Articles: Public Sector  Articles RSS Feed 01/11/12Public Sector Outsourcing and the New NormalToday’s interest in government outsourcing is still based on cost savings, but the ambitions are far broader. Governments around the world are now considering outsourcing as a means to a completely new way of delivering services in a highly cost-effective manner. 01/05/12Handing the Reins to the Next Generation: Strategies for Transitioning Authority in the Public SectorWith the rapid aging of public sector workforces, the need for systematic planning for workforce disruptions has become unavoidable. 03/31/11Successful IT Outsourcing in Municipalities Goes Under the Radar What makes one outsourcing deal thrive while another fails? Local governments have an advantage because their decision-making groups, usually a county board or city council, are smaller and typically more politically aligned. 01/06/11Hail to the Effective Chiefs of StaffEquaTerra's Managing Director, Public Sector Advisory (North America), Glenn Davidson writes to the editor of the Wall Street Journal. 01/05/11US Government: How to Make Procurement Less PainfulThe open-procurement bid process is frequently seen as a costly, time-consuming headache for state and local agencies. But hardly anyone disputes that it’s what’s best for taxpayers. Ways of cutting through an open bid’s red tape do exist, which IT departments might want to evaluate as maneuvers for surviving their budget shortfalls, as some departments are facing cuts of up to 20 percent. 10/07/10Do Indian IT suppliers stand a chance in large government deals?The biggest concern around working with Indian companies is the skills transfer between the incumbent supplier and the new partner. 09/08/10How to Save U.S. IT JobsTen outsourcing experts offer their proposals for restoring America's IT labor force. 06/23/10San Diego County's CIO Shares Secrets Behind the County's Success With IT OutsourcingSan Diego County officials know very well how tough it can be to outsource IT services. The county's 1999 outsourcing agreement with Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) almost fell apart in 2002, when nearly 50 disputes over service prompted the county to send CSC a letter of default. Today though, San Diego County stands as a model for how to outsource a government's IT operations. A well tailored contract, a governance structure that fits the county's needs, and strong communication have all helped make the county's current IT outsourcing arrangement productive. 06/15/10Is IT Outsourcing Still In?High-profile problems and emerging technologies are changing attitudes about the would-be savior of enterprise IT. 05/18/10Public Sector: Seven Tips for Journeying into the CloudWhat are the different delivery models for cloud computing? And what's the best way to get started? This article breaks down the benefits of cloud computing, how it's deployed and what to do next. 03/25/10Columbia SC City Council Advised on How To Save Millions In The Next YearEquaTerra prepared 42 improvement initiatives that could save the South Carolina city close to $12-million in the next fiscal year. The improvements and changes, according to the report, would cost the city more than $2-million. 02/02/10Rewiring HIringThis article was formerly titled Analysis: Viewpoint Flirting With Disaster. Overwhelmed and understaffed, some US Federal Government HR shops might be tempted to simply automate existing processes. But devising a real solution actually could be easier and much more rewarding. EquaTerra's Managing Director, Public Sector Advisory (Americas) Glenn Davidson offers some simple suggestions. 12/01/09Mainframe Consolidation Saves Cash for Pennsylvania GovernmentPennsylvania officials plan to increasingly rely on virtualization technology to make better use of space and rein in energy costs. 11/17/09Texas' Data Center Consolidation Project Under ScrutinyA commissioned report finds a range of problems with a seven-year, $863 million outsourcing contract with IBM. 11/16/09Consultant Calls $863 Mllion Texas State Contract with IBM DefectiveThe landmark project can — and should — be salvaged because the idea of streamlining the data center operations still makes sense. To make this project work, however, the terms of the contract will have to be changed 11/16/09IBM Outsourcing Deal with Texas Still Worth It, Consultants SayThe report said the Texas Department of Information Resources and IBM were in uncharted territory and probably couldn't have foreseen all the difficulties. The state's massive computer outsourcing contract with IBM is mired in delays, server meltdowns and disputes, but it can still be salvaged. 11/16/09Texas Releases Recommended Fixes for Data Center ConsolidatoinThe study, called the Holistic Remediation Strategy, was prepared by consultancy EquaTerra at DIR's request. The report says that neither the state nor IBM -- the vendor managing the contract -- are seeing the benefits that were predicted when the $863 million contract was awarded in 2006. EquaTerra advised the state to Texas renegotiate the contract by the end of 2009. 10/14/09Cultures and PersonalitiesA serious issue lies in the matching of the culture of the client company to the service personality of the provider chosen. 09/22/09New Report Tracks Obstacles to Outsourcing Administrative Tasks for Small to Mid-sized Non-ProfitsSmall and midsize charities might benefit from outsourcing administrative operations, such as finance and human resources, but not because it will result in immediate cost savings. 08/10/09State IT Debate: Virginia Must Move Quickly to Fix ProblemsVirginia state government is receiving questionable benefits and incurring disturbingly high costs for a deal that was designed to transform its technology infrastructure. 06/24/09Pennsylvania's Outsourcing Success StoryBrenda Orth, deputy secretary for information technology and CIO of Pennsylvania: "The Office for Information Technology (OIT), part of the Governor's Office of Administration (OA), leads Pennsylvania's technology initiatives. Focused on both vision and execution, the OA/OIT is committed to ensuring that every dollar spent and every personnel hour invested in technology for state government returns the greatest possible benefit. To this end, consolidation and centralization of IT resources has been part of our strategy, delivering operational cost savings of approximately $317 million to date and significantly improving productivity and service levels." 