ICT managers in central government see efficiency as the most important factor in their spending decisions over the next few years, according to a report from Kable, a provider of public sector ICT research. The profile of ICT spend in the years 2010 -2011 shows that efficiency is likely to surpass service levels and budgetary factors in influencing the spend.

The move to a greater focus on efficiency is partly a response to a real slowdown in the growth of public expenditure, from 4 per cent in recent years to 2 per cent. Another significant factor is that the number of ‘easy wins’ in meeting efficiency targets is shrinking fast

The report also notes a movement to hosted internet systems and the consolidation of call centres with increased spending on services.

The changing role of central government’s ICT managers is also highlighted. This results from a greater use of managed services and the increasing use of external providers generally. Managers are now more concerned with looking after the underlying infrastructure and concentrating their efforts on ICT acquisition and strategy.

The report also identifies an increasing demand for software as departments look for commercial off the shelf packages to fulfill demand for business applications, document management and customer contact tools.

The report, priced at 2,950 pounds + VAT is available from Kable. http://www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/pages/aboutKable