Camden to outsource benefits system
Camden Borough Council is looking to hand over its award-winning in-house benefits system to an outsourcer or application service provider.
While many inner London councils like Hackney and Lambeth have recently battled with disastrous outsourced housing benefit and council tax IT systems, Camden’s has been held up as a model of best practice.
The council was recognised and given Beacon status by the government for its delivery of the service and was named benefits team of the year in 2000.
But the council is now inviting interested parties with a view to tendering the service in a five-year contract to run from April 2002.
‘This should be provided as part of an application service provision styled/managed IT service arrangement,’ a document stated.
The transition will include the conversion of data from a mainframe Cobol-written legacy system.
Separately, Islington Borough Council said last week that it has agreed revisions to its housing benefits system contract with outsourcer ITNet.
The agreement will see a move to a financial contract based on incentives with ITNet receiving an extra Pounds 17m until 2009.
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