Camden Council is warning potential IT suppliers that it will not
accept any failures when it replaces its highly rated housing and
benefits computer system.
The tender for replacing the council's 20-year-old mainframe system
went out this week with a stark warning from Camden and an
admission that there were "risks" involved in replacing the
successful old system.
Lesley Pigott, head of benefits at Camden Council, said: "There is
always a risk when you take on a third party to replace something
that has served you well, but we will do all in our power to ensure
that all goes well.
"The new supplier will be made very aware that they must meet our
high standards and we will accept nothing less."
Camden's current mainframe system and in-house benefits team have
established one of the best housing and benefits systems in London,
during a period when many other councils have spent years
struggling with poor outsourced services.
A report from the Audit Commission in October described the
successful outsourcing of housing benefits services as
"rare".
Pigott insisted that Camden's housing and benefits service would
not be outsourced. "This is a very much cherished service and we
have no intention of outsourcing it," she said. "No one could beat
our cost or performance."
The Camden benefits team was named the benefits team of the year
for 2000 by the Institute of Ratings, Revenue and Valuation, the
professional body for housing benefit.
The mainframe system is being replaced as it is getting
increasingly difficult to update, and the council believes it can
provide an even better performance with a new computer
system.
"Many modern developments, especially online services, cannot be
done on this system, and the switch to a new system will improve
council and staff efficiency and provide a better service to the
public," Pigott said.