DISC Programme
From SR
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Purpose
The DISC Programme is a mission-critical programme, responsible for the replacement of the DCA's existing contracts for IT services when they expire in 2007-8, and for the transition of underlying services.
Contracts
The Department currently has four main contract areas and six contracts that provide IT infrastructure and business applications services. These all expire between January 2007 and October 2008 and the Department is planning for their replacement with contracts that better suit its current and future expected needs.
Aims
The mission for the DISC Programme is to create competitive market-facing contracts to optimise and modernise current operations. It is critical that the procured contracts provide both continuity of service at the termination of the existing contracts and the flexible and future-proofed platform to enable delivery of more effective and efficient solutions.
The scope of the services to be delivered as a result of DISC includes a number of related agencies and Non-departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs).
Before commencing the formal procurement process DISC undertook a range of market engagement activities to ensure that the strategies adopted are practical and achievable. One of the main ways of engaging with the market was to hold a series of workshops via the joint Office of Government Commerce and Intellect Concept Viability Forum. Details of the process can be found on the Intellect web site.
Projects
The DISC Programme comprises three Projects:
- Procurement, responsible for the procurement of new modern, flexible IT Infrastructure and Applications contracts
- Transition, responsible for the transfer of delivery and support for all in-scope services from incumbent suppliers to new service providers, with minimal business interruption
- ITSS 2.0, responsible for preparing the DCA's e-Delivery Group to adjust to the new contract environment in which it will manage and integrate the new IT services
