Halcyon Consultants Practical Implementation

1
Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• Robert Campbell has been working on the Wired Up
  Communities (WUC) initiative for DfES for the
  last 18 months
• Hands-on experience for five months helping to
  set up and run the first UK WUC pilot in 2001
• Interviewed all 7 WUC project managers in
  September 2001 and January 2002 as part of
  research programme for DfES from a practitioners
  perspective
• Engaged by Scottish Executive in November 2001 to
  assist in the assessment of 29 bids received by
  30 November 2001
• Helped to shortlist the 6 local authorities
  attending the Digital Communities seminar
• Will assist the local authorities with bid
  revisions before 1 March 2002 deadline at
  direction of Scottish Executive and/or at request
  of the local authority

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Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• This presentation/workshop is an informal
  opportunity for discussion with local authority
  staff and community representatives
• Case study approach to highlight the local
  authority led WUC pilots and the issues they
  faced in the implementation, management and
  delivery of the WUC project
• In this context, discussions around Liverpool,
  Manchester, Rotherham, Newham and Blackburn
• But a deliberate focus on the model adopted by
  the Scottish Executive
• A rule of thumb is that everything takes time and
  often much more that initially thought
• project set-up, recruitment of staff, securing a
  project base, community awareness and marketing,
  ICT training programmes, roll out of equipment,
  contract management with suppliers, monitoring
  evaluation, building a sustainable enterprise

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Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• Some General Pointers on Funding Cashflow
• As accountable body, the local authority has the
  capacity, resources and cashflow to run the
  project and, but should ensure that funding is
  available on demand to the community based host
  organisation when and if, it is needed
• The local authority should ensure that financial
  arrangements on the draw-down of capital grant
  are harmonious with the Scottish Executives
  accounting procedures and audit trails
  especially on VAT
• The local authority should endeavour to secure
  further revenue funding in support of the first
  year capital grant and the revenue grant,
  extrapolated over a maximum of three years
• The local authority should allow some delays for
  staff recruitment whether by internal secondment
  or from another organisation or open recruitment

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Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• Some General Pointers On Contracts Legislation
• The local authority and host organisation will
  need to ensure that sufficient attention is paid
  to current legislation relating to Equal
  Opportunities, Health Safety, Data Protection
  Act and Employment Law (and develop policies and
  procedures on all these areas)
• On the procurement of equipment, the local
  authority as accountable body should enter into
  service level agreements or contracts with all
  suppliers to tighten arrangements on contract
  management (especially in respect of after-sales
  service and warranties)
• The local authority must ensure that community
  based host organisation has the legal capacity to
  enter into contracts (through a ratified
  constitution or memorandum and articles of
  association and/or partnership agreement).
  Otherwise the local authority as accountable body
  is left responsible for matters relating to
  legislation and legal contracts

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Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• Some General Pointers On Technical Support ICT
  Training
• Suppliers will be expected to provide a customer
  services function with a separate technical
  support helpline for technical enquiries
  however, experience shows that the first port of
  call can be the project office
• The local authority/host organisation should
  endeavour to make early progress on offering
  informal and more formal ICT training to computer
  recipients, and pitched at their level usually
  pretty rudimentary and encourage progression
  routes to further education/lifelong learning
• ICT training courses should be provided in
  community locations where local people feel
  comfortable to meet not necessarily the local
  college or library

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Halcyon ConsultantsPractical Implementation
Logistics of Equipment Roll Out

• Community Involvement, Engagement Empowerment
• The project should try to capture peoples
  imagination in the use of ICTs and relate it to
  a hobby or interest to hook them in
• The project should focus on people and not the
  technology underpin the work with a community
  involvement strategy and use ICT champions
  locally as exemplars and informal mentors
• Beware of community misconceptions about the
  scheme (the rumour mill or confusion about whats
  on offer) since bad press or opposition to the
  project is often the net result
• Provide an incentive to local people to do
  something with ICT a small community grant paid
  to an individual or larger grant to a local
  community organisation
• A rule of thumb is that everything takes time
  with people and often much more that initially
  thought