Capgemini has announced a two-year agreement with the UK Cabinet Office to develop a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Centre of Excellence (CoE). The CoE, which is now up and running, will help to accelerate the take-up of RPA across central government by supporting departments to develop plans to automate some of their clerical processes.
Widely seen as a major enabler of public sector transformation, RPA describes a process in which software is programmed to autonomously carry out basic tasks across applications, reducing the burden of repetitive, simple tasks on employees. Able to be developed and deployed in a matter of weeks, RPA is highly cost effective and can typically demonstrate returns on investment within a few months. It has been known to dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of processing, resulting in a quicker and higher quality service for the public.
RPA will help Government departments use technology to perform repetitive tasks that may involve drawing information from different databases – for example, to verify a request for a service, grant or benefit. The new CoE itself, brings together an expert team of people at the forefront of this technology from the public and private sector, and will serve as a showcase for RPA activities by providing education and demonstrations. It will also assist departments to identify potential RPA initiatives and carry out detailed analysis of potential benefits before they decide on implementation.
Christine Hodgson, Capgemini UK Chairman, commented: “Automation is a key element of Capgemini’s digital transformation offering and we are pleased to be working with the UK Cabinet Office on such a strategic project.
“RPA is an excellent opportunity for public sector organisations to realise significant productivity gains and focus on more value-added services. Based on our UK public sector and global RPA experience, we are confident that the Centre of Excellence will have a key role in supporting the public service transformation.”
