Government agencies need to rethink the way they source and
procure technology from the private sector, research and advisory
firm Gartner said yesterday. Its recommendations come only a month
after the UK government announced that it would no longer use PFI
funding to invest in public sector IT projects.
"The way government agencies source and procure technology is
deeply rooted in the historical practices and challenges of
government itself," said William Kumagai, managing vice president
for Gartner Consulting. "The net result is that large IT
procurements often take more than a year to complete, an alarming
number are curtailed by protests from the vendor community and most
fall short of meeting ever-increasing customer expectations."
According to Gartner, government agencies need to optimise the
way they acquire solutions from, and partner with, the private
sector. Steps include developing a sourcing strategy, evaluating
procurement resources and processes, and including key measurement
criteria in the contract terms and conditions.
