SITA maintains operations

Johannesburg, 18 Jan 2008

Despite upheavals over the past 12 months, the State IT Agency (SITA) has been able to fulfil its obligations to the state.

So says SITA's chief of regulatory affairs and procurement, Peter Pedlar.

"The quarter ended 31 December was certainly a very busy period for us. It hasn't always been easy as the staff churn we saw last year was unsettling. However, our people have come through for us and for our customers," he explains.

SITA's third quarter saw the organisation make recommendations on tenders amounting to almost R1 billion. Major projects that formed part of this activity are two of the four integrated financial management system modules: procurement and HR.

In November, ITWeb established that small ICT firm ICT Works had been selected as preferred bidder for the procurement module estimated to be valued at R700 million. However, SITA warned that no announcements would be made until a due diligence had been completed into the company's ability to deliver on the requirements.

Pedlar declined to reveal the preferred bidder for the HR module, saying announcements in that respect are expected soon.

Upping the game

As for SITA's internal procurement, Pedlar reveals the organisation has procured "services and goods" to the tune of R540 million in the last three months.

"What is particularly pleasing to us is that our year-to-date shows that we have been able to increase the percentage of our expenditure with black economic empowered (BEE) companies by 30%. Last year, 54.4% of our spend was with BEE players; for the first nine months of the 2007/8 year we have increased this to 71%," he says.

Last year, SITA spent R550 million with BEE players. In the year-to-date, the company has already spent over R1 billion with BEE firms.

Says Pedlar: "The credit for this must really go to our suppliers: they've sharpened their pencils and their performance."

Last minute rush

Pedlar says the agency is pleased with its performance to date, despite being "slightly off" its internal targets.

The next two-and-a-half months are expected to be an "exceptionally busy" period, he adds.

"Historically, the last quarter of the financial year is our busiest period. As we align with government's financial reporting period, we see a significant number of requests from our public sector clients during this time. Of course, pressure on the organisation is heightened as the departments and agencies want to finalise decisions before the next budget period begins on 1 April."

Pedlar says SITA management is trying to maintain open lines of communication with its workforce to deal with any residual fears from the staffing changes.

"We are committed to communicating to our staff as often as we possibly can, in as many mediums. You can never over-communicate to your employees and we intend to ensure our people are valued and respected for their contributions."