BCP Council teamed up with KPMG and Microsoft to unify its redundant system architecture, streamline services and save in excess of £50m of ongoing gross revenue savings.
One council’s vision of the future
Unifying three separate infrastructures to form one data-led leader in public services
The opportunity
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils merged to form the Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council in 2019 and, in doing so, they became the 10th largest council in the UK, with over 400,000 residents to serve. Bringing together three separate councils meant that three different cultures, system architectures and ways of working needed to be harmonised. The newly formed BCP Council was confronted with a tangle of inefficiencies, and they turned to KPMG and Microsoft for support. With our help, they aimed to transform into a unified and more efficient, citizen-centric urban authority.
Faced with this challenge, KPMG professionals investigated how BCP’s needs could be met by applying our Powered Enterprise approach and embedding a Target Operating Model (TOM). We believed our leading-practice model could help BCP to develop a unified data platform and a centralized interface for residents to interact with council services. In this case, our TOM is optimized for Microsoft’s powerful business applications and technology, which could also help BCP to reach new levels of efficiency and sustainability.
Our response: Simplifying systems and empowering members of the public.
As a local council, BCP’s priority was to improve the experience for its constituents. With KPMG’s Connected methodology, BCP could offer a level of service similar to that of leaders in the private sector. The goal was to provide residents with a “My Account” portal that would enable them to submit service requests and track their status online, without the need for human intervention. This streamlined process would not only save time for both citizens and council staff, but also enhance transparency and accessibility.
As well as focusing on front-end improvements, we also overhauled BCP’s back-office systems to enhance its efficiency and productivity. Before the transformation, the council had 29 different asset management systems, which covered everything from streetlights to public parks. Now that KPMG has consolidated these into a single system, BCP is able to reduce its costs, enhance data accuracy and make faster, smarter decisions based on insight.
The outcome: Uniting people, processes, and technology to deliver cost-effective services.
KPMG’s work with BCP has delivered clear and significant benefits. The council has been able to achieve ongoing revenue savings to March 2024, of £25.7m, as well as being predicted to increase that to £50.2m of savings, by March 2025. Which is all the more impressive during a period of significant economic adversity. These savings, achieved through operational efficiencies and automations have enabled BCP to reinvest in critical services and improve experiences for the public.
The integration of Microsoft’s technology, powered by KPMG’s methodology, has helped to position BCP as a leader in innovation. By breaking down silos and unifying all of its data, the council now has access to insight across all its functions, improving service delivery and enhancing transparency. By working with KPMG and Microsoft, BCP not only overcame the complexities of merging three councils – it has also been able to set an example for others to follow, providing modern and efficient public services across the UK.
