Harrow targets increased efficiency with Civil Enforcement managed service from Civica
The London Borough of Harrow is implementing a seven year programme to transform the efficiency of its parking enforcement and collections system, using Civil Enforcement (CE) software from Civica, a market leader in software-based solutions that help organisations to improve service delivery and efficiency.

The new system, which will handle over 120,000 penalty charge notices annually, will be integrated with the council’s corporate business systems, which are also being overhauled to deliver more efficient and flexible services.

The parking and street enforcement revamp is being mirrored in other departments at Harrow as part of a strategic drive to connect front line services and back office systems for greater operational efficiency and flexibility. The council plans that local services will increasingly be accessed through its contact centre with many self service options for online users.

The first phase will involve process re-engineering supported by migration to the new Civica CE platform early in 2009.  In the second phase set for completion later in 2009, Harrow will integrate applications such as CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) and Global Positioning System (GPS) information systems into the parking service, introducing self service and driving further operational efficiencies.

The programme was won by Civica after a competitive tender and procured by Harrow through the Catalist supplier framework. The company is providing consultancy and integration advice from its enforcement division’s specialist project management team.

Harrow Council chose Civica’s CE platform because it can be integrated with wider corporate service applications. This supported the council’s vision of streamlined operations, performance management, automation of collection systems and flexible and remote working options for staff.

Fern Silverio, head of collections at Harrow Council, explained: “We worked out a blueprint for better connected front and back office systems and using the CE product we will embed streamlined processes and reduce the cost of the service. We’ll be able to manage team performance better and give our staff more flexible ways of working.”

“Civica’s CE module will also help us meet our aspirations for simplifying complex processes and support better workflow management. We will prevent process duplications and be able to measure how our workload is handled by the team or over given time periods.

“With better parking administration systems, we’ll then be able to integrate CCTV and GPS capabilities so members of the public will in time be able to access details of their individual penalty charge notices online or pay fines themselves. This self service will further cut administrative tasks which have always been a sizeable element of parking enforcement.”

John Dutton, managing director Civica enforcement, said: “Councils face enormous challenges to deliver better services, safer streets and more efficient operations, and therefore demand a flexible service-led approach to technology that embraces all areas of their operations. Our Civil Enforcement system gives councils the ability to integrate parking applications and collections with their corporate workflow systems, which is critical in joining up front and back office. We look forward to working with Harrow to help streamline administration of local services while making them easier for local people to access.”