We’ve always said that transforming government’s approach to digital and technology would save money, and it has.
The published figures are impressive: last year the Cabinet Office helped government save £1.7 billion through digital and technology transformation.
In the spirit of transparency and openness, I wanted to explain how we did that: by managing government’s digital and IT spending requests, transitioning websites to GOV.UK, and by transforming public services. Let’s break down the numbers a bit.
Saving more each year
Digital and technology transformation has been gathering pace since 2012, according to figures jointly curated by Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and Government Digital Service (GDS). Against a 2009/10 baseline, within government’s savings totals, the amount saved from transformation was:
- £891 million in 2012/13
- in 2013/14, this increased to £978 million
This year's figure increased to £1.7 billion, bringing the combined total saved over these three years up to £3.56 billion.
That’s a direct result of work done across government, by departmental teams building digital services and making better use of technology.
Savings from GDS
More than £600 million of this year’s £1.7 billion figure was through the work done by GDS itself. Here’s where it came from:
- spend controls saved £391 million - as part of the standards assurance team, the spend controls group works with departments to ensure their digital transformation is in line with the government’s Technology Code of Practice. They encourage government teams to build better services for less, to disaggregate contracts, and build prototypes instead of writing long procurement documentation
- the Public Service Network saved £103.8 million
- GOV.UK saved £61.5 million
- the savings from the two-year transformation programme, not counted elsewhere, were £7.3 million by making simpler, clearer, faster digital services like Carer’s Allowance, Make a lasting power of attorney, Book a prison visit, and Register to vote
- GOV.UK Verify saved £36.5 million
Digital transformation made this possible
These savings were only possible because digital transformation made them so. Digital has helped us rethink the way we do things, but we’re only at the start of that journey.
It’s good that we’ve started redesigning and rebuilding individual digital services, but transformation goes so much deeper; it means re-thinking the whole organisation and how it works. Our work to date represents the tip of the iceberg, and that iceberg is as deep as government is complicated. Digital thinking is a good thing for all of us, and we can make the most of it through collaboration and putting users first.
This is just the beginning
Departments and agencies across government have made significant advances in implementing digital transformation over the last parliament:
- over 98% of driving tests are now booked online
- 85% of self assessment filing is done through online channels
- 2 million people have registered to vote using a new digital service
These are notable achievements. They have come about through hard work, collaboration, and by a growing digital capability that largely didn’t exist a few years ago. They’re a solid base to build upon in the months and years ahead. Across government, we’ve already saved £3.56 billion over three years, and we’ve barely begun.
Follow Stephen on Twitter, and don't forget to sign up for email alerts.