Services

1. e-Government Consultancy
2. GIS and Addressing Consultancy
3. ICT and related services review
4. Interim Management
5. NT and local network review
6. Performance Indicator BVPI157
7. Procurement Advice
8. Project Management
9. Publication and Research
10. Recruitment Assistance
11. Strategic Partnership Facilitation
12. Speakers for Conferences
13. Telecommunications
14. Training and Events
15. Web Site Reviews

e-Government Consultancy

Nineveh is the UK’s leading specialist provider of electronic government advice to local authorities. Consultants working in this practice area include: Tim Dawes, Brian Westcott, Mary Wintershausen and Tony Riding. All of these have acted as advisors to government and are recognised as the leading independent consultants in this field. Each has more than 25 years experience in IT.

Tim Dawes and Linda Williams assisted Brighton and Hove to become the first Council to complete an ICT strategy specifically linked to electronic government targets. Nineveh has since helped many local authorities including the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Havant Borough Councils to develop comprehensive electronic government and ICT strategies. During 2001 Nineveh helped 14 local authorities prepare and submit their Implementing Electronic Government Statements.

A feature of our electronic government strategy work has been our awareness raising seminars with senior officers and elected members. For example North Lincolnshire Council commissioned Nineveh to spend a day explaining electronic government to their elected members and helping them put the implications into their local context.

Nineveh can call on a number of associates and partners to help its customers build effective ICT Infrastructure strategies to support their business objectives. For example, Nineveh has arrangements with Trustis who provide PKI and related security infrastructure advice. Areas of special expertise include: LLPG, Middleware and CRM, DIP and Workflow and applications fit analysis. We also have specialists in telecommunications, networking, web based systems, GIS, Microsoft Active Directory and Lotus Notes.

GIS and Addressing Consultancy

Nineveh has a number of consultants who have experience in GIS and related fields such as LLPG and BS7666 addressing systems. Peter Clegg is a leading member of the AGI and Linda Williams has served on the NLPG Advisory Committee. The practice has a particularly strong expertise in implementing GIS in District Councils.

GIS and Addressing Strategy reviews have been completed by Nineveh for the following Councils: Gosport Borough, Torridge District, Vale of White Horse District, West Dorset District and Winchester City.

ICT and related services review

Nineveh has been involved in a number of Best Value and general management reviews of ICT Services. Tim Dawes has advised a number of new unitary Councils on their IT Staffing requirements and has helped a city council review its service options before deciding to outsource its IT Support service. In other incidences reviews have led to changes in staffing, operational procedures etc. A recent review has recommended that a client who has outsourced their IT service should bring it back in house.

Interim Management

Nineveh provided full interim management for Winchester City Council for a period of eight months whilst the IT service went through a major change period. Despite all the changes, the interim period saw a number of major projects completed and the standard of service improve.

Nineveh has a number of experienced IT directors and technical leaders in its associate network and is always willing to discuss possible interim management options with local authorities.

NT and local network review

Nineveh has special expertise in the area of Microsoft NT and Windows 2000 configurations over local area networks. We can also quality assure NT/W2k server hardware configurations.

Lon Jeal, our technical configuration consultant, recently completed a Quality Assurance review of the network and server infrastructure at Tendring District Council. The review confirmed that the local configurations were well constructed and made some practical recommendations for future investment. Lon has considerable experience of configuring Netware, NT and W2000 solutions and is also able to design and configure switched networks.

Performance Indicator BVPI157

Nineveh has developed a standard approach to BVPI157 based very closely on the official guidance issued by the DTLR. Our specialist consultant, Phil Cox, has successfully completed a number of BVPI157 reviews, including one for Watford Borough Council.

Procurement Advice

We are widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable procurement advisers to local government. This area of our practice covers work many types of advice including market availability of products and services, contract packaging, letting supplies and services contracts using the EC Public Procurement procedures and advice on contract terms and conditions.

