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The Department of Labour (DoL) has opted for a hybrid (mixed) approach in implementing the new information communication technology (ICT) model as it winds its multi billion rand 10 year contract with Siemens.

DoL Chief Information Officer (CIO) Thabo Sefali told a workshop in Muldersdrift attended by the departmental top brass and members of the Portfolio Committee on Labour and the Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Labour that a number of options were considered on the way forward and the organisation opted for the hybrid approach.

Sefali said that this hybrid approach includes: retaining of all current staff, invoke the concession option, and/or issue service request to the industry as required.

Sefali said the department was working against time and had opted to use all options available, however, was optimistic that after a slow start to the exit and transfer strategy the process was on schedule to be completed in November.

“We have started a project management office as part of the transition phase that will manage all related activities and the ICT Strategy will be concluded by the end of the month,” he said.

The whole exit process at operational level was being overseen by a number of work streams that have been established and these were operating under the auspices of the Exit & Transfer Steering Committee that meets regularly.

The DoL/Siemens public private partnership ends in November 2012. The service transfer handover process is planned to begin in September. The initial DoL/Siemens contract was valued at R1,2 billion over 10 year period. At its conclusion in November it would have shot up to R1,9 billion factoring in the consumer price index and expenditure on additional services.

Sefali said the future ICT operating model would have to improve the operational efficiency of the DoL including its public entities such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Compensation Fund. He said the strategy would also have to contribute to cost effectiveness of making business while assisting the DoL towards being a paperless working environment and environmentally friendly.

It was made clear that the DoL ICT has intentions to establish and use internal capacity going forward and outsourcing will be considered where necessary, said Sefali.