Scrutiny holding formal review into Agilisys States contract

The States signed the Future Digital Services contract with Agilisys in September 2019, but some deputies have been openly critical of the company’s performance since then.

The review will focus on value for money and will seek to evaluate the management of the transition of the in-house IT service to Agilisys, level of user satisfaction with current IT services, the level of investment into States IT infrastructure, progress made on digital transformation, and how the contract is being managed by the States and the impact that the Covid pandemic had on delivery.

There could be open public hearings held and the committee plans to make evidence-based recommendations for the rest of the contract if it is considered appropriate.

‘The Agilisys contract is the most significant undertaken by the States of Guernsey to date, incurring substantial financial cost,’ said Scrutiny Management Committee president Yvonne Burford.

‘My committee believes it is of vital importance that this review provides an update on the delivery of the objectives, with a specific focus on performance against the contract and value for money.’

The contract with Agilisys was hailed as marking a major milestone in a 10-year agreement to modernise the States’ IT systems.

The transformation programme was designed to improve service delivery of public services through the adoption of digital technology, delivering improved access and operational efficiency.

The States was also assured the partnership would offer significant opportunities for the business community, entrepreneurs and students through development of the island’s technology sector.

Agilisys has said that more than half of the contract value to date has been spent in the local IT sector, and spending outside the island has tended to be for specialist applications and hardware.

In response to criticism from senior deputies in the States last November, when the potential for a Scrutiny review was raised, Agilisys chief executive Richard Hanrahan said the contract offered guaranteed savings for the States and a lower cost of ownership, including transformation, than the previous best-case estimates for the States’ former IT service.

At the time, he said it was a matter for deputies whether they thought a Scrutiny hearing was the best way to analyse the company’s performance.

Scrutiny is asking interested parties, including members of the public, to offer evidence which may help in the committee’s work.

n The deadline for submissions is Friday 16 September. Guidance on how to make a submission can be found at www.gov.gg/scrutiny.