E-Government Unit
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The e-Government Unit (eGU) was a unit of the
e-Government
.
The unit was created by Prime Minister Tony Blair in September 2004,[1] replacing the Office of the e-Envoy. Its first head was Ian Watmore,[2] who was succeeded in January 2006 by Andrew Stott.[3]
The eGU website was closed down in 2007.[4]
Mission
The eGU’s stated mission was to "ensur[e] that IT supports the business transformation of Government itself so that we can provide better, more efficient, public services."
The eGU was responsible for
- formulating information technology (IT) strategy and policy
- developing common IT components for use across government
- promoting best practices across government
- delivering citizen-centered online services
The eGU website listed six guiding principles[5] for the unit:
- To work on public service projects, not just IT projects
- To add value and support, rather than control or dictate
- To undertake partnerships with departments and suppliers
- To set realistic expectations and aim to exceed them
- To promote global best practices
- To share solutions when possible, and offer flexibility to meet unique needs
Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the eGU included:
- Strategy – to develop policy and planning for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within the Government and to provide an element of programme management; to support the Government's objectives for public service delivery and administrative efficiency.
- Architecture – to provide policy, design, standards, governance, advice and guidance for ICT in central government; to commission government-wide infrastructure and services; to address issues of systems integration with other levels of government.
- Innovation – to provide high-level advice to government bodies on innovative opportunities that come from ICT.
- IT Finance – to monitor major IT projects in the Government and give advice on major investment decisions, in partnership with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).
- IT HR – to lead the Government’s professional IT development.
- Projects – to take on ad hoc policy and strategy studies to support ministers, the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury.
- Research – to identify and communicate key technology trends, opportunities, threats and risks.
- Security – to oversee government IT security policy, standards, monitoring and assurance, and contingency-planning for the critical national infrastructure.
- Supplier management – to manage the top-level relationship with strategic suppliers to the Government and to carry out supplier analysis, in partnership with OGC.
References
- ^ "From E-Envoy to E-Government" (Press release). UK Cabinet Office. 2004-05-25. Archived from the original on 2006-12-11.
- ^ SA Mathiason (2 September 2004). "What a way to run the country". The Guardian.
- ^ "e-Government head's parting shot". The Register. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "List of central government websites to close as of January 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-06.
- ^ "About eGU". Retrieved 2006-09-15.