Agenda item

Report DRR17/044

Approval was previously given to release £200k from Central Contingency to meet document management costs with the funding approved for:

·  Amey Community Ltd to appoint an experienced Document Management Project Manager for a one-year period (£105k sum); and

·  expenditure of £95k for additional work (e.g. scanning and temporary staff boxing and indexing documents for disposal/off site storage) delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services.

However, in light of recruitment difficulties and other related work by I. T. Services, it was now proposed to deliver the document management work stream differently.

The Civic Centre Programme Board was working with I.T. Services to develop a joint approach to Information Management and Governance, and with the support of In-form Consult Ltd,  I.T. Services were already working on a number of initiatives to facilitate better document management and electronic working.

With a co-ordinated Information Management Strategy and Framework needed, In-form Consult Ltd were asked to submit a proposal for necessary additional work, their fee proposal being £51,150 plus expenses with key deliverables being:

·  a comprehensive framework for information governance and management;

·  a vision for how information should be managed through an Information Management Strategy;

·  an enterprise approach to Information Architecture;

·  a Target Operating Model for an information management function;

·  how current initiatives including the Civic Centre Programme and the SharePoint Implementation can be improved and how these initiatives can be fitted into a wider programme of information management improvements; and

·  a report outlining a series of pragmatic recommendations, detailing where appropriate, the associated estimated costs, effort, impact, risk and benefits of each.

In-form Consult Ltd would not require a long period of familiarisation and the framework would need to be in place quickly before decanting staff from the Stockwell Building. The Information Management Strategy and Framework would, along with the Information Asset Register and Document Retention Policies, provide the basis for an immediate reduction of paper files and introduction of new working practices. 

The Implementation Report would provide a roadmap for the Council and identify resource implications for further work to achieve new working practices.

In discussion, Members expressed a number of concerns with the proposals. Contracting with a scanning company was suggested although it was necessary to ensure that any new system does not create paper. Sight of a high level gap analysis of current initiatives and future requirements, identifying the need for a co-ordinated Information Management Strategy and Framework, was also requested. Further concern included the project manager role and increasing the sum given to other work. It was felt that a number of companies could provide a scanning service and it was necessary to consider what the Project Manager does.

It was explained that the Project Manager would need to co-ordinate a reduction in paper. Reference was made to initiatives on document management and the proposed approach would provide a full picture and enable compliance with document management requirements and needs of the Council. Officers had also consulted other local authorities. Progress had been made since 2016 and given the link with the Civic Centre project - for which there was currently a hold - there had been an opportunity to review the previous decision and learn from other authorities, who had already done this.

Speaking from professional experience, a Member suggested it was necessary to spend more than £50k on the Project Manager position and recommended the Council focus on what it needs to hold to meet requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Members were advised that officers are working with colleagues in IT services who supported the proposal. Another Member felt that indexing was important as well as scanning. The Member also advised against off-site storage – the matter having been highlighted by Audit – and he further understood that the budget for off-site storage continued to rise. Another Member highlighted that National Archives, Hansard, and historic copies of the Times newspaper were all available online.

In light of comments that had been made, the Chairman asked the Portfolio Holder to look again at the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to look again at the recommendations in Report DRR17/044.