05/26/09Cutting out all the red tape can be the icing on the cake"Speed sourcing" is designed to cut out some of the bureaucracy involved in pinning down a watertight outsourcing contract. 05/05/09Think Again: US Federal Government Human Capital ManagementThe Obama administration should revisit the Lines of Business shared services initiative proposed by the Office of Management and Budget and rejected by Congress during the Bush administration. 05/01/09Analysis: Bring them On (Views on the US Federal Hiring Process)Howard Weizmann, leader of EquaTerra's Federal HR Practice and former deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management, writes about his views on the US Federal Government hiring process. 04/28/09Reform is not EnoughNot only has the federal government not hired the right people or appropriately compensated talent, but it has also failed to build and maintain the morale of federal employees and empower them to do their jobs effectively. By stripping away levels of politically appointed middle managers and empowering civil servants, President Obama has an opportunity to build change that will last beyond his presidency. 04/20/09TCS child support contract stirs up offshoring debateExperts believe a major Whitehall offshoring deal with India’s Tata Consultancy Services heralds a significant shift in public sector IT provision 03/25/09In Closely Watched Florida, HRO Renewal Is AdvisedThe Florida state legislature through its Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) hired advisory firm EquaTerra in September 2008 to assess its 2002 landmark contract with enterprise HRO vendor Convergys and determine the best solution for moving forward. 03/24/09Analysis: When Government Makes Us SickThe federal government's broken human capital management system isn't merely wasting taxpayer dollars, but also is putting the health and safety of Americans at risk every day. 03/11/09Controversial Florida HR Outsourcing Deal Gets BoostThe negotiations come after a report from the watchdog arm of the Florida Legislature called for the state to extend the nine-year, $350 million deal. 03/02/09As Government’s Needs Grow, RPO Gets a Closer LookFacing an aging workforce, the federal government may adopt a cosourcing model to bolster its talent needs. 02/17/09UK public IT handicapped by procurement process, say Indian IT suppliersIndian IT suppliers are being excluded from winning IT work in the public sector under strict government procurement rules, it was claimed last week. Indian suppliers told a parliamentary group that government procurement rules acted like a "catch-22" clause. 02/16/09Contractor Management is Crucial for Outsourced ServicesGovernment is learning the hard way that outsourced services are not self-governing. 02/02/09Tallahasse Democrat Op-Ed: EquaTerra Analyzes Florida State Personnel Services Contract with Convergys Bill Cotterell: "This 'ugly pig' may still fly given the other options." EquaTerra finds room for improvement in an unhappy relationship. 12/05/08Obama Administration will Create New Offshoring IT HubsQuotes from Phill Morris, Managing Director, as appears in the article from ComputerWeekly.com, posted December 4, 2008. 09/10/08Lockheed Martin Doesn't See US Election Altering Defense IndustryLockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), the biggest supplier to the U.S. Department of Defense, doesn't expect that a new U.S. president next year -whichever political party he comes from - will bring significant changes to its business. 09/30/07Taking Flight: Sustaining the Value of Shared ServicesDeploying an internal shared services model is becoming a leading way to reduce costs, improve performance and otherwise transform the way support services deliver value to the organization. Indeed, nearly 80% of Global 2000 companies have used some level of shared services for support functions. 12/14/06Outsourcing Is an Effective Tool for HR Transformation: Study 11/30/06Resistance and Results: The Challenge of Outsourcing as a Tool for HR TransformationIPMA-HR has engaged EquaTerra, Inc., an independent advisory firm, to conduct four separate studies as part of its 2006 survey series. The first two of these four studies�focusing on HR transformation and trends in outsourcing and shared services�surveyed top level HR officials in public sector organizations around the country. These studies were made possible through the corporate sponsorship of ACS (Transformation study) and ADP (Trends in outsourcing and shared services study). To view the complete results and reports from these studies, please visit IPMA-HR�s Web site (www.ipma-hr.org) or contact EquaTerra (www.EquaTerra.com) for additional information. 08/15/06Best Bets: Top Contracting Shops Share Their SecretsAround Valentine’s Day each year, Helen Hurcombe sends a note to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program offices. As the director of acquisitions and grants, she asks them to submit their contracting plans for the coming year. Once she gets the wish lists, she then assigns each project to a contracting specialist. The specialist and program office brainstorm about potential vendors and whether the contract should be set aside for small and disadvantaged businesses. All that happens at least six months before the award is made. 07/28/06Federal Human Resources Shops Are Slow to Change 03/30/06HR Optimization Through Shared Services: The State of Michigan's ExperienceLike many public sector organizations, the state of Michigan has had to deal with some challenging revenue shortfalls over the last four years. With that comes the inevitable painful process of determining which services and programs will have to be trimmed or eliminated. Understandably, the public, legislature, and administration all rally behind salvaging as much of the core government services as possible and look first to the administrative side of the house for opportunities to save money. That, in fact, was the case for our state in the fall of 2003.