More news23 September 2004 | Sam Fortescue
Criminal Justice IT (CJIT) has made its first move towards e-procurement by implementing a web-based purchasing system.
The court purchasing organisation's £20 million annual spend, which goes primarily on IT equipment, professional services and maintenance repair operation, will be funnelled through an Internet procurement platform from Marrakech. CJIT pays a standing charge and a usage-based fee to access it.
Jim Rawlings, assistant commercial director at CJIT, said this was a first step towards cost savings and efficiency gains.
"It allows us to get our users onto an e-commerce footing, without the big sell of an enterprise resource planning project."
Once CJIT's 75 requisitioners and 11-strong purchasing team have got to grips with the new system, Rawlings will decide early next year whether to move to a full-blown ERP solution or stick with a web-based system.
Although concrete savings are clearly the goal of CJIT's move to the new purchasing platform, the organisation needs to get a better idea of its spending profile.
Across the Criminal Justice System, total savings of £65 million have been identified, following the Rod Leggater report on Home Office spending.
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