Metri Helps Dutch Government Standardise the Desktop, Rationalise Cross-Ministry Services and save 50 Million Euros a Year
LONDON, 4 July, 2007

Metri Measurement Consulting is pleased to announce it has commenced the final phase of a year-long benchmarking project undertaken with the Dutch government to study its ICT operations with a particular focus on the desktop environment. So far, the study has involved 12 ministries including justice, defence, economics, education, employment and social affairs, with the final phase to encompass the Department of Agriculture.

The initial aim of the study was to enable top management to gain a better view of government IT across the board. There was also a mandate from above to save 750 million Euros in operational costs and while it was suspected costs were higher than necessary, supporting evidence was needed. Beyond these issues, the government wanted to put in place instruments that would provide more centralised IT control while integrating a diverse range of ministry and departmental infrastructures.

Multi-dimensional measurement criteria
To achieve these ambitious aims, the government appointed Metri Measurement Consulting. Says Peter Vermeij, Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Economic Affairs: "We chose Metri after an intensive evaluation and tendering process. They were able to bring additional dimensions to the project, looking at the quality of processes, results and outcomes as well as cost and performance. They also completed each phase on time and worked smoothly with the various departments without tying up too much of their time. We also wanted to work with just one company throughout the project for the sake of continuity, and Metri had the capacity, depth of experience and data resources to handle the job."

Standardising the Global Desktop
The first phase of the Dutch government's massive year-long study involved looking at strategies for standardising and centrally provisioning its 15,000 unit desktop environment, called 'The Global Desktop'. The project also called for an examination of the government's overall IT infrastructures, including front-to-back office and inter-departmental connectivity. Part of this task was to identify where performance gains and economies of scale could be won through rationalising processes like document management into regional service hubs. Having examined all of these elements and more, best internal vs. external sourcing options had to be reviewed and compared against current market practice and pricing.

Ultimately the benchmark report determined that comparing overall efficiencies with the market norm, the ministries were placed virtually in the middle. Explains Vermeij: "So far, all of Metri's recommendations have been well-founded and the study has given us an excellent insight into the costs we incur and now to negotiate more keenly with suppliers."

Saving 50 million Euros
On the Global Desktop project alone, Metri has helped identify over 50 million Euros a year in savings through organisational restructuring, reducing the number of PCs and consolidating technical support into a central hub. According to Paul Michaels, Director of Consulting at Metri's UK-based office:: "Governments everywhere face the same issues: the need to find cost savings, do more with less resources, harmonise departmental silos and provide the public with consistently high quality services. In this, we are extremely proud to have been able to help the Dutch government find solutions to these challenges and achieve such a broad range of positive outcomes."