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EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT FUND
Stage 1 application - expression of interest for National Public Sector Geographical Information 'Datashare' System for Community and Strategic Planning
'Pathfinder - Pilot proof of Concept'
Part 1: Summary Table
Bid number (for EG use) | EGF/1/3/089 |
Lead bidder | NHSScotland - Property & Environment Forum, Empire House, 131 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2RX. Contact: Mr Paul Kingsmore, Chief Executive |
Brief description of the aims of the project | Development of a strategic tool for public sector community planning, which will enable access to approved information datasets, identifying, prioritising and monitoring issues, requiring public sector resources. GIS as a Strategic Planning Platform, will deliver strategic and operational efficiency savings. Facilitating information crossflow between public sector agencies aiding development of services e.g. multi-agency Community Healthcare Partnerships. |
Clear description of what the EGF money would be used to buy | An electronic system [hardware, software, training, technical support], using a web-enabled, map-based platform, externally hosted, that provides functionality for comprehensive analysis of spatial policy to help address resourcing and strategic planning issues. This would be a National system implemented to suit local requirements. |
Partners to the project likely to commit to resources SE Note: South Lanarkshire Council contacted us on 29/8/05 to ask to have their name as a partner taken off this bid.(see email on file) | Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council, , Dumfries & Galloway Council, East Lothian Council, Communities Scotland, Fire & Rescue Service (Grampian*), Police Service (Grampian*), Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Executive Health Department, All 15 NHSScotland Boards and 7 Special Health Boards. * Other emergency services regions will be contacted if progress to Stage 2 is accepted. |
Names of other organisations with whom the project has been discussed (to assist the introduction process) | Scottish Executive GIS Unit, Forth Valley GIS Unit, South Ayrshire Council, Edinburgh City Council, West Dunbartonshire Council, Angus Council, Inverclyde Council, Dundee City Council, Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen Harbour Board, Jobcentre plus, Aberdeen Football Club, ESRI ( UK), Open Scotland ( DNA Project), SeeIT, Intergraph, GEOWISE. |
Evidence that suggested approach has been deployed successfully elsewhere | The Further Education Council developed a web-based system linked to maps relating to specific information on students throughout Scotland. Neighbourhood Statistics produced by the SE for public access over the internet are map based. Forth Valley GIS provides a regional facility capturing most public sector agencies. SEGIS Unit has demonstrated the value and use of the system. NHSGrampian is piloting GIS with local Joint Public Sector Property Groups. Early results confirm the streamlining of planning and information process, allows the prompt/efficient reconfiguration of public services. NHSScotland has successfully used GIS for 'one-off' projects e.g. Cancer Network. Scottish Water has basic GIS for utilities management. See also - www.citystats.org and www.plymouth-informed.co.uk |
Are there any restrictions to enlargement of the project (i.e. number of partners) | Only financial restrictions in relation to licensing arrangements for software. There are additional benefits as other agencies such as Scottish Water and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency already utilise GIS and are willing to share information with NHSScotland, Local Authorities and other agencies, ensuring joined up working. |
Benefits projected from the project | One data sharing platform for the various partnerships will provide immediate savings in cost, time and reduce duplication and opportunity for error/oversights, with all partners having access online to the same up-to-date, map-based information at the same time. Improving Strategic Planning across public sectors, supporting delivery of effective services, contributing to the 'Joint Futures' agenda and Community Health Partnerships in line with SE Policy. Simplification and translation of complex data informing reconfiguration and delivery of services and supporting staff and public consultation. Providing new, effective ways of working, identifying priority areas, assisting the options development and appraisal process for public services locations and for developing Community Healthcare Partnerships. |
Estimated financial projections | Total | 2005/6 | 2006/7 | 2007/8 | 2008/9 | 2009/10 |
Overall project costs | £620k* | £120k | £380k | £40k | £40k | £40k |
| * Costs quoted from a GIS supplier; these would be subject to further review and competitive tender following Stage 2 work. Whilst noted these project costs are under £1M, this was discussed between Mr David Baker and Mr Jack Winchester (Aberdeen City Council). In addition, this only represents the costs associated with 6 partnerships, which will increase as more partnerships commit to the initiative. |
Estimated financial projections | Total | 2005/6 | 2006/7 | 2007/8 | 2008/9 | 2009/10 |
Estimated projected benefits | £1M+* | £NIL | £660k | £80k |
£80k | £80k |
| * The estimated project benefits are based on the definite savings from the joined up approach. It is important to note that additional operational savings of somewhere in the region of 50% are possible, but this cannot be accurately estimated until the bid moves to Stage 2 when further work will assist to clarify/quantify potential savings. Looking further ahead to the potential of significant additional Local Authorities adopting this system should ensure significant additional savings. |
