IT Decisions 2010: New Court Ruling Can Cut Costs And Implications For End User Organisations

23rd and 24th June at the Pavilion, NEC, Birmingham

At IT Decisions 2010, a new major event designed to help businesses and government make important IT investment decisions, delegates will learn how a recent court ruling helps make major IT and outsourcing projects successful and reduces their end-to-end costs whilst avoiding risky implications. Managing Director of Best Practice Group, Allan Watton, will present a hard-hitting session, ‘ Project Accountability: Reducing the cost of your IT and outsourcing contracts’ focusing on how to realise fast cost savings and significant operating improvements simply by changing how to work with and manage technology vendors.

Despite improvements in the quality of project management and governance, projects involving managed service providers in both the IT and outsourcing field continue to run over budget, rarely realise the expectations of the organisation’s executives and are usually very late. In his session at IT Decisions 2010, Watton will use the issues raised in several judgments including the recent judgment in J Murphy & Sons Limited v Johnson Precast Limited [2008] EWHC 3024 (TCC) to illustrate the importance of a good requirements specification, contractual framework and on-going relationship. These cases ruled that where the client organisation has relied on the expertise and advice of a vendor providing a technology solution, the vendor would be accountable for its advice throughout the life of the project, even if the vendor contract terms expressly try to avoid such responsibilities.

“Because the latest case relates to a construction claim, not an IT system, it slipped under the radar for most CIOs, but learning from this case will help organisations both reduce the end-to-end operating costs of large technology and software projects, as well as ensure those projects are fit for their intended purpose,” says Watton. “In the session at IT Decisions, I will be showing how all IT buyers and CIOs can learn practical operating tips from this case to both reduce the end-to-end operating costs of large technology, software and outsourcing projects, as well as ensure those projects are fit for their intended purpose. Awareness amongst IT buyers and CIOs needs to be raised, or this could cost organisations more time and money if they are unprepared.”

Any organisation that represents itself as a specialist in its field and that is contracted to give advice to another, is obliged to state exactly what their advice covers, validate what it does not cover and validate the consequential impact on the project of what their advice does not cover. The vendor has a duty to warn of any issues that may adversely impact a project, even if the project has already been entered into. Delegates attending Watton’s presentation will be urged to understand the process by which it can practically rely on any vendor whose professional advice has been sought.

Using rich educational content and a wide range of independent advisors, IT Decisions 2010 aims to provide an annual one-stop-shop designed to identify and explain the most important technologies shaping corporate and public sector IT systems, as well as how to optimise the IT procurement process.

Key themes for this year include cloud computing and software-as-a-service; virtualisation, storage and data centre optimisation; unified communications and VoIP; Web 2.0, collaboration and messaging; secure systems development; green IT and FastForward, an emerging technologies showcase.

Watton’s session takes place at IT Decisions 2010 on 23rd and 24th June at the Pavilion, NEC Birmingham. IT Decisions is free to attend to senior IT decision makers, directors and managers. Please visit the show’s website at www.itdshow.com for information on how to register and the latest show programme.

About IT Decisions

Each year, IT Decisions identifies the most significant trends currently shaping corporate and public sector IT systems – presenting independent perspectives on the latest developments and showcasing the latest innovations via a single highly time-effective event.

The tried-and-trusted combination of educational seminars, advice clinics, supplier briefings, demonstrations and informal meeting areas allows IT decision makers to gather all the information they need to shape IT strategies and investment plans on an ongoing basis.

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About Revolution Events
Revolution Events is one of the UK’s leading providers of innovative business forums, with an enviable track record in delivering high quality educational events for domestic and international markets. Since 1999, Revolution Events has organised more than 200 business events within a diverse range of markets, with particular strengths in emerging technologies, procurement & supply chain issues and new developments in the public sector.

Over the years, Revolution Events has worked with major partners such as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), The European Association for e-Identity and Security (eema), the Improvement & Development Agency (IDeA), PricewaterhouseCoopers, Lloyds TSB, the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (now CLG), the European Networking & Information Security Agency (ENISA), the National e-Procurement Project (NePP), Microsoft and Sage Software.

To find out more about Revolution Events please visit: www.revolution-events.com

Editorial contact
Further information, interviews, images and press passes are available from
Joanna Cannon / Alex Kenchington at MCC International.

Email: itdecisionspr@mccint.com
Tel: 01962 888 100
URL: www.mccint.com

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