e-GIF Accreditation Authority Programme awarded to the Institute of IT Training and National Computing Centre
The Office of the e-Envoy has awarded the contract to establish and operate the e-GIF Accreditation Authority Programme to the National Computing Centre (NCC) and the Institute of IT Training (IITT). Ensuring adherence to the Government's standards for IT interoperability, the e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF), has become more realistic with the establishment of the e-GIF Accreditation Authority.
The Authority aims to reduce risk to public sector IT projects. It will do this by certifying e-GIF Practitioners as having the skills needed to meet the requirements of e-GIF compliance and accrediting teams or organisations as having the processes to deliver e-GIF projects effectively.
"The Office of the e-Envoy fully endorses and supports the e-GIF Accreditation Authority which is managing the tangible processes that will create a real community of e-GIF excellence," explained John Borras, director of technology policy, at the Office of the e-Envoy.
"The establishment of the e-GIF Accreditation Authority is a positive step in enhancing the quality and reliability of government computing," commented Colin Steed, chief executive of the IITT. "We are delighted to extend our services to the Office of the e-Envoy for its implementation.
"The IITT is committed to developing best practice in IT skills. Providing a high value service to both e-GIF practitioners and their employers is essential for this."
The contract, for a period of three years, is estimated to be worth £1.2m and the programme will become fully operational in the autumn of 2004.
end
Notes for Editors:
About the Office of the e-Envoy
The Office of the e-Envoy is part of the Prime Minister's Delivery and Reform team based in the Cabinet Office.
The primary focus of the Office of the e-Envoy is to improve the delivery of public services and achieve long term cost savings by joining-up online government services around the needs of customers.
The e-Envoy is responsible for ensuring that all government services are available electronically by 2005 with key services achieving high levels of use.
The e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) sets out the policies and standards for e-government and e-service development and delivery. It is a foundation of e-government strategy, helping the public sector to accommodate the rapid pace of technological change.
Compliance with the Framework is essential for allowing information to flow seamlessly across the public sector, providing citizens and businesses with better access to government services through multiple channels.
By adopting internet and world wide web standards, the Framework aligns government with the rest of industry and serves as a basis for reducing the costs and risks associated with carrying out major IT projects.