From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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New system will replace 31 existing financial management & reporting systems
The Minister of State for Public Procurement, Open Government and eGovernment, Patrick O’Donovan TD, has today (10 August 2017) announced that the government’s modernisation programme is on track to deliver savings of approximately €15 million per annum through the establishment of a new Finance Shared Service Centre.
A new technology solution, which will allow the Finance Shared Service Centre to go live in 2018, will help to realise millions in annual savings for the state by replacing 31 existing government financial management and reporting systems.
Minister O’Donovan said:
"The new financial shared services model reflects a real shift in how we will manage and use our financial data. This project will deliver significant benefits to the public through improved government financial management at a lower cost, and is a central part of the reform agenda that is being pursued."
This new system and Finance Centre will result in 48 government organisations changing how they deliver financial management, with a move from 48 ways of working to one new, standardised environment.
This reflects the government’s commitment to delivering better outcomes for the public and to building a responsive and agile public service, using technology to deliver efficiencies and add value.
The case to establish a Civil Service Finance Shared Service Centre was approved by government in January 2016.
When fully operational, it will process about 625,000 invoices, administer €30 billion and account for in excess of €50 billion in gross expenditure.
It will improve resilience, increase financial control and deliver a sustainable reduction in the annual cost of finance through a reduction in the cost of support for finance technology and in the resources required to provide financial management processing.
This new centre, which will begin providing finance shared services next year, will be co-located with payroll in Galway, Killarney and Tullamore.
Civil service staff from existing finance functions within departments will be redeployed to these centres.
Recruitment is expected to begin across all three locations in late 2017 and continue on an annual basis until the Finance Shared Service Centre is fully established in 2020.
The Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Defence, and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General will be among the first organisations to be served by the new Finance Shared Service Centre.
ENDS