Is a pilot required - see guidance notes | Pilot already ran from May 2003 until April 2004. Evaluation report and recommendations agreed at the Aberdeen City Alliance meeting in May 2004 to pursue the possible introduction of a similar system for the NE and further discussed at a meeting between NHSScotland and the Local Authorities in July 2005 to establish support and benefits of National public sector implementation. |
Additionally: Why is the EG funding required | No funds currently identified by partners for this initiative, due to significant implementation costs. The project meets the primary Efficient Government target to deliver "efficiency improvements" by producing the "same outputs with fewer inputs". While it may be possible for the partners to provide some or all of the funding, this would take some considerable time to build into budgets, which will of course, delay the project indefinitely. EG funding will accelerate the adoption of GIS and support the strategic planning of public services supporting collaborative and 'Joint Futures' working. |
Is this project complementary in anyway to other EG work | This project is fully in alignment with the Scottish Executive GIS Unit bid, which Mr Cameron Easton is submitting relating to the scoping/implementation of the wider GIS strategy. This has been discussed with Mr Easton and we have identified a number of potential mutual objectives, and considerable scope for parallel joined up working, should both Stage 1 bids be successful. There is also a link with the NHSScotland Strategic Planning System bid, which in conjunction with a GIS system will provide public sector bodies with a strategic planning platform. |
Is "stage 2 development funding" requested? | Yes, this will allow a scoping exercise to be carried out to determine the requirements of the various partner organisations, the full extent of the project, and will enable the production of a robust roll out strategy and cost/benefit analysis for all partners. The award of Stage 2 funding will also allow a study of all GIS systems currently used by local authorities and the wider public sector. In addition, the funds will support the development of a business case for a full stage 2 EGF bid. Stage 2 funding of £60k is therefore requested. |
Part 2: Narrative bid
Introduction
An Efficient Government Fund bid was submitted by North East Scotland Data Sharing Partnership in January 2005 for the development of GIS as a key tool for Community Planning policy planners, which enables the partnership to access an approved database of current information datasets, that assists the identification of issues, indicating where resources need to be focussed and assists monitoring of progress on CP targets. This bid was initially unsuccessful due to the comparatively low value of the project and the lack of national coverage.
NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum, on behalf of NHSScotland, submitted a separate bid in January 2005, which was also unsuccessful mainly due to the absence of financial benefit projections and also due to the lack of other public sector partner's outwith the NHS who would contribute resources and receive long term sustainable benefits form the projects implementation.
The North East Scotland Data Sharing Partnership has subsequently entered into discussions with a number of local authorities outwith the North East geographical area. In addition Mr Jack Winchester, Aberdeen City Council, made contact with Mr Paul Kingsmore, NHS Scotland Property and Environment Forum to discuss the potential for submitting a joint bid.
In addition, NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum have been in contact with several Local Authorities including South Lanarkshire Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and East Lothian Council. NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum have also been in contact with Mr Cameron Easton, Head of GIS Unit within the Scottish Executive and discussed the potential linkage and opportunities for joined up working between the two bids.
At a meeting in July 2005, representatives from NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum, NHS Boards, North East Scotland Data Sharing Partnership, South Lanarkshire Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and East Lothian Council discussed the bids that had been submitted and the way forward.
It was agreed that NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum would submit a bid in partnership with the North East Scotland Data Sharing Partnership and all aforementioned local authorities, which are ready to commit to the project at this stage.
The objective is to initiate a national GIS roll out which will be implemented at a local level, with the aforementioned local authorities partnering with NHSScotland Boards and other interested public sector partners. This will provide the various organisations with a mechanism for data sharing and information crossflow between organisations, and a strategic planning platform.
This bid will therefore involve a large number of public sector partners, will be of a value significant enough to be considered for Efficient Government Funding and through a joined up approach and increased bid resources, will make it possible to quantify projected financial benefits for all public sector partners involved.
Background
The public sector agencies that are involved in the Data Sharing Project (see below) use large amounts of statistical information. This ranges from operational data that is derived from day-to-day service provision to strategic information that can relate to all aspects of an agency's operations. The information is needed to inform decisions on current and future service delivery.
