Stabilising Critical Services Through Strategic Procurement
A major public safety organisation mitigated the risk of system failure by defining enterprise-wide requirements, restoring governance and preparing a secure, auditable go-to-market strategy.
Context
The organisation was operating on borrowed time. Its core Service Management System (SMS) was end-of-life, unsupported and increasingly unstable, placing essential law enforcement and administrative functions at risk.
Despite the urgency, progress had stalled. The incumbent service provider lacked the capability to define system requirements or support a formal procurement process. Without clear documentation or a credible replacement strategy, the organisation faced the real prospect of operational disruption with no viable path forward.
Approach
This engagement focused on immediate risk reduction followed by structured preparation for system replacement, ensuring the next platform would serve the enterprise, not just IT.
Define
The first priority was clarity.
Extensive requirements gathering was conducted across critical enterprise functions, including Service Management, Human Resources, Risk and Compliance, Case Management and Technology Operations. This ensured the replacement system would support the full breadth of operational needs rather than solving a narrow technical problem.
At the same time, the gaps in the incumbent provider’s delivery were surfaced and addressed to stabilise day-to-day operations while the replacement strategy was developed.
Align
With requirements defined, alignment shifted to market readiness.
Unbiased guidance was provided on the vendor landscape, helping the organisation understand what modern platforms could, and could not, realistically deliver. Structured procurement tools and technical templates were developed to support consistent vendor evaluation and evidence-based decision-making.
This alignment ensured procurement would be driven by enterprise outcomes, not vendor narratives.
Govern
Governance was embedded through structure and auditability.
A formal go-to-market process was defined, supported by documented requirements, validation criteria and technical artefacts. Foundational standards, including early CMDB blueprint components, were introduced to strengthen long-term configuration and asset governance beyond the immediate procurement.
Outcome
The organisation moved from risk exposure to readiness.
Immediate threats of system failure were mitigated, and leadership gained a clear, defensible path to market. A complete go-to-market foundation was established, allowing vendors to be assessed consistently and transparently.
Most importantly, the organisation emerged better equipped to manage future service providers, with clearer accountability, reduced risk and stronger governance across its technology estate.