First departmental outsourcing of government IT services
22 - 02 - 2001

The Government's policy of accelerating delivery of information technology (IT) services by outsourcing reached an important milestone today (February 22) when the first contract for outsourcing IT services on a department-wide basis was signed.

The contract for the provision of a full range of IT services to the Judiciary was awarded to Unisys at a contract value of HK$88 million.

A spokesman for the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) said that the department had adopted an outsourcing strategy for the provision of IT services within the Government since April 1999.

"Through outsourcing, we are able to tap into talents and expertise outside of the Government. The deployment of resources is also quicker and more flexible," said the spokesman.

"It therefore meets our objectives to enlarge the delivery capacity for IT services and to accelerate the delivery of IT solutions, enabling the benefits of adopting IT by our clients to be realised sooner.

"The adoption of the outsourcing strategy also helps to create a larger market to encourage the further development of the IT industry locally, thereby creating value for Hong Kong," he said.

The Judiciary took the lead in the department-wide outsourcing strategy and invited tenders in March 2000 for the provision of a full range of IT services currently being provided by the ITSD.

The scope of the IT services covers the development of new application systems under Phase III of the Judiciary's Information Systems Strategy which include Public Information Kiosk, Public Payment System through Auto Teller Machine and a pilot electronic filing project for Inland Revenue Department claims; on-going support and maintenance of over 20 existing applications such as case management for various courts, Legal Reference, Office Automation, Jury Management, Bailiff Assignment, Interpreter Deployment, the Judiciary's Homepage and Voice Recognition; as well as hardware/software maintenance for the existing computer network in the Judiciary.

The duration of the contract is five years, with an option to extend for a further period of not more than two years.

As the IT adviser and service provider to the Judiciary, the ITSD has played an active role in this historic contract of departmental outsourcing of IT services.

"The contract is the result of a comprehensive business justification study, transition planning and competitive tendering. The user requirements and service standards are very high, including proven track record in providing IT support to the courts. The Judiciary has been exemplary in the management attention and professional approach to the whole process, resulting in today's comprehensive contract," the spokesman said.

"The existing ITSD project team will be redeployed to serve other government departments except for those contract staff who will be engaged by Unisys to continue serving the Judiciary.

"The ITSD will continue to assist the Judiciary in monitoring the performance of the contractor and in providing advice on the overall government IT policies and strategies," he added.

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