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BOPLASS benefits growing

Thursday 8 April 2010, 2:42PM

By Whakatane District Council

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WHAKATANE

Whakatane District Council is beginning to realise benefits of participating in the regional shared services company BOPLASS. In its half-year report to the Council BOPLASS shows benefits close to $1millon have been realised by participating councils in the Bay of Plenty Region.

The Council is benefitting from participating in a number of BOPLASS projects. These include the ESRI-GIS project will save the Councils in the region about $60,000 in the provision of GIS services. The project will see Bay of Plenty councils using the same GIS software, development of GIS capability and skills in the region.

The Council’s Chief Executive Diane Turner says the GIS area is an important and critical component in the delivery of services to the community and the management of infrastructure and various council assets. People with skills in the GIS are very scarce and difficult to retain for a council of our size and therefore working across the region has huge benefits for us to access these specialised skills”

In addition through combined purchase of GIS data, we have been able to make additional savings of over $12,000 in the last financial year.

In the area of insurance services and stationery supplies, BOPLASS has been able to negotiate significant savings. Through the appointment of a joint broker and combined tender, the region has been able to realise savings of $850,000, with more savings expected over the next two years.

The Stationery deal is already showing potential saving with an estimated $65,000 saved across the region already in the last six months for the participating councils, of which Whakatane District Council is one.

Ms Turner said among the exciting projects that BOPLASS is leading is the FX Networks and the One.Govt consortium to provide high speed broadband connection between the majority of the councils in the region.

This connectivity will bring several important benefits, such breaking the duopoly effect that has been existing in the provision of broadband connectivity, bring down the pricing of data connections, provide an ability for video conferencing saving time and travelling between centres. In the longer term, the connectivity will allow for the further development of shared services in back office services, such rating, financial management and human resources services. The improved connectivity will significantly improve the councils’ ability to do business outside of their immediate areas.
BOPLASS is a company set up by councils in the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne region to provide councils with an umbrella vehicle to investigate, procure, develop and deliver shared services. Such services will be initiated under the umbrella of this company where a business case shows that they provide benefit to the (voluntary) council users by either improved levels of service, reduced costs, improved efficiency and/or increased value through innovation.