delivery of the ambitions within The Plan. Though easy to implement, the option

adversely affects the pace of change required by NLC, maintains a fractured

service model and market testing of the supplier indicates that costs will rise

from the current level.

Option 2 – Terminate the contract and return to in-house service delivery.

2.21 This option would see NLC provide WIPRO with at least six months’ notice to

terminate the ICT Service Delivery contract, on the current expiry date of 31

March 2022. Both parties would thereafter work together implementing the

existing exit management plan and agree to transition services, roles, and

responsibilities to an in-house solution. The main benefit of this option is the

flexibility available from a single resource pool deployed and utilised as

appropriate to support delivery of the continual digital transformation of NLC and

The Plan for North Lanarkshire. With the main weakness of losing the potential

of a partner's experience and capability in this area.

2.22 Transitioning to in-house delivery will remove overlap and points of friction

between delivery partners, it allows NLC to own and control resource allocation

as it sees fit, however it does bring challenge and risk, particularly around TUPE

transfers.

Option 3 – Negotiate a contract with Wipro right sourcing service requirement.

2.23 This option will require an intensive period of dialogue with the incumbent

supplier, to agree to the modelling of right sourcing for the next contract

extension period. It is likely, given the explanation in 1.7 (what has changed),

2.7 (Towers) and 2.9 (Resource breakdown), that insourcing of some service

aspects will be required, so TUPE challenges will arise. There is also the risk

that by reducing the size of the contract it will become unattractive to Wipro and

this may force adoption of option 2.

Option 4 – Re-specify services, issuing a new Service Delivery Tender

2.24 This option terminates the contract on the current expiry date of 31 March 2022

and uses the intervening period to go to market for an entirely new, and agile

service delivery contract. Previous experience of outsourcing and transitioning

between suppliers has shown that this is a resource intensive process to

procure, evaluate and transition. Considerations must be given to proximity of

other existing tendering exercises, such as the Enterprise Strategic Commercial

Partnership, the Connectivity Partner, the replacement of HSMS, MySWIS and

the continued delivery of the DigitalNL programme all would be adversely

affected by competition for the same resources.

2.25 The existing contract provides for TUPE to apply and would therefore require

any new contractor to price their bid accordingly. This is likely to result in a new

arrangement being expensive, and upon recognising the level of flexibility

required within NLC to achieve its ambitions going forward, may prove

challenging and expensive for third parties to commit to.

Page 57 of 76

Assessment of Options

2.26 In considering options, all were assessed against key business criteria and

operational risk with results illustrated in Appendix 6.3.

2.27 Option 1, whilst having minimal implementation risk and providing a continuing

service relationship, fails to address the business change experienced by NLC

and therefore represents a high ongoing operational risk. The option also fails

to address the operational overlaps and results in a fragmented service delivery

solution that does not align with The Plan.

2.28 Option 2 must be considered given the substantial change to the operational

needs of the Council, it removes many operational barriers and places control

of all ICT Service delivery in the hands of the Council, providing flexibility to

allocate resource and respond as it sees fit. It does however have a high risk

score due to a plethora of factors such as time to implement, TUPE, competing

high level tenders ongoing in NLC which are reliant on a stable ICT

Infrastructure.

2.29 Option 3 scores highest overall and its combination of right sourced external

experience and knowledge coupled with internal flexibility, service boundary

removal, and opportunity for operational efficiency, would represent an

improvement for the organisation. It will require in-sourcing and TUPE of some

roles and is not without risk, as the remaining requirement may be unattractive

and/or financially unviable for the incumbent.

2.30 Option 4 carries an elevated risk in achievability and has no guarantee of being

financially acceptable to NLC, this is mainly due to the portfolio of high-profile

procurements and programme deliverables already committed to for the coming

year. The response to covid has had a recognised detrimental delay in several

areas, as resources were diverted to maintain existing and deliver new

solutions.

2.31 It is recommended that Options 1 and 4 are removed from further assessment

due to poor overall alignment with The Plan or achievability within timeline,

respectively. Option 2 whilst scoring highly in overall flexibility and control for

the authority and having excellent alignment with The Plan, does have the

negative of removing an experienced global player from NLCs partnerships,

although it can be argued this can be mitigated through the numerous

Frameworks available to NLC. Option 3 scores the highest overall and provides

an improved balance of service delivery. It must be recognised that Option 2

must remain as an option, should negotiation prove unsuccessful with regards

Option 3.

