Decision details

The Council is undertaking a wide ranging procurement of a customer engagement and self service platform, which is due to conclude in September 2019. This procurement, and the initial implementation of the chosen solution requires significant capacity and knowledge to achieve the required outcomes, including full integration of the solution with back office systems, form construction, liaison with suppliers and assessment of customer journeys through the platform.
The engagement platform will allow the Council to fundamentally improve the way the Council interacts with customers, and will also provide certainty of service provision at a time when CRM and My Account facilities either are now, or will soon be, unsupported by their respective suppliers.
The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) have recently approved both the Business Case and procurement specification for the new platform, and the project is overseen by the Customer and Organisational Improvement Board (COIB).
The System Development and Integration Lead post will be created for a fixed term 18 month period, advertised at Band 11, and will be predominantly funded through not recruiting to the currently vacant Systems Administrator post within People and Communities Directorate. An additional £15k finding is being sought through the Financial Sustainability Tranche of the Business rates pilot to ensure the post is fully funded for the proposed period. The funding will cover the entirety of the duration of the post.

To approve and change the establishment by introducing a System Development and Integration Lead post within the People and Communities Directorate from 1 August 2019.

Option 1 - Not to create the post. This would severely impede the effectiveness of the implementation of the new platform, reducing the effectiveness of services over both the short and medium term. There is no post currently held within the Council which holds the required knowledge for this implementation.
Option 2 - To recruit to the existing post of Systems Administrator Apprentice. This would not provide the required expertise for the implementation of the new platform.
Option 3 -