At present, data is held by individual Project partners in a variety of formats. With the increasing level of collaborative working arrangements and the move towards joined-up government, that situation is no longer tenable. Community Planning and other joint initiatives require data from several sources for policy formulation. Monitoring the effectiveness of these initiatives also requires input from all parties.
It should be recognised that these local information systems will be unique in content bit complementary to the National Statistics collated and prese
The current situation where information is held in separate 'silos' is not compatible with joint working. Partners require a system that delivers accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive information covering all areas in which they operate. To achieve this, a data sharing system is needed that will bring together data from all Community Planning Partner agencies and make it available on a series of single, easily-accessible platforms. The system will have a mapping facility to assist with the merging and analysis of data from disparate sources.
Data Sharing Network
A North East (Scotland) Data Sharing Network group was created in May 2004 - it evolved from a similar network that had been operating solely in Aberdeen. The intention is to further expand this network to a National scale, utilising GIS implementation as a mechanism to achieve this. The following public sector agencies have committed to contributing to the development of the Data Sharing and GIS project:
- Aberdeen City Council
- Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisation
- Aberdeenshire Council
- Moray Council
- South Lanarkshire Council
- Dumfries & Galloway Council
- East Lothian Council
- Communities Scotland
- Fire and Rescue Service (Grampian*)
- Police Service (Grampian*)
- NHSScotland Boards (15 No.)
- NHSScotland Special Health Boards (7 No.)
- NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum
- Scottish Executive Health Department
- Scottish Enterprise
- Communities Scotland
* Other emergency services regions will be contacted if progress to Stage 2 is accepted.
There has also been significant interest from various other organisations with the intention that these could come on board at a later date once the project is established. These include:
- Scottish Executive GIS Unit
- Forth Valley GIS Unit
- South Ayrshire Council
- Edinburgh City Council
- West Dunbartonshire Council
- Angus Council
- Inverclyde Council
- Dundee City Council
- Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations
Commitment
North East (Scotland) Data Sharing Network group partners have indicated their commitment through support from the Joint Public Sector Group, comprising the Chief Executives of all the key Community Planning partners, and with the wide public sector representation on the NE Data Sharing Network and Project Board. In addition, The Aberdeen City Alliance has approved the introduction of a permanent data share platform.
NHSScotland partners have indicated their commitment through support from the NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum Board, the NHSScotland Building and Procurement Advisory Board and the NHSScotland Strategic Facilities Group. In addition the Scottish Executive Health Department have indicated that they are committed to supporting NHSScotland with the national roll out of GIS throughout NHSScotland.
The other Local Authority partners committed their support to contributing to the GIS project at the meeting hosted by NHSScotland Property and Environment Forum in July 2005 and also in subsequent follow up communication.
Work to Date
The original Aberdeen Data Sharing Network was extended to include the two other Community Planning Partnerships in North East Scotland - Aberdeenshire and Moray. There were clear advantages in having a wider focus, particularly for organisations that have a North East remit, such as the Police, Fire Service and Health Service.
A data sharing system was piloted in Aberdeen between May 2003 and April 2004. Although it contained a limited amount of data, the benefits were evident to members of the Data Sharing Project and others who attended demonstrations of the pilot system. The mapping facility, in particular, was seen as a useful resource for interpreting complex data.
The Moray Gateway has been successfully developed. The experience gained on this project will be transferred to the North East Data Sharing Project. It will give us a clear understanding of the type of system we are seeking to establish on a national basis.
Aims
The aim of the National Data Sharing Project is to develop a data system that will be a key resource for strategic planners, policy makers, front line staff and a range of other data users throughout Scotland. In general terms, the system will enable users to access a wide range of comprehensive and up-to-date information on a single, map-based platform for each CPP that is easily available over the Web. More particularly, the Data Sharing Project aims to provide improvements in a number of key areas:
- Inter-agency working / Joint Working
- Targeting resources
- Monitoring the effectiveness of policy
- Monitoring service performance
- Other areas
a) Inter-agency working / Joint Working
There is an increasing requirement for greater liaison and co-operation between public sector agencies, partly due to Community Plan commitments. The Data Sharing Project will facilitate this process and add greatly to the spirit of inter-agency working. Data that is currently held by individual partners will be readily shared across the data sharing platform. This will be of particular benefit in improving joint working opportunities between NHSScotland Boards and Local Authorities.