It is therefore recommended that approval is given to proceed with negotiating

option 3, whilst planning and costing for option 2, with a final outcome report to

be submitted to the committee for the 1st September session.

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3. Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty

3.1 Fairer Scotland Duty

Whilst the wider ambitions of the DigitalNL programme look to address digital equality across the North Lanarkshire area, there is no direct impact because of this report, which is seeking to determine the most appropriate option for providing ICT support to the business in a manner that allows them to progress at a rate which will facilitate the ambitious programme of work.

3.2 Equality Impact Assessment

There is no direct impact because of this report.

4. Impact

4.1 Financial Impact

4.1.1 In submitting their initial extension proposal in 2019, Wipro also provided prices

for the second period of extension. At that time, their proposal highlighted fees

of £1.596m and £1.627m would be due for financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24

respectively were NLC to invoke the second period of extension. However, in

recognising the commentary detailed within paragraph 2.4 above, Wipro have

confirmed they will look to revise the prices contained within their 2019 proposal.

Note: With regards option 1, Wipro are working on the financials for this

extension, however due to the severity of COVID19 situation in India,

they have experienced challenges in validating the costs. It is expected

that the Council will receive these shortly.

4.1.2 The costs of an in-house solution would be based on all staff continuing to

receive remuneration based on their existing terms and conditions, which are

likely to be more generous than those currently available to NLC ICT staff.

Furthermore, to ensure options were assessed on a like for like basis, additional

costs relating to the ServiceNow and Security Monitoring products currently

sourced through WIPRO are associated with option 2.

4.1.2 In considering all factors together, committee are asked to approve that the next

two months focus on concluding negotiations with Wipro and developing robust

costing models for both options 2 and 3, as such are essential to enable an

informed decision to be made.

4.2 HR/Policy/Legislative Impact

4.2.1 The current contractual provisions provide that upon termination of the contract,

this would give rise to a relevant transfer in terms of the Transfer of

Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (‘the TUPE

Regulations), with transferring staff’s contracts of employment having effect

after the transfer to the NLC as if originally made between the employee and

the NLC. NLC would acquire all rights, powers, duties, and liabilities under or in

connection with the contracts of employment of transferring employees, which

means that terms and conditions of employment are protected.

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4.2.2 NLC can only harmonise terms and conditions of employment in such

circumstances for economic, technical, or organisational reasons, and such

could potentially entail changes in the workforce, provided agreement to

variations exists and is permitted. Any proposed variation of a contract of

employment transferred under TUPE is void if the sole or principal reason for

the variation is the transfer.

4.2.3 In the event of a relevant transfer, both organisations will prepare for and be

supported in any such transfer in terms of an agreed action plan and

consultation and communication plan, including statutory obligations to inform

and consult with the affected employees.

4.3 Technology / Digital impact

This paper and its associated analysis have been undertaken with appropriate

consultation with technology management, contract management and in

partnership with the current service delivery partner. In doing so the conclusions

derived have been reached with technology support and adoption as key drivers

for the Council.


4.4.1 There are no implications of this nature arising from this report.

4.5 Communications impact

There is no immediate need for any corporate communication plan and this has

been confirmed with colleagues in that area.

The following points have been discussed and it is understood that all elements

have been considered:

• Controversiality of report – N/A

• Public Promotion of report – N/A

• Change in service delivery – N/A

• Reduction of Cessation of service – N/A

Changes for employee outside of your service – TUPE implications have been

discussed with colleagues in human resources who are currently working on the

financial elements.

4.6 Risk impact

4.4.1 All relevant benefits, risks, and uncertainties likely to arise from NLC reviewing

and potentially revising existing delivery arrangements were examined in detail

during the option appraisal process.

4.4.2 In assessing each option, participants referenced a standard Risk Assessment

Tool to consider, capture and score risks in the context of Service Delivery,

Finance, HR, Legal and Reputational risk to determine how well the option could

satisfy the key strategic goal of “minimising future risk to the NLC.”

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4.4.3 The detailed risk assessment available within supporting documents highlights

option 1 carries Minor risk for NLC, Option 2 Major risk, and Option 3 Moderate

risk. Key points worth highlighting regarding option 2 include: There are some

financial details which cannot be confirmed in advance of a formal decision.

