IT Consolidation

Consolidation of IT service delivery is occurring in jurisdictions and agencies all over North America. Governments recognize that IT consolidation improves security while reducing IT service delivery costs and creating an opportunity to reallocate savings to improve program delivery and citizen services.

The ITO is pursuing IT consolidation using the "vertical" integration model. Under this model, the ITO takes over all aspects of IT service delivery (help desk, infrastructure and application development) for ministries and agencies joining the IT service delivery partnership. Nearly all executive government ministries now receive their services from the ITO, which provides services to more than 9,000 government employees in 20 ministries and agencies. The remaining ministries are expected to join the partnership by the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year.

Another key objective and benefit of the consolidation project has been the creation of a new governance model for IT decision-making. This model ensures that each ministry has an Information Technology Management Committee in place to review, approve and monitor IT projects and spending. In addition, all major government IT projects in excess of $250,000 are subject to the same rigorous scrutiny by two high-level councils that represent the corporate-wide interests of government and taxpayers.

The ITO is the lead agency in the governance process, with responsibility for facilitating:

• Corporate planning and decision making (Call for IT Initiatives)
• Business case analysis, evaluation and training
• Enterprise project management standards, training and reporting (Central Reporting
  Framework for Major IT Initiatives)
• Enterprise project identification and management

IT consolidation is also designed to leverage the government's IT-related activities in order to provide the IT industry with opportunities to add value and innovation to government service delivery. Part of that effort involves establishing a collaborative relationship with the IT industry that promotes sector development.