IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

"I am pleased that the Shared Services Canada Act has received Royal Assent," said Minister Ambrose. "We continue to move forward with our mandate to streamline IT, save money, and end waste and duplication," said Minister Ambrose.

The SSO cluster reinforced its strategy at a business update press conference recently.

This involves moving Malaysia’s SSO industry up the value chain by concentrating on high-value Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services, keeping in line with Malaysia’s transformation into a sustainable, highly competitive, high-value and high-income developed nation by 2020.

This is because companies will have to think of ways to reduce operational expenditure through strategies such as outsourcing non-core activities to remain competitive.

A study by International Data Corp for Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) showed chief financial officers responding that outsourcing non-core functions of companies was a key target to reduce capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure in the current economic environment.

NDC is designed to provide a multi-tenant high availability data centre for all ministries to host their data as well as disaster recovery solution, with the objective of achieving improved business continuity for their IT systems.

These cost savings will come from harnessing the benefits of shared services, including standardized processes, fewer errors, increased automation, leveraged technology, and more efficient use of resources.

I have been reading with interest the reports from the council demanding the amalgamation of Heart of Gisborne, Tourism Eastland and Activate Tairawhiti.

In my previous role as Heart of Gisborne manager, I gained a very good understanding of the importance of all three organisations but especially Heart of Gisborne. To suggest that the three organisations can be moulded into one is misguided. Each have a very important role to play. It is no more Heart of Gisborne’s role to sort out a paper mill as it is Activate Tairawhiti’s role to make sure our city streets are vibrant or run a Christmas parade. They all contribute to economic development in their respective but distinctive ways.

Claire Govier joined healthAlliance last year to lead a series of major technology upgrades, including the shift to the Windows 7 operating system for its 26,500 users.

Before the end of 2013, she became its chief information officer.

The Public Service Association is urging District Health Boards to ensure that workers affected by a new shared services plan can be retained or redeployed within their own DHBs.

A final proposal from Health Benefits Limited has been released which will see all DHBs moving to a single centralised system to run their operational finances, purchasing and goods supply.

"It will send a chill down the spines of many of those who have had their personal information mistakenly released that the Government is exploring new data sharing agreements involving 32 agencies.

Hawke's Bay's mayors have committed to looking for more opportunities to share services between their councils after this week's overwhelming rejection of amalgamation by the province's voters.

The region's mayors - Craig Little of Wairoa, Bill Dalton of Napier, Lawrence Yule of Hastings and Peter Butler of Central Hawke's Bay, along with Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Fenton Wilson - met in Napier yesterday to discuss the way forward for the province.

At a packed council meeting yesterday, attended by Napier City and Hastings District councillors and a full gallery of leading Hawke's Bay business people, it agreed to contribute $40,000 towards a study into the role of local government in the region.

The councillors want possibilities of inter-regional council collaboration and future partnerships among government sectors investigated, as well as diversification opportunities for the province's economy.

He was responding to questions about the impact of changes that may result from the "Putting the Patient First" report that noted a lack of cohesion among existing Dunedin services and the need for a new patient-focused vision.

"There's no such thing as low-hanging fruit now," Mark Reynolds, communications and engagement manager with New Zealand-based Health Benefits Ltd (HBL), warned attendees at a recent shared-services conference.

DHBs began consultation with staff on Friday about the national finance, procurement and supply chain programme, introduced by Health Benefits Ltd, to improve the way DHBs purchase goods and services.

The programme is expected to save half a billion dollars over the next 10 years with all of the savings being reinvested into supporting frontline health services. Link to media release

"Shared Services Southland and Beyond" is an informative brochure jointly produced by Environment Southland, the Invercargill City and Gore, Southland and Clutha districts’ councils.

He said the Central Agency Shared Services initiative by Treasury, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and State Services Commission begins providing finance, human resources and information and communications technology services next Wednesday.

"It's a significant shift and we anticipate similar types of initiatives in other parts of the public sector," Dr Coleman says.

The region's mayors met this week to discuss the findings of four separate working parties looking at potential collaboration across councils in planning, roading, water and waste water.

Waikato Mayoral Forum chairman, Matamata-Piako Mayor Hugh Vercoe, said the detailed reports had identified opportunities for efficiency gains, in areas such as planning, and also highlighted differences between councils in areas such as roading.

The study is being undertaken to explore governance in Wairarapa, including a possible amalgamation of the three councils, and to consider other ways the councils can work together.

The database, called ‘Uncle Sam’s List’ (USL), offers information on shared IT services and providers in different service areas. Federal employees must log in to view the list.