Development agency saves £1 million with HR IT

The Department for International Development (DFID) is saving some £1 million each year as a result of the successful completion of a human resources (HR) transformation programme.

The 14-month programme has streamlined and standardised the people and management processes used by DFID in its role of managing the £5 billion in annual aid pledged to poor countries by the UK, for its 2,500 staff in 64 countries in which it operates.

Pam Jenkins, HR transformation programme manager at DFID, said: "Our transformation programme reflects the drive across government for greater efficiency, best practice and standardisation of processes.”

The department worked with systems integrator Capgemini to implement people and process change management programmes that led to the development of a new DFID intranet, as well as the web-based careers network from specialist supplier, WCN to provide the new HR management hub. The new systems are hosted by existing DFID outsourcer Northgate HR.

As a result, DFID can more quickly match vacancies to internal staff or external applicants, leading to significant efficiency savings, reduced paperwork and much greater control by line managers over processes such as recruitment, promotions, overseas postings, secondments and transfers, as well as over HR budgets.

Jenkins added: “Following completion of the project, DFID is firmly on track to achieve the expected ongoing financial savings of almost £1 million per annum. The project was completed on time and within budget and gained an exceptionally high rating in the Office of Government Commerce Common Assessment Framework.”

Neil MacLean, vice president and head of consulting in Scotland and account manager for DFID, also told IT PRO the department’s activities around recruitment and HR are now faster and more transparent to all concerned, with substantially less involvement by the DFID HR department in routine processes, allowing them to also focus on more strategically important areas of the business.

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