Estimates are therefore presently included within the cost projections. The

TUPE staff will result in significant imbalance for some staff grade/salaries and

benefits in kind potentially impacting morale and service delivery. There is

uncertainty regarding the status of some third-party subcontracts. It is currently

assumed these would novate to NLC but there is a view that the staff involved

in delivering these may also need to transfer to NLC. Accommodation would be

required for any staff transferring to NLC under TUPE. Costs in respect of this

have been included on a ratio of 5:3 staff to a desk basis but would need to be

considered alongside NLC’s asset rationalisation agenda.

5. Measures of success

5.1 Ongoing delivery of ICT support with minimal downtime or additional internal

resource requirements.

5.2 The ability to support the evolving ICT estate and digital transformation of the

NLC without unnecessary additional costs and delays.

5.3 Reduced overhead costs for project work.

6. Supporting documents 6.1 SWOT Analysis 6.2 Option Appraisal Outcome 6.3 Option Risk Assessment 6.4 ITIL Service Management Lifecycle Processes


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6.1 Appendix - SWOT Analysis

Option 1 – Invoke the second two-year contract extension

Strengths Weaknesses

• Easy to implement, least effort to agree.

• Existing systems and processes continue

as is i.e. no procurement implementation for

service desk tooling.

• No need to invoke the Exit plan.

• Access to skills and expertise not currently

within NLC including quick access to project

resources.

• Delay in implementing new services – (we

have been delayed on a variety of Service

Introduction elements despite additional

resources from Wipro).

• Inherent weakness of using a 3rd party

supplier for support only regarding keeping

up to date with our evolving environment

and requirements.

• SLA focus produces a lack of flexibility due

to concern re. Service Credits.

• Inherent focus on customer SLAs which

are now 5 years old and do not reflect the

current needs or demands of the next two

years.

• Limits ICT options in economies of scale

across all ICT resource pools.

• The balance of commercial focus of a 3rd

party with the needs of the public sector

organisation creates financial instability

between NLC and Wipro.

• Lack of control over all relevant ICT

resources

• Contract duration is limited to 2 additional

years only.

Opportunities (including financial) Threats & Risks (including financial)

• Experience and market awareness of a

global organisation

• No agreed value for the extension creating

risk of affordability.

• Minimal resource levels although

increased charges

• Overlap of resources at multiple

“touchpoints” between Wipro and NLC/ NLL/ Education staff

• Town centre hub model promoted through

the Plan for North Lanarkshire is currently

not aligned with the service delivery

provision.

• Morale of NLC staff frustrated by the lack

of flexibility available.

• All service from Wipro subject to

percentage charge for parent company.

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• We are aware of experienced resources

leaving Wipro due to the uncertainty

around contract renewal.

• No integrated development pathway for

employees working within Wipro on

support to move to design and strategy.

Option 2 – Terminate the contract and return to in-house service delivery


• Single ICT structure aiding ambitions of The

Plan, allowing control of resource allocation.

• Greater pool of ICT staff already familiar

with NLC who can be further trained to be

truly flexible as TUPE would apply.

• No more borders (multiple touchpoints)

between teams wasting precious resources.

• Staff skills would be developed in line with

NLC requirements and allocated as

appropriate.

• The Exit Plan is of lesser impact as

insourcing will involve much less technical

resources than a new 3rd party would

require. The Outline Exit Plan has already

been drafted from the last contract review;

the initial oversight looks very feasible.

• Remove financial profit margin.

• Optimisation of NLC agility to best utilise

resources and meet challenging, often

conflicting but ambitious deadlines.

• Acquisition of resources that are familiar

with SLA focus which then enables end to

end SLA control.

• Need to transfer (procure) services that

have been introduced – portal, chat, self-

service password resets etc.

• Procure and implement NLC Service desk

solution.

• Loss of immediate access to experience

and resources from large 3rd party

supplier.


• Better financial control e.g. reducing

overheads and minimising additional project

resource related costs.

• Reduced cost of change (vital for digital

transformation)

• Transfer of ServiceNow to ourselves via

DigitalNL

• Potential future financial efficiencies through

consolidation

• Use of frameworks such as Crown

Commercial and G-Cloud to source area

specific partners.

