SCI PROMIS commended

We are pleased to report that  Project Records Online Management Information System (PROMIS), www.hseresearchprojects.com/promis was nominated and commended in the Award category: Central e-Government excellence: Procurement - Sponsored by OGC (Procuring excellent IT-enabled solutions for better public services).

Health & Safety Executive Chief Scientist Unit www.hse.gov.uk said: 'The SCI has demonstrated excellence in ICT delivery for HSE and HSL over a 10 year period attracting such epithets as 'the jewel in the crown of HSE's dissemination effort' (HSE Chief Scientist in relation to the Science Research Outlook system). In PROMIS SCI have delivered, within an extremely tight budget and timescale, a complete web based business system that has transformed how HSE and HSL procure and monitor £40million worth of research projects every year.'

In 2004, the HSE approached SCI following successful operation of the public Research Projects Directory with the suggestion that although PRD gave easy resource discovery on completed research projects, that the research budget was administered through complex and differing paper based workflows in different parts of HSE and HSL. Moreover, questions as to the mix (topic, expenditure, strategic programme) of procured research work were impossible to answer. Knowledge as to the current value of the research work portfolio was spread throughout HSE and HSL.

 Varying practices were known to be applied regarding the control of funding budgets, ranging from meeting open ended 'immediate' requirements to, multi-year programmed work. There was nothing to ensure that project outcomes were assessed and there was nothing to ensure that downstream project impacts were recorded (to assess the worth of the research investment.)

Within one year SCI had completed a complex user analysis, agreed with all stakeholders, rationalised workflows mirroring existing good practice and had launched a web based management system recording £20 million worth of research budget within it's first month of operation and covering the entire budget within six months.

The system was procured at a fixed cost of £95k, remained within budget and was delivered to the initial programme.

In the period since inception (February 2006), the system comprises over 300 HSE, HSL and Local Government users handling all of the £40 million worth of research budget.

For the full article click here.

For further information, please contact:

John Moran
Senior Manager ICT
Email: j.moran@steel-sci.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 636515