360°IT Blog

With election fever running high, now is a good time to ask what IT policies we need to help the UK ride out the recession and prepare for the much-hoped-for upturn in the economy.

In terms of Government and public-sector IT, there have been a raft of recent developments. January saw the launch of the Government ICT Strategy, which focuses on providing common infrastructures, standardisation, joint working and data sharing. This came hot on the heels of Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government, which talked about improving public services and saving money by moving more responsibility for service delivery to the frontline and streamlining the centre of Government. And we must remember the Security Policy Framework, which examines how physical, personal and information security can make government work better and how effective management of security risks can achieve a secure and confident working environment.

But what does all this mean for business? On the surface, it sounds like there could be opportunities for vendors, but I can't help thinking these will be limited to the big outsourcers and service providers. We continually hear about the importance the Government places on open competition and level playing fields. Unfortunately, so far this doesn't seem to have been translated into practices that deliver. The playing field is really only level for competitors of equal strength. Just as a 100m sprinter can’t compete with a marathon runner, SMEs cannot afford to participate in the public procurement process. Even with the Prime Minister’s commitment that all public procurement opportunities be placed on an open portal, the process of bidding means their only hope is to become a sub-contractor to one of the big players. I fear this distances government from the real innovation happening in technology, especially where infrastructure developments are concerned. We need to be asking how Government should revise its procurement policy to truly open up the market.

What the UK private sector needs are policies that make it attractive for the rest of the world to do business with us. For example, I'd suggest there should be tax breaks and/or special business loans to invest in innovative IT solutions and infrastructure. This could provide a great springboard for British businesses. That’s a start. I'm sure there are plenty of other good ideas out there. But if we don't start talking about them now, and demanding the politicians listen, it could soon be too late.

Denise Plumpton is Non-Executive Director of 360°IT.

Tags:

Government IT, Digital Britain, General Election, Digital Economy, Politics, Competition, Globalisation, Public-sector IT Procurement, Innovation
 

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