• UNIX skills – NLC have no UNIX skills and

although demand is decreasing these

systems will be with us for another 2-3

years. This is an area we may seek a 3rd

party to provide.

• Time – we need to decide in the near

future. The start of May would still allow for

9 months and this should be sufficient for

a fully controlled transfer.

• Need to invoke the Exit Plan and ensure

sufficient resources are available (limited

technical resource involvement)

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• The invoking Exit Plan may cause

uncertainty within Wipro resources

resulting in staff leaving.

• Unions & HR would both require to be

involved – unlikely to be a significant issue

as this option should be considered as a

positive initiative.

Option 3 – Negotiate a contract with Wipro right sourcing service requirement.


• Potential to agree right sourced service for

next two years.

• Retain access to experience and resources

from large 3rd party supplier.

• Avoidance of enacting the exit plan, if

organisations were both in agreement a

change note could cover.

• Improves resource optimisation.

• Partial acquisition of SLA focused

resources

• No additional procurement required for

services that have been introduced –

portal, chat, self-service password resets

etc

• Avoidance of procuring and implementing

NLC service desk solution.

• Contract duration is limited to additional

2 years only.

• Multiple touchpoints still a risk,

opportunity for pieces of work or tasks to

fall through the cracks.

• Delay in accessing required skills, due

to definition required for Wipro before

training or sourcing can happen.

• If both organisations not in agreement, a

lengthy legal negotiation may be

required.


• Better financial control e.g. reducing

overheads and minimising additional project

resource related costs.

• Reduced cost of change (vital for digital

transformation)

• Potential future financial efficiencies through

consolidation

• Use of frameworks such as Crown

Commercial and G-Cloud to source area

specific partners.

• NLC right sourcing options may be

unattractive to Wipro if overall contract

size reduced, resulting in NO offer.

• Reduction is contract value, reduces

contract profile to Wipro, potentially

resulting in reduced contract

management and opportunity.

• May cause uncertainty within Wipro

resource resulting in staff leaving.

• Unions & HR would both require to be

involved – unlikely to be a significant

issue as this option should be

considered as a positive initiative.

• Further demand change may reflect

additional costs.

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• Time – we need to decide in the

extremely near future. A brief time

window for re-negotiation of the contract

before 6 months' notice needs been

invoked.

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Option 4 – Re-specify services, issuing a new Service Delivery Tender


• Potential to right source services to meet

current and future needs.

• Retain access to experience and resources

from a large 3rd party supplier.

• Ability to re-baseline SLA requirements,

appropriate to organisational needs

• It does not resolve issues with existing task

efficiency across service areas, without

taking all relevant task resources into

consideration.

• May result in changes to exiting systems

and tooling.

• The exit plan needs to be enacted

alongside onboarding.

• Going out to market necessitates a service

freeze so no new services could be

negotiated with Wipro during that period.

• TUPE aspects may apply over the next

year alongside retendering a new service

delivery partner.

• The balance of commercial focus of a 3rd

party with the needs of public sector

organisation creates financial instability

between NLC and Wipro.

• Lack of control over all relevant ICT

resources


• Market competition may reduce costs.

• May result in partner who brings efficiency

and operational improvements.

• May result in improved systems and tooling

from potential new supplier.

• Time, going back out to market is a time

intensive process, it would be extremely

challenging to do this before end of current

contract period.

• Resource capacity, writing a new ITT will

be resource intensive process, particularly

challenging at current time due to wide

portfolio of programmes and projects.

• Service (and Legal & procurement) already

involved in other main procurements,

ESCP, Connectivity and MySwis, HSMS

• No guarantee that cost will not increase.

• May cause uncertainty within Wipro

resource resulting in staff leaving.

• Simultaneously onboarding of new supplier

• Access to existing project resources via

Wipro could be compromised if onboarding

new service delivery partner.

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6.2 Appendix - Optional Appraisal Outcome

Councils Strategic Goals

Option 1 2 Year Extension

Option 2 In-house

Option 3 Right Source

Option 4 Re-tender

Alignment with The Plan for NL

1 4 4 2

Minimise future risks for NLC

3 3 3 2

Cost effective and affordable delivery service

1 2 2 1

Maintain influence over service delivery and performance

1 4 5 3

Obtain a trusted relationship with a proven delivery service

3 4 4 2

Scoring against goals (highest preference)

9 17 18 10

The Plan for NLC - Priorities

• Improve economic opportunities and outcomes.

