How one local council modernised service delivery and enabled £44 million of savings a year
Better quality service doesn’t mean bigger budgets. Here’s how KPMG helped BCP Council transform their operating model to deliver superior service while slashing the operating budget.
The challenge: Create a modern, efficient and customer-centric local council
It was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a truly modern local authority. And the leaders of the newly amalgamated Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council didn’t want to waste it. It was a chance to reimagine the way local government works. It was an opportunity to thoroughly modernise service delivery. It was a way to get ahead of residents’ needs and expectations. The council also hoped it was an opportunity to reduce operating costs – by nearly £44 million per year.
Yet time was not a luxury BCP Council could afford. They had a firm 13-month window to get the new operating model designed, implemented and operational. They needed to move quickly and with confidence. They had no time for false starts or delays. What they needed was a deep bench of experienced professionals with proven tools that could take them from strategy through to implementation at a rapid pace. That led them to KPMG in the UK and our unique Connected Council assets and approach.
We had an ambitious strategy that would require us to undertake the largest public sector technology transformation to date in the UK. KPMG came to the table with a set of accelerators and tools that could help us move quickly, confidently and with our eyes clearly focused on our residents and businesses. I am certain that we would not have been able to achieve such a pace, scale and rigour without their support.
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The approach: Reimagine public services with data at the core
From strategy through to implementation, KPMG in the UK was with BCP Council at every step. The KPMG team helped the council assess its current operational requirements, processes and technology infrastructure (itself an amalgamation of the legacy of the former component councils). They worked with the council to define its new structure and operating models. And then the KPMG team helped the council implement the new operating model and enabling technologies.
At the enterprise level, the operating model was enabled by three cross-council platforms – an ERP system, a CRM system and a data platform that would seamlessly integrate into all service line-of-business applications. A new customer function was stood up, supported by new customer and data strategies. And the HR, Finance and Procurement function adopted a shared services model, supported by dedicated Centres of Excellence.
The value of our relationship with KPMG through the design and implementation of the programme is difficult to overstate. They’ve continually balanced the need to challenge our thinking with ensuring that they’re facilitating our design outcomes, not their own views.
The outcome: Better experiences, better insight … and £44 million enabled in annual savings
In just 13 months, KPMG helped BCP Council become one of the most advanced in the country. They were the first to adopt an enterprise-wide technology and data architecture, making them the first to benefit from a single, strategic enterprise platform and a single view of the customer across the organisation. Employees and users have been fully trained to use the system. KPMG has provided a range of templates to help BCP Council staff deliver further improvements and service enhancements in the future – without needing further outside support. And, as a result, the council is now firmly on track to drive the full £44 million in annual cost savings they were looking for.
More importantly, perhaps, BCP Council now has the customer insight they need to meet their ambition of delivering superior, frictionless experiences for its more than 400,000 customers and 5,000-plus staff.
We’re committed to being a modern, accessible and accountable Council, providing effective community leadership. And our ability to deliver the highest quality services – efficiently, effectively and with superior customer experiences – is core to that goal. Working with KPMG, we have radically transformed service delivery for our residents while simultaneously reducing the operating budget. It’s been a win-win for everyone.
