A recently-launched collaborative platform for co-funding and co-designing public services has won the backing of the association for digital leaders in the public sector Socitm.

CC2i hopes to bring together local government funding for good digital ideas – Photo credit: Fotolia

The Co-fund and Collaborate to Innovate platform, known as CC2i, was launched in July and aims to help public sector organisations share the costs and design processes for improved digital services for citizens.

CC2i has today announced that Socitm will support the project through its Local Public Services CIO Council and Better Connected programmes.

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In a statement, the CC2i said that its work complements that of the LCIOC and Socitm to encourage cross-sector digital collaboration and help small businesses overcome public sector procurement barriers.

“CC2i is challenging the status quo in terms of public sector digital and we are really pleased to have the support and collaboration of leading industry bodies,” said founder and managing director Guy Giles.

“This not only adds weight to our approach, but confirms our belief around the timing and currency of CC2i.”

Giles, who has previously worked at the Cabinet Office and Kirklees Council, added that, based on his 15 years of experience in the digital public services, it was clear the “time is right for structured and supported public sector collaboration”.

The aim is to generate significant savings, better products and improved outcomes, he said.

Martin Ferguson, the director of policy and research at Socitm who is also responsible for the LCIOC and Better Connected programmes said that the group “had no hesitation in accepting the invitation”.

He added that the Better Connected programme, which is an annual review of local government websites, is due to launch an index of local digital innovation that councils would like to share with other public service bodies.

This chimes with one of CC2i’s aims to share best practice and encourage teams that have developed in-house products they want to commercialise to do so through the platform.

The main thrust of the platform is for public sector bodies to use it to set out the challenges they face. Other bodies facing the same issues can then contribute a percentage towards the cost of developing a solution, which will also allow them to participate in the design process.

In return, they get the product or service at the end, having paid less than if they had procured it on their own.

The platform is also open to small and medium sized companies that would like to work with public sector bodies, but who may otherwise not be able to access the market because of complicated procurement procedures.

Pitches already on the site include projects looking at personal data protection, adult social services and digital ways to encourage greater physical activity.