• Support all children and young people to realise their full potential.

• Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.

• Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across our communities.

• Improve North Lanarkshire’s resource base.

Scoring Definitions

5 – Will achieve goals and provide further opportunities to achieve additional benefits

4 – Will achieve goal and may generate scope to offer some additional benefits

3– Generally likely to achieve goal but limited opportunity to realise additional benefits

2 – Some impact on achieving a goal but requires significant council support and/or funding

1 – Minimal impact on achieving goals

0 – Not legally permissible and/or does not achieve goal.

Score against “minimising future risks to NLC” goal combines scoring definitions and risk impact descriptors as follows:

➢ Insignificant 4

➢ Minor 3

➢ Moderate 2

➢ Major 1

➢ Catastrophic 0

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6.3 Appendix - Options Risk Assessment

Option 1 – 2 Year Extension

Key Considerations

Risk Likelihood

Risk Impact

Commentary Rationale

Corporate/Service Objectives

4 4 Significant impact on corporate objectives and misalignment with the Plan for North Lanarkshire. With increased complexity in regard to community support hub model

Financial 4 2 The costs for this 2 year extension are likely to rise.

On people 3 1 No obvious harm or injury,

On time to recover

3 1 Negligible impact on current position

On reputation 3 3 We continue with a fragmented service whilst we have in sourced support for ALEOs

Total Risk Score 17 11 187/625

3 2 6 Plotted on the risk matrix indicates this risk is a Yellow Minor

Option 2 – In-House

Key Considerations Risk Likelihood

Risk Impact



4 3 Large scale service change will have knock on effect

Financial 3 2 It is possible that costs may be challenging but opportunity to streamline resources and get best value for money.


On time to recover 4 3 This option would put a significant amount of pressure on technology when viewed alongside all the other staff changes that would need to happen and continuing delivery of service across NLC.

On reputation 2 2 Frustrations with the external service delivery partner have been contentious over the years and therefore a move to in house delivery where NLC has full control of the IT resource would be seen favourably.



Option 3 – Right Source

Key Considerations

Risk Likelihood

Risk Impact



2 2 Some services would remain with delivery partner and others would come in house or to other delivery partners, meaning a reduction in impact overal to the organisation

Financial 2 1 Less opportunity to control overall cost but still room to produce best value and streamline in house provision.


On time to recover

3 2 Similar to corporate and service objectives by keeping some services with our current delivery partner, bringing others in house and overall right sourcing will limit the impact to the rest of business in NLC

On reputation 2 2 Frustrations with the external service delivery partner have been contentious over the years and therefore a move to some in house delivery where NLC has more control of the IT resource would be seen favourably.



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Option 4 – Re-Tender

Key Considerations

Risk Likelihood

Risk Impact



5 4 The proximity of the end of the contract and the other major tendering exercises ongoing makes this option very risky.

Financial 5 2 The ability to position a large-scale tendering exercise and give it the right priority whilst contending iwith the rest of the current tender exercises, in sourcing of Culture and Leisure and continued integration of education resources and supply full support to community hubs is not workable.


On time to recover

5 3 This option would set NLC back on the timelines to achieve the goals it has set and would require at least two years to get back to pre-event situation.

On reputation 3 3 Similar to remaining in contract this option carrys with it significant reputation damage for NLC.


4 3 12 Plotted on the risk matrix indicates this risk is a Amber Moderate

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6.4 Appendix – ITIL Service Management Lifecycle processes

NOTE:

This version was last updated in 2011 and although ITIL v4 was released in 2019, it

is seen as complementary to v3 rather than a full replacement and is an evolution of

the framework to reflect the more consolidated and agile practices now required

within an organisation

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Page 72 of 76

North Lanarkshire Council

Report


☐approval ☒noting Ref CG/JMcK Date 12/05/21

Contracts awarded below Committee approval threshold

From James McKinstry Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions

Email [email protected] Telephone Chris Gannon

1. Background 1.1 The Councils General Contract Standing Orders (the ‘GCSOs’) outline financial

approval thresholds for contracts for goods, works and services. Contract awards above £500,000 for Supplies and Services and above £2,000,000 for Works require approval by the Committee. These contract awards are considered by the Committee on a case by case basis.

