Bringing together a multi-supplier IT services eco-system

Case study

Due to several years of underinvestment the client’s existing IT infrastructure would not support the future plans of the business. Ageing assets that were not fit for purpose, and an unsustainable single source contract had led to the business losing confidence in its IT organisation. A thorough modernisation programme was required to update the core IT platforms and services, as well as the wider organisation.

As part of the programme, the client needed to move from their single-supplier outsourced arrangement for their IT Operations, to a multi-supplier “ecosystem” arrangement. This transformation would ultimately deliver better service to users and be more cost-effective.

An additional challenge for this programme was that the migration activity required needed to happen without significant degradation in service to end-users. This was particularly important in areas of the business which relied on critical IT services to “keep the planes in the air”.

Oaklin advised and assisted the leadership team on how to bring together a multi-supplier IT services eco-system into a single service-providing team. It necessitated bringing separate entities and internal business units together in over 170 locations in each major geography in the world. Oaklin was also responsible for managing the overall contract negotiation process with the new suppliers.

Subsequently, the team managed all the third-party suppliers through the service transfer process to ensure that they were prepared and ready to take on the service, and that the incumbent provider exited smoothly. This involved challenging timescales, the on-boarding of each new supplier, and building effective relationships between the client and supplier teams.

Throughout the service transfer the Oaklin team strived to maintain a collaborative environment, whilst ensuring that robust supplier and project management practices were implemented to hold suppliers accountable for their delivery.

The client’s new IT Global Service Management organisation was launched, underpinned by a complex commercial and contracting solution which knitted together a series of regional business entities, accommodating local jurisdictions and business priorities.

The new suppliers were prepared and onboarded smoothly resulting in better IT service delivery to the client’s user base. In addition, incidents were resolved more efficiently, IT service requests fulfilled effectively, there was more proactive monitoring of the IT estate, and supplier performance was measured and incentivised appropriately.