Updates run from oldest to newest

Noelle Godfrey, Head of Digital Infrastructure, Cambridgeshire County Council

PSN: What pops into your head:

Initially people thought: savings, collaboration, platform for shared service.

For those in local government and local government IT people are less happy when they hear PSN. How did we get here and how can we get back?

Cambridge embarked on a PSN journey in 2010. We began the process with a supplier day. We were looking for savings and doing things differently that involved the voluntary sector.

We didn’t realise how difficult public services financing would be

We’ve seen over £1M in savings, but the truth is that it’s not enough.

It’s estimated that between 2011 to 2018 the council budget will reduce by 40%.

Our council is expanding and we’re needing to provide better services.

£1M is a small drop in the savings bucket.

We’ve been accelerating our digital first approach.

We need a flexible, reliable joined up telecommunications service.

We need to share our systems and processes too.

“We’ve all emerged battered and bruised from the compliance process” But we are making it through, with only a small number of councils left.

PSN has to work for the whole of local government.

Solutions Advisory Group has been operating in a shadow form with volunteers helping organisation get through the compliance process. A dedicated group is forthcoming that is being supported by a crowdfunding approach. However, it still needs more funding.

Going forward we need to have a compliance process that work for us and that PSN becomes the collaboration platform we all need it to be

John Stubley, PSN Authority Director, Cabinet Office

We’re in a good place to move forward now.

PSN is already making a difference: £130M saving per year is being achieved.

40-50% savings for buying through PSN

PSN is aiming to be a utility.

Looking for 70+ suppliers on the frameworks to increase choice and increase the amount of SME’s

We want to achieve wider take up on the frameworks. Aiming for 75% spend from wider public sector

Establish - Laying the foundation

Embrace - Drive take up

Enhance - Expand capabilities

Explore - Open communities

We’re at the enhancing stage at the moment.

What services do we need to add and how can we turn PSN into a utility - that’s where we start to see the benefits.

PSN is now part of GDS

PSNGB: The trade association

Coming up in 2014:

• GSi to PSN completes
• Central Government PSN major contract awards
• PSN in the health sector a reality.
• Widespread use of PSN in local government
• Core network expands as services are more freely consumed
• Criminal Justice Community moved to PSN: In progress
• PSN enhances central services and cyber operations

PSN: Saving money and improving choice