1.2 Where the value of a contract award is between £50,000 and £500,000 for Supplies

and Services and between £500,000 and £2,000,000 for Works, GCSOs require that the Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions award these contracts on behalf of the appropriate Chief Officer.

1.3 The Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions is required to notify Committee on a regular basis of any such contracts awarded on behalf of Procuring Service Areas.

Executive Summary

This report notifies the Committee of the contracts awarded between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021. It sets out those contracts awarded with a value below the financial threshold requiring Committee approval.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Transformation and Digitisation Committee:

• Note the content of this report and the accompanying appendix.




AGENDA ITEM 7

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2. Report 2.1 The GCSOs require that contracts in excess of £500,000 for supplies and services and

£2,000,000 for works are approved, on a case by case basis, by the Committee before award.

2.2 The GCSOs require that contracts with a value above £50,000 but less than £500,000

for Supplies and Services and above £500,000 but less than £2,000,000 for Works are awarded by the Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions on behalf of the appropriate Chief Officer.

2.3 The contracts awarded by the Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions that are under

the £500,000 Committee financial approval threshold for Supplies and Services and £2,000,000 for Works in the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 are detailed in Appendix 1.

3. Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty 3.1 Fairer Scotland Duty - No impact under the Fairer Scotland Duty in relation to this

report. 3.2 Public Sector Equality Duty - No impact under the Public Sector Equality Duty in

relation to this report.

4. Impact 4.1 Financial impact Through robust procurement strategy and proactive management of contract cycles,

aggregating spend and carrying out competitive procurement where appropriate, should help minimise financial waste and achieve Best Value for Council contracts.

4.2 HR policy / Legislative impact Contracts awarded by the Council are compliant with GCSOs and procurement

legislation. 4.3 Technology / Digital impact All contract awards detailed in this report support the council’s ambitions under the

DigitalNL Transformation programme. 4.4 Environmental impact There are no sustainability impacts directly arising as a result of this report. 4.5 Communications impact There is no communications impact directly arising as a result of this report. 4.6 Risk impact Contract award procedures may be susceptible to legal challenge if they are not

discharged in accordance with GCSO and procurement legislation.

5. Measures of success 5.1 Contracts support the delivery of Council and service priorities.

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5.2 Appointment of contractors who have suitable experience and capability to deliver the

required supplies, services or works. 5.3 Contracts awarded by the Council are compliant with GCSOs and procurement

legislation. 5.4 The Council’s Contract Register is kept updated by services and management

information is comprehensive and accurate. 5.5 Best Value is both demonstrable and achieved.

6. Supporting documents 6.1 Appendix 1 – Summary of contracts awarded.

James McKinstry Head of Asset and Procurement Solutions

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APPENDIX 1

Contract Description Contract

Award

Date

Contract

Start

Date

Contract

End Date

Contract

Extension

Contract Value

(inc extension)

(£s)

Approved

Budget (£’s)

Successful

Tenderer

Supplies

Services

Works

No of

Tenders

Received

Route*

Replacement of Secure Web Gateway

29/01/2021 01/04/2021 31/03/3024 31/03/2025 £261,399.71

£200,000.00 Softcat PLC Services 1 DAF3

Provision of Electoral Services & Related Systems

04/02/2021 01/12/2020 30/11/2022 30/11/2022 £144,680.00

£144,680.00

Idox Software Ltd Services 1 EXT

Hosting of Leisure MRM System 26/02/2021 08/03/2021 31/07/2022 31/07/2022 £86,080.00 £86,080,00 Gladstone Ltd Services 1 N

Planning, Building Control & Property System

26/02/2021 01/04/2021 31/03/2022 31/03/2022 £61,701,.07

£61,701,.07

Idox Software Ltd Services 1 EXT

*Key – Procurement Route

CO - Contract Open Procedure

CR - Contract Restricted Procedure

FO - Framework Open Procedure

FR - Framework Restricted Procedure

FMCC - Mini Comp Council Framework

FMC3 - Mini Comp 3rd Party Framework

DAFC - Direct Award Council Framework

DAF3 - Direct Award 3rd Party Framework

N - Negotiated Contract

EXT - Extension to Contract/Framework

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