A number of government departments are to be placed onto a shared services platform using Oracle cloud applications.
The Synergy Programme, a cross-government initiative to improve the efficiency of government services, will use Oracle’s software to provide shared services for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Home Office.
It will create a single operating model through Oracle’s Fusion Cloud Applications Suite and the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The move is aimed at reducing costs, standardising finance, HR and supply chain data, and “transforming corporate services”, Oracle said.
“We are building a common operating model and establishing business processes that will be used collectively across four Departments that employ nearly half of all civil servants in the UK,” said Chris Murtagh, chief technology officer and ERP programme director for the Synergy Programme.
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“Oracle Cloud will create a single platform that will expand insights, increase efficiency, and allow us to better meet the needs of citizens.”
The platform will encompass the departments’ HR systems and payroll, bringing together data insights that they hope will enhance employee experience and improve decision-making.
The shared services platform itself will run in the Oracle Cloud for UK Government and Defence.
The implementation will be managed by DWP, Oracle, IBM and Deloitte through a joint consortium.
“Governmental departments are under ever-increasing pressure to make sure they are working efficiently and cost-effectively,” said Siobhan Wilson, senior vice president and UK country leader at Oracle. “The move to Oracle Cloud will increase efficiency and deliver more value to UK citizens”
The Cabinet Office announced its plans to streamline departments’ back-office operations last year after an overhaul of the government’s shared services strategy in 2021.
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