Shared Services External Resources
A Guide to Shared Services Business Case Development
This Shared Services guide is intended for local government officers who have been asked to think about the benefits of sharing services or who have been tasked with directing, managing or participating in a Shared Services initiative.
This practical guide (developed with funding provided by Improvement East) explains how three councils developed a business case for sharing four transactional and support services: Dacorum Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council. Other local authorities may consider the guide as a useful starting point for their own work. It also incorporates the personal views of many of those involved in the programme about key considerations, challenges and success factors.
IE Guide to Shared Services - 2010, 40 pages, 4017KB, free PDF download.
Improvement East’s Shared Services Scheme
This document outlines Improvement East’s approach to funding and commissioning shared services projects; provides guidance on what to consider when embarking on a shared services project; and sets out the funding criteria and monitoring procedures which must be followed once funding is agreed.
IE Shared Service Scheme - 2010, 7 pages, 84KB, free PDF download.
Shared Services, Staff and Joint Committees Agreement
Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council have established an Agreement for the employment of staff; to provide services jointly and to establish Joint Committees. Our thanks go to Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council for kindly sharing this document.
Agreement - 2007, 50 pages, 207KB, free word download.
ICT Shared Services in Cumbria
In May 2009 Cumbria Improvement and Efficiency Partnership funded Barrow Borough Council, in conjunction with Allerdale Borough Council, Carlisle City Council and South Lakeland District Council to capture lessons learnt from developing two new shared ICT services - one across Barrow and South Lakeland and one across Carlisle and Allerdale.
The results included an appraisal by Castlerigg Consulting and a 'toolkit' which actively translates the lessons learnt into a re-usable guide for future shared services. Our thanks go to all the Councils involved for kindly sharing this documentation.
LBRO Shared Services Study
LBRO support effective performance in environmental health, fire safety, licensing and trading standards. In looking to understand the strategic implications of shared regulatory services, LBRO undertook a study to look at some of the key barriers and insights into shared services. The findings of their research include a report and summary, along with a checklist document to use as a prompt for discussion when you are initially considering embarking on a shared services project.
Shared Service Architects
Shared Service Architecture Ltd is a teaching company focused on equipping politicians and senior managers in the public sector with the skills and knowledge to design and initiate successful shared service partnerships. Their website hosts a library containing links to various shared service documents, examples, materials, tools and techniques, including shared service strategy documents.