This requires a ‘customer-centric’ mindset that is not necessarily intuitive to all organisations – particularly in the pubic sector. In development of Target Operating Models and requirements specifications, our consultants will encourage stakeholders to consider the wider implications associated service delivery and change and to develop their plans accordingly.

What experience do you have of public sector procurement processes?

All of our consultants are familiar with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, in respect of both Contracting Authorities and under the Utilities directive. Under these regulations there are a number of procurement processes that include Negotiated, Competitive Dialogue, Open, Competitive Procedure with Negotiation, Restricted and Innovation Partnership. Apart from the Innovation Partnership approach, our consultants have direct experience of all of these procedures, and, additionally have experience of letting contracts with publication of a ‘Voluntary Transparency Notice’.

What experience do you have of managing change?

Major change needs to be planned carefully, and our consultants are trained in a number of technique’s that enable them to support effective change, (for example) including:

• Change transition models: which helps individuals and managers to understand the barriers that can be created to avoid change and how these may be managed;
• Force Field analysis: which is particularly useful in helping managers to develop a negotiating position with external supply partners.

Both have merits. An Agile approach has the advantage that suppliers are not tied in to a series of deliverables in steps and that developers will not be constrained in their collaboration and delivery, but it does however carry the risk that any commitment may result in the delivery of something different to that originally anticipated. In contrast a Waterfall approach in the event that requirements may be tightly defined will enable contractual penalties such as liquidated damages to apply within an agreement.

Clients will need to generally consider the balance of risk in selecting the most appropriate approach.

Our consultants have a wide range of experience in establishing contracts that will deliver services compliant with a number of standards, including:

• PCI DSS and PA DSS: in respect of transactional systems, infrastructure and services;
• FISMA and Consumer Credit Act: in respect of Financial Service products; 
• Pharma FDA Compliance: in respect of IS systems that enable Pharmaceutical product manufacture and distribution.