Government plans to overhaul back office systems to save money

The government have announced that around £1.8 billion could be saved over the next 15 years by modernising back-office systems across the civil service.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was launched two years ago to offer better value for money for the taxpayer through the use of cheaper and more efficient HR and finance systems.

It has been reported that since then, "significant developments have been made, including the creation of five ‘clusters’ which will bridge gaps between 18 departments and more than 100 arms length bodies to create a single system used by all for the first time".

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said: "The strategy was created to offer better cross-government, streamlined services that relieve the burden of bureaucracy. We want to free up civil servants’ time to focus on what they do best: engaging with, and delivering for the British public.

"This transformational programme is underway and demonstrates the important steps we’re taking to be more collaborative."

Nathan Moores, Shared Services Strategy Director, said: "I’d like to thank all colleagues across the five Clusters, the functions including Civil Service HR, Government Finance Function, Crown Commercial Service and the Functional Convergence Programme for their hard work, dedication and commitment to collaborating on the strategy over the last two years.

"I’m so proud of what has been achieved so far, we have seen phenomenal progress, collaboration and delivery across government. We are on a journey to ultimately improving the daily working lives of civil servants by creating more joined-up systems and services, saving time and money for the taxpayer.

"I look forward to working with all colleagues over the next 12 months and delivering further milestones set out in the strategy."

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