Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has signed a three year contract with Civica, a software-based solutions company, to implement electronic document management (EDM) and workflow technology. The organisation-wide project is hoped to save £15 million over the next three years.

Perceived benefits of the contract include: reducing administration costs; saving physical storage space; and delivering a tangible return on investment of £1 million by April 2011.

The technology is already in the pilot phase across three departments at Southend-on-Sea that are particularly paperwork-heavy. The pilot will end in September 2009 and if successful, it will be implemented across the organisation in December 2009, to be completed by April 2011. The phased programme will eventually cover 20 service areas and more than 2,500 staff.

Martin Hone, Head of Finance and Resources, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council said: “As an organisation, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is determined to reduce costs, increase efficiency and deliver an improved service to citizens. We initiated a transformation programme in January 2009 and Civica’s EDM and workflow technology will greatly improve administrative processes, allowing us to provide citizens with a faster service while cutting back paperwork and enhancing flexible working options for our staff.”