31–40 of 126 posts
Looking at the fact it has S3 and SQS in the calculator this could just be hosted on AWS but with payment done via the internal budgeting stuff.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Credit where credit is due, this is the legacy of the Cameron government (although the conversation started under Brown, iirc, it was the first Cameron cabinet that really pushed it, by basically setting up a skunkworks group that answered directly to the PM). The efficacy and power of GDS has since ebbed and flowed, but clearly they managed to entrench some great practices that continue to this day.
> setting up a skunkworks group that answered directly to the PM Isn't that massively excessive? Why does the Prime Minister need to be spending his time listening to a report direct from a team implementing software services?
With a direct line to the PM, every time a mandarin tried to block things (likely in order to favour his golf buddies from this or that vendor), GDS could go "ok, shall we take it up with the PM then?" and that would be the end of it.
It's effectively the nuclear option, in terms of civil-service management, but sometimes it's the only way to get stuff done.
Sounds lovely but limits competition and innovation, promoting oligopolies. I admire the nerve of "10% Procurement fee". Wait until there is a guideline that demands the use of GOV.UK Platform as a Service (PaaS) for the UK Public sector. A sensible approach would have been a list of certified service providers and contact points for contracting.
A bit off-topic, but gov.uk is quickly improving into an actual usable site. The GDS (Government Digital Service [0]) and the GDS (Government Design System [1]) - who run the posted link too - are doing a great job. Want to renew my passport? Easy, same UI/UX for getting a drone license, taxing my car and filing for benefits. Want to renew my driving license? Well, that's yet to move from the old DVLA site, but it's…
It continues from strength to strength.
Sounds lovely but limits competition and innovation, promoting oligopolies. I admire the nerve of "10% Procurement fee". Wait until there is a guideline that demands the use of GOV.UK Platform as a Service (PaaS) for the UK Public sector. A sensible approach would have been a list of certified service providers and contact points for contracting.
I would expect to see a 10% procurement discount, since they presumably have more negotiating power with AWS when buying £££££'s worth of stuff annually, rather than every individual government team setting up a small account for a few ££'s.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Credit where credit is due, this is the legacy of the Cameron government (although the conversation started under Brown, iirc, it was the first Cameron cabinet that really pushed it, by basically setting up a skunkworks group that answered directly to the PM). The efficacy and power of GDS has since ebbed and flowed, but clearly they managed to entrench some great practices that continue to this day.
> setting up a skunkworks group that answered directly to the PM Isn't that massively excessive? Why does the Prime Minister need to be spending his time listening to a report direct from a team implementing software services?
A bit off-topic, but gov.uk is quickly improving into an actual usable site. The GDS (Government Digital Service [0]) and the GDS (Government Design System [1]) - who run the posted link too - are doing a great job. Want to renew my passport? Easy, same UI/UX for getting a drone license, taxing my car and filing for benefits. Want to renew my driving license? Well, that's yet to move from the old DVLA site, but it's…
Some important UK government services are still lagging behind. DVLA, since you mention it, has a mix of okay and truly appalling services. I'm in the position of trying to renew my driving licence after it was revoked for medical reasons. It's now six months since my cardiac arrest and I now meet the medically-fit-to-drive criteria. But, I face an 84 day delay in my application being processed, as detailed on the DVLA's 'how-slow-are-we-today' page [0], which is actually labelled as a COVID-19 update. Furthermore, I have to post a paper application form to them as they haven't yet digitized the medical review service [1]. This is life-wrecking stuff for anyone who needs a driving licence for their work or similar.
I do like the gov.uk sites in general, but a lot of the back-office stuff is still disastrous. Some of this is due to strike action and COVID, but a big part of the problem is the continual failure of the various UK Govt departments to successfully manage large IT projects.
[0] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update
[1] https://www.gov.uk/reapply-driving-licence-medical-condition