SAP and Deloitte – the latest contributors to UK government’s Shared Services Strategy

A skyline view of the city of London, with the tower of London and the river Thames taking focus in the centre | UK SAP

Key Takeaways

SAP SE is collaborating with the UK government through the Unity Cluster program to develop a shared SAP operating model that will enhance efficiency for HMRC, DfT, and MHCLG by implementing cloud capabilities.

The partnership aims to implement key SAP solutions such as SAP Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Business Technology Platform, and SAP Concur, facilitating better management of HR, finance and procurement services.

The initiative highlights the UK government's commitment to digital transformation, emphasizing improved departmental processes, data compliance and overall user experience through collaborations with major tech players like SAP and Deloitte.

SAP SE has recently announced a new program collaborating with the UK government and several of its departments called the Unity Cluster program.

The enterprise technology specialist aims to use cloud capabilities with RISE with SAP to deliver shared services for His Majesty Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The goal of the Unity Cluster is to create a shared SAP operating model. Through collaboration with another technical delivery partner, financial consultant and audit specialist, Deloitte, SAP is working towards creating and delivering a secure digital platform that can handle HR, finance and procurement services – with the ultimate ambition to boost departmental efficiency.

The collaboration between SAP SE and multiple government agencies is the latest development in recent UK government efforts to revolutionize and upgrade its public sector services, following this week’s general availability of SAP’s Sovereign Cloud capabilities in the UK to provide secure, localized cloud solutions to public sector organizations, critical national infrastructure and highly regulated industries. SAP’s Sovereign Cloud is designed to meet the highest standards of data residency, security and compliance within the UK, making it relevant for organizations in such sectors as Central Government and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Last month also revealed tech giants Microsoft and Oracle are contributing towards the government’s Shared Services Strategy.

SAP hopes a unified technology platform will encourage departments to take advantage of some of the latest digital solutions, leverage data-led insights for more informed decision-making and improve overall user experience while keeping processes secure.

As part of the RISE with SAP deployment, the Unity Cluster will help implement SAP Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP Concur – all in the attempt to provide departments with a strong foundation that can manage business processes and sensitive data.

The wide availability of SAP’s UK sovereign cloud capabilities can help ensure compliance with UK regulations while also working towards maintaining high standards of data residency and security.

“This partnership is a real demonstration of the breadth of our digital capabilities. We are delivering complete end-to-end ERP transformation that will positively impact the work of 100,000 civil servants across three major government departments,” said Leila Romane, managing director, SAP UKI.

“It’s more than just a technological shift, but a mindset change too. With our continued investment in the UK and tailored industry solutions, we are helping our public sector leaders and civil servants across HMRC, DfT and MHCLG to simplify and reduce manual time-consuming administration processes across HR, finance and procurement. This enables them to spend more time on work that matters, supporting customers, each other and the country.”

By announcing collaborations with versatile tech giants like SAP, Deloitte, Microsoft and Oracle, the UK government has shown its commitment to the digital transformation of many of its services.