Government agencies and departments have never been under greater pressure.

Caught between fiscal commitments and an ever more demanding population, never has there been a greater need to control costs, manage resources better, and improve operational efficiency and quality of service.

BT has traditionally had a strong presence within the Government sector. Indeed, as an organisation that was once part of the public sector, our own experience in this area is considerable - we understand the pressures government organisations face. In fact, to help public sector organisations understand the benefits that technology can enable, BT has taken a leading role in the development and management of several global e-government 'think-tanks' including;

" Vital Vision - a programme managed by BT in collaboration with key organisations in Europe and North America exploring how the thinking of the business sector can be applied to the public sector " eu-Forum - a not-for-profit associating that brings private and public sector organisation together to promote excellence in e-government. ( www.eu-forum.org )

The public sector, faced with internal and external pressures, is now looking to Information Communication Technology (ICT) to deliver service to citizens and to exact efficiencies from the correct implementation of automated systems. Indeed, an imperative for both central and regional government departments is the need to meet e-government targets for multi-channel access to public services and information for citizens.

At the heart of modernising government is not only the need for the most up to date ICT with robust e-security to protect citizen's data, but also the need for cultural change. Organisations must learn to work together, to share knowledge, skills and resources.

In modernising our own organisation, by getting closer to our customers and transforming much of our working practices using new secure technology, we have achieved substantial savings. More importantly, we have increased the confidence of our customers and our own employees.

We can leverage our experience to help government organisations identify and build appropriate organisational and technological solutions that will support their policy and decision-making, enhance working life, and deliver better, more cost-efficient services to their communities.

Just some of the things we're doing:

• In the UK we are working on a series of projects to help to overcome the issue of social exclusion, including the roll-out of our Multiphones, which offer citizens access to e-mail and the Internet from public locations such as libraries and train stations.
• We are developing innovative finance options for public sector organisations to help them overcome funding issues. For instance, BT can offer up-front investment as part of a commercial risk-sharing partnership. Repayments can be made in a variety of ways depending on the service provided. These could include payment by usage, or payment on audited achievement of specified benefits.
• BT Consulting have worked alongside many government and civil organisations, developing groundbreaking strategic partnerships and gaining an enviable reputation as specialists in the government arena.
• In Germany, BT is restructuring the entire telecommunications network of the Bavarian State Government. The deal will provide the State Government with network links to 2,000 locations in Bavaria through BT's MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) services.
• The Ministry of Public Administration in Spain is also embarking on a massive modernisation programme. BT is providing the Spanish Ministry with fixed voice, data and Internet services.
• The UK Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) agreement is expected to save the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) £300 million over the contract period.
• Our first major joint venture with local government was completed with Liverpool City Council in 2001. Worth over £300m, the contract is a landmark in PPP (Public Private Partnership). Our solution will completely e-Enable the council's entire interaction with the citizen.

Our Customers include:
Central

• UK Ministry of Defence
• Spanish Ministry of Defence
• Spanish Ministry of Employment (INEM)
• Spanish Ministry of Public Administrations
• Ministry of Education
• UK Police
• NHS

Regional/Local

• Free State of Bavaria
• Bracknell Forest:
• Liverpool City Council
• Rotherham

Product and service links to:

VPN & IP Services
Outsourcing