Fresh from a discovery phase the GOV.UK Verify team is keen to press on with local authority pilots – and is looking for willing candidates
Pilots will focus initially on two council services:
- older people’s concessionary travel
- residents’ parking permit services
In a post on the team blog Linda O'Halloran and Irina Penchev outline “the commitments and resources that local councils will need to participate in our pilots”. They also outline what GDS will bring to the party.
They are keen to hear from interested local authorities that “can meet our project timelines and fulfil the requirements,” adding that the team will support all eligible councils through the process of connecting to GOV.UK Verify and help to “transform each pilot service from end-to-end”.
To be eligible, councils must commit to collaboratively redesigning the local service to make it “as great as it can be” using common standards and GOV.UK Verify. It is worth noting that any councils (and their suppliers) must agree that any products created as part of the project will be, and remain, open source. GDS will support the process with service design, user research and technical guidance, business case development, and project coordination.
GOV.UK Verify accounts will be free to councils that participate for the duration of the pilot. O’Halloran and Penchev say that the aim is to use the pilots to develop a business case and commercial model for local authorities using the service.
They add: “We hope to support all eligible councils through a fast-paced, delivery-focused and agile process that produces minimal viable products. This will range from a business case that everyone involved can use to demonstrate the value of whole service transformation, to working services in private beta at each local authority.”
For more information and an application form – which must be filled in and returned by 26th September – visit the project blog.