b) Targeting resources
A major public sector issue is the effective allocation of scarce resources. Until now, these decisions have tended to be led by public demand and expressions of vested interests. Data sharing will enable important decisions on allocating resources to be based on robust and unambiguous data that can be used to map, analyse and evaluate an issue within a geographical context. In addition the data sharing system and strategic resource planning benefits will allow improved cross sector resource utilisation and offer resource sharing opportunities. Data sharing will also contribute significantly to strategic and regional planning which has been identified as an essential improvement area to improving effectiveness and efficiency within the public sector.
c) Monitoring the effectiveness of policy
There are six Community Planning partnerships initially involved in the project - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, South Lanarkshire, Dumfries & Galloway and East Lothian. The Data Sharing Project is intended to provide these partnerships with the means of monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of their Plans. Datasharing can also contribute greatly in monitoring the effectiveness of a range of other policy initiatives, particularly the growing number that require the involvement of multiple agencies.
d) Monitoring service performance
The partners in the Data Sharing Project routinely collect data to meet the demands of statutory reporting requirements and their own internal management information needs. By representing this type of data on a single platform, a spatial analysis of the supply and demand for services can be achieved. This will assist agencies to achieve more efficient public service delivery. This will also improve the effectiveness of the Best Value and Benchmarking initiatives that are ongoing throughout NHSScotland, Local Authorities and other Public Sector organisations.
e) Other areas
A single data sharing platform for each CPP will greatly reduce duplication; fewer systems, and therefore resources, will be needed by the Partner organisations. There will also be significant benefits for the wider community; instead of sourcing information from a number of agencies, users will be able to single source to meet their data requirements. GIS and data sharing is an 'Invest to Save' project which will ensure increasingly sustainable efficient methods of working.
Options
Various options have been considered and consultation has been undertaken with several local authorities that have implemented Datasharing initiatives. A full Option Development and Appraisal exercise would be undertaken as part of the Stage 2 bid to ascertain the best option to meet the requirements of the various NHSScotland organisations, Local Authorities and other Public Sector organisations.
Benefits expected
There are six Community Planning partnerships initially involved in the project - Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, South Lanarkshire, Dumfries & Galloway and East Lothian. Each Partnership has developed its own Community Plan. Data Sharing is seen as a key resource in identifying the issues and setting and monitoring the targets within the Community Plans. It will also be a facility for sharing a common set of data and information that will enable better and more informed decision making in a range of other public sector activities.
Best Value Networks have been formed to bring together the relevant officers from participating partners and other agencies to develop joint plans in specific areas, including Data Sharing.
Efficiency Savings
The main cost benefit of establishing the National Datasharing Project is that it removes the need to have separate but similar systems for each of the six Community Plan partnerships. Having a combined platform arrangement is clearly a cheaper option. It also removes the labour-intensive requirement for certain agencies - such as the Police, Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service - to supply data to a number of separate systems. The benefits to users are also likely to be significant. Based on the indicative costs provided to date the system savings alone could amount to £1M+ over 4 years. Whilst Dumfries and Galloway Police indicate a potential operational cost saving of some 70%+ with the introduction of a similar system to assist in meeting their operational needs.
As part of the Stage 2 bid, a full analysis of the strategic and operational efficiency savings achievable by the various public sector partners would be undertaken.
Risks
To be defined at a later date. However, it is evident that not having such a shared information system will only perpetuate silo working, duplication and inefficient use of resources. In addition a large number of opportunities for joint working and resource sharing between cross sector organisations will be lost.
Cost
A provisional requirement specification was prepared and issued to selected potential suppliers with the request that they respond with indicative costs for both a hosted and procured options. From the information received it appears that a hosted option would provide the most effective and economical solution and the approximate/ indicative costs are:
- Stage 2 Funding requested £60k + £60k Bidder/Partner contribution
- Year 1, initial cost of £380k
- Year 2,3 and 4 ongoing support cost of £40k per year
As explained above these costs are only indicative at this stage and it is proposed to prepare a detailed requirement specification and undertake a competitive procurement process based on a variety of weighted criteria including initial and revenue cost.
Other potential costs such as system operation/ administration will also have to be evaluated and included.
Timescales
To be confirmed in detail once funding is clarified. It is intended to complete a detailed specification by September 2005 and use this as the basis for drawing up tender documentation for agreement by the six partnerships by December 2005.