MPS Business Support Services Second Generation Discovery Phase

The MPS currently outsource transactional HR, Finance and Procurement services to Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL). The current operating model was introduced in 2015 under the Business Support Services (BSS) Transformation Programme.

The 7+3 years contract with SSCL was extended in 2020 for its full term which will expire in 2025. A Discovery phase is proposed, due to the restricted timeline, and the ambition for the Met to be in the strongest position with Second Generation BSS and Oracle’s plans to withdraw support for the current system.

This decision seeks approval for the discovery phase which will enable a thorough understanding of the options, requirements, market place and delivery risk. The key final deliverables will be a confirmed Programme Mandate and a Strategic Outline Case, to help inform and agree the delivery and investment decisions for the Second Generation of BSS.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. Approve funding of £947,393 from existing MPS Transformation budgets across 21/22 and 22/23 to deliver the discovery phase of Business Support Services (BSS) Second Generation. The work is expected to take six months.

2. Approve the use of the Bloom Managed Service contract to competitively tender the professional services requirement that will deliver the discovery phase.

1. Introduction and background

1.1 In October 2015, under the BSS Transformation Programme - the MPS outsourced its transactional HR, Finance and Procurement services to Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) along with the implementation of a new Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system (which is called PSOP).

1.2 The 10-year contract has delivered savings of over £100m and transformed the way services are delivered in the Met. In September 2025, that contract will expire and by 2030 Oracle will stop providing support to PSOP, and the challenge we now face is how we improve our processes and technology to deliver improved value not just for today but for 2030 and beyond.

1.3 It is best practice before committing the organisation to the large costs and effort associated with implementing a major change programme to carry out a discovery phase. Doing so, will allow the Met to fully understand the scope of work, feasibility, requirements, costs, options and risks associated with implementing the Second Generation for Business Support Services (BSS) at a strategic level.

1.4 The discovery phase will also help identify the right benefits against a clear scope / vision and introduce a benefits management approach. It is likely measurable benefits will fall under the following three themes:

• Time saved: Resulting in better, streamlined services that relieve the burden of bureaucracy and manual intervention

• Improved user experience: Resulting in modern systems that are quick and easy to use

• Cost savings: Resulting in reduced operational costs via technology advancements to ensure value for money

2. Issues for consideration

2.1 Whilst there are still several years to run on the current first generation contract, it is important that we start to act now to enable sufficient market engagement, procurement and transition time and business case approval as this change will be sufficiently large to justify a full major change programme.

2.2 PSOP, the technology solution supporting the current BSS contract, is a complex combination of many systems. Our initial view is that in order to get the most from the Second Generation of BSS, the Met will need to better understand the current market solutions before progressing with a new procurement.

2.3 There will be complexity in the scheduling, technology, data and commercial approach to this work. All of which need to be better understood from a Discovery Phase. One of the complexities is that there are a number of in-flight existing Transformation Programmes with dependencies to the data held within PSOP, namely CONNECT, Command and Control and Resource Management. The timing for the delivery of necessary changes to PSOP data structures with the development of Second Generation BSS will need to be carefully managed throughout.

2.4 From lessons learned from existing change programmes and the first generation contract, we are aiming to ensure that we understand trade-offs between the technical solution, people change, business processes, data management, operational impact and cost.

2.5 A hybrid team consisting of consultancy and in-house resources will deliver the discovery phase. This option was chosen because it ensures that the Met benefits from access to consultancy expertise via a model that provides resilience, reduces risk, supports corporate memory and facilitates knowledge transfer.

2.6 This approach will provide the MPS with understanding of its business needs, requirements, costs, scope and market place before embarking on an implementation.

3. Financial & Commercial Comments

3.1 The table below outlines the indicative costs for the contingent labour and consultancy elements that form the total cost of the discovery phase for BSS Second Generation programme.

3.2 The indicative cost of this proposal of £947,393 will be met from the Major Change Fund (MCF), within the MPS Transformation portfolio. The spend for the Discovery phase will be split between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years.

3.3 The chosen commercial route to market for this work is via Bloom Managed Services

4. Legal Comments

4.1 Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve business cases for revenue or capital expenditure of £500,000 or above.

4.2 The MPS report confirms that all services will be obtained through a valid and compliantly awarded contract.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

5.1. The MPS is subject to the requirements and conditions placed on it as a ‘State’ body to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018. Both legislative requirements place an obligation on the MPS to process personal data fairly and lawfully in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals.

5.2. Under Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Section 57 of the DPA 2018, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPA) become mandatory for organisations with technologies and processes that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights of the data subjects.

5.3. The Information Assurance and Information Rights unit will be consulted at all stages of the work arising from these proposals to ensure that all compliance requirements in respect of GDPR and Privacy are met.

5.4 The project does not use currently personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no current GDPR issues to be considered. If the project uses personally identifiable data of members of the public at a later date DPIAs will be completed as needed.

6. Equality Comments

6.1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

6.2. An Equality Impact Assessment will be completed as part of the subsequent development of the Strategic Outline Case, and will be considered as part of the Strategic Discovery Phase.

7. Background/supporting papers

7.1. N/A