We have experience of working with all kinds of local authorities and often work alongside in-house IT teams and procurement professionals as well as both in-house and external legal advisors. Examples of our work include helping Test Valley Borough Council procure a new Revenues systems, providing option and market information on Benefits systems for Wolverhampton Borough Council, helping Powys Council decide how it should purchase desk top equipment and helping Salisbury Borough Council decide which contract re-lets needed to go through the OJEC process.

Revenues and Benefits Systems are a special area of expertise and we have experience of implementing systems from all three of the leading suppliers.

Project Management

Nineveh has a number of very experienced Project Managers. We use, as appropriate, PRINCE 2 as our standard methodology, but can adapt to most local requirements. All of our Project Managers have experience of working in local government and with IT supplier companies.

During 2001 Nineveh assisted Basingstoke and Dean Borough Council to procure and implement an integrated Revenues and Benefits solution. Linda Williams, who acted as our part time Project Manager here, has managed a number of other implementations, including GIS roll-outs and Payroll. At Colchester Borough Council our Project Manager, Peter Rudge, is helping implement a number of projects related to the Council’s move away from mainframe architecture. Peter has special knowledge of Social Services and Housing IT systems.

Publication and Research

Nineveh undertakes research projects on commission and also has its own programme of research and development activities. Our clients have included Earth Observation Sciences, the Institute for Public Finance, Microsoft and Socitm.

In January 1999 we published "GIS in Local Government - A Directory and Introductory Guide to Best Practice.". Other publications are under consideration for 2002.

Recruitment Assistance

Nineveh has helped a number of clients to determine their staffing needs. At Herefordshire, for example, we helped the new unitary Council create a candidate profile and Job Description for a new post of Head of IT. We then went on to advice on assessment criteria and provided a consultant to assist with candidate interviews.

Strategic Partnership Facilitation

Nineveh has developed a strong interest in facilitating strategic partnerships for electronic government. We have worked with groups of local authorities to facilitate common planning strategies and have been closely involved in developing best practice for the letting of ICT and e-government public/private partnerships.

We are currently advising two local authorities on the letting of such partnerships. At Braintree District Council, for example, Nineveh’s advice has been instrumental in obtaining excellent quality responses from the market place.

Speakers for Conferences

Subject to availability, we can provide top name speakers for e-government and ICT public events. A modest standard fee is charged for this activity to cover our expenses where the conference is organised by a public body or representative organisation.

Telecommunications

Nineveh has provided telecommunications and call centre advice to a number of Councils. Our associate consultant, John Taylor, recently worked with Colchester Borough Council helping them to re-let a centrex contract for telephone services. The exercise enabled the Council to switch providers and provide better value and improved service under their new contract. We also factored in the need to bring in new IP based telecommunications services as these mature in due course.

Training and Events

Nineveh created and managed the SOCITM Training Programme from its inception until July 2001 when a change of policy forced our withdrawal. From the autumn of 2001, we will be working with Informed Publications and UKAuthorITY.com to provide a range of events designed to develop electronic government understanding and best practice within local government.

Nineveh is very strongly committed to the integrity of all training and seminar services we deliver or have delivered on our behalf. In particular, anyone attending a Nineveh organised event is guaranteed that all advice offered will be independent of other commercial considerations, fair, open and without favour to anyone.

Please telephone Ruth Scott (02392 360747) for details of our electronic government and special topic seminars. These can be tailored for your requirements and are suitable for presentation to your management team or elected members.

Our events section has a full list of our current events. This events section is fully transactional and allows you to check event availablility as well as on-line booking.

Web Site Reviews

Nineveh offers a straight forward practical approach to reviewing local authority web sites. This work is undertaken by Peter Clegg, who has been involved web site content management and design for many years. A feature of our reviews is checking compliance to BOBBY standards - designed to help make sites accessible to people with disabilities. A typical review involves four or five days work and results in a detailed report packed with practical recommendations for improvements.

A recent report for Surrey Heath Borough Council made a series of easy to implement recommendations that improved the ease of access for the ordinary citizen. Another for a London Borough resulted in a major change of policy when we criticised the practice of different departments running their own web sites. This Council now has a unified site with a much-improved general look and feel.