Conclusions and recommendations
On contract procurement and implementation
1. Timetables for the development and implementation
of new services should provide for sufficient in-depth consultation
directly with potential users of the service, and for the outcome
of consultation to be reflected in service design.
The Agency's problems stemmed from an over ambitious timetable,
with inadequate time dedicated to identifying and taking action
on the preferences of potential users of the service at an early
stage of the project causing significant changes to be made in
planned business processes late in the development process.
2. In developing services to promote electronic
government departments should first establish that potential users
will wish to use, or be equipped to use, the planned service in
this way. Departments may need to consider
incentives, such as a discounted price for the service, to encourage
use of electronic methods if more efficient and effective. The
Agency assumed a largely telephone based service with some online
access. Users' preference, however, was for paper based applications,
and for applications submitted in bulk by potential employers
rather than by individuals.
3. Adequate time for piloting new services
is fundamental to successful introduction. In
the Bureau's case only a limited pilot was planned initially,
and that was squeezed as significant changes to planned business
processes became necessary. Launching a service which does not
work may be more inconvenient for users than delaying service
introduction to get the system right.
4. Rejected bids should be scrutinised carefully
for signs of possible weaknesses in the tender specification,
and the successful contractor's bid. Other
bidders for the Bureau's contract had questioned both the realism
of the timetable, and the assumption that 85% of Disclosure applications
would be made by phone. The Agency took action to obtain independent
assurance on the successful candidate's bid, but did not adequately
heed the warnings signs within other contractors' bids.
5. If business assumptions change fundamentally
during service development, Departments should consider whether
to continue with their current contractor or test the market again,
balancing the potential delay to service introduction with the
risks to value for money of a single tender in such circumstances.
Capita, the successful bidder, quoted a price of £250 million,
around £100 million less than the other bidders, but the
changes to business processes and the timetable needed to accommodate
users' preferences means that the contract value is now £395
million over ten years, and hence more expensive than prices quoted
by other bidders.
6. The Agency and Capita were slow to establish
an effective working partnership to address the emerging difficulties.
They did not do so fully until the problems reached crisis level.
On protecting the vulnerable
7. The Home Office and the Bureau should better
facilitate the checking of identity, which has now been made the
responsibility of employers and voluntary organisations.
Currently, for example, the Bureau recommends sight of a Passport
or Driving Licence as evidence of identity, but only the Bureau
can check the validity of these documents with the Passport Agency's
records or those of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
8. The Bureau has achieved significant improvement
in the turnaround times for handling Disclosures, with the majority
now dealt with within target times. The
turnaround target times were, however, less onerous in 2003-04
than for 2002-03, and the Bureau should look to improve the speed
of service delivery now that its activities have stabilised.
9. Disclosures should be extended to staff
already employed as well as new recruits to enhance protection
to vulnerable adults in particular. Due
to the Bureau's initial problems the Disclosure service is not
as comprehensive as planned, with the result that some categories
of vulnerable people are not receiving the protection they deserve.
For example, existing health and social care staff are not currently
subject to checks. This situation should now be remedied.
10. In furnishing Disclosures to employers,
the Bureau should emphasise that while every effort is made to
secure their accuracy, they can only be as good as the basic data
provided both by the applicant and the Police National Computer.
The employer is ultimately responsible for recruitment decisions,
and should be cautioned against placing absolute reliance upon
a Disclosure.
11. The range of vulnerable groups includes
both old and young and it is important that the Bureau sets its
priorities to ensure that proper protection is extended to all.
12. The Home Office and the Bureau should
commission research as to whether the Bureau's more comprehensive
and consistent means of access to criminal records is contributing
to a reduction in the number of crimes and abuses against the
vulnerable.
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