The Honourable Fred J. Mifflin, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), and the Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island, today announced a new provincial corporation created to make the most of federal and provincial opportunities in information technology.
The Innovative Solutions Agency (PEI) Inc., or ISA, is a new model for implementing cross-jurisdictional information technology (IT) projects. It will function like a broker, providing public sector organizations with information and matching them with the most suitable products and services from private sector IT companies. The ISA will focus on core public sector IT needs, including: analyzing requirements, business planning, purchasing, contracting, asset licensing and managing projects.
"The establishment of a corporation allows us to expand on the current roster of IT initiatives and to undertake joint projects that could not be accommodated under the current Knowledge Economy Partnership agreement," said Premier Binns. "Through the ISA, the provincial and federal governments on PEI can access each other's expertise and develop better, more informed IT solutions. It also has the potential to bring new IT projects and employment opportunities to PEI," added Premier Binns.
"The ISA will help governments on PEI meet their IT needs more efficiently, using commercially available solutions," Minister Mifflin said. "Sharing our expertise will result in both governments becoming better informed consumers of IT products and services, and that means better services for our clients."
The first project the ISA is undertaking is the Alliance Initiative. Through this project, the Government of Prince Edward Island and Veterans Affairs Canada are jointly implementing new software to meet their human resource needs into the year 2000.
Beth Gaudet from computer services has been seconded as project manager for the Alliance Initiative. The ISA will be a small organization, governed by a board of directors with representation from the federal and provincial governments. An Advisory Council will provide a link to the private sector for consultation. The Advisory Council will include representatives from the private sector and the education community.
"The ISA can be a very important strategic component of the development for the IT sector in PEI," said Ed Lawlor, President of the Information Technologies Association of Prince Edward Island. "We are optimistic that the ISA can bring new IT projects to PEI that will allow the private sector to expand our breadth of expertise and create new opportunities for growth," he added.
Start-up funding for the ISA includes a grant of $250,000 from the Knowledge Economy Partnership (KEP) with a performance assessment to be conducted at the end of the first year of operation.
KEP is an initiative of the Government of Canada, the Province of Prince Edward Island, the University of Prince Edward Island, Holland College and private sector businesses. The partnership began in 1996 and became part of the strategic economic plan for Prince Edward Island. The Governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island committed $1 million in funding for KEP in the 1998-99 fiscal year. The goal of the partnership is to advance the growth of the knowledge economy on Prince Edward Island through encouraging technological innovation and new approaches in public services, education and commercial enterprise on PEI.
BACKGROUNDER
The Innovative Solutions Agency (PEI) Inc. (ISA)
A Knowledge Economy Partnership Initiative
The ISA Mandate:
The Innovative Solutions Agency (PEI) Inc. (ISA) was created to leverage federal and provincial expertise in information technology and to provide a mechanism for implementing cross-jurisdictional projects. The ISA will function like a broker, providing public sector organizations with information and matching them with the most suitable products and services from private sector IT companies. The ISA will focus on core public sector IT needs, including: analyzing requirements, business planning, purchasing, contracting, asset licensing and managing projects.
Management of the ISA:
The ISA will be a relatively small organization, governed by a board of directors, managed by an executive director and staffed on a project-by-project basis. It will be linked to the private sector for consultation through an Advisory Council, which will include representatives from the Information Technologies Association of PEI.
Board Members from the Government of Prince Edward Island:
Bill Drost, Deputy Minister, Technology and Environment (chair); Rory Francis, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry; Jeanette MacAulay, CEO, Staffing and Classification Board; Michael O'Brien, Deputy Minister, Provincial Treasury.
Board Members from the Government of Canada:
Peter Estey, Vice-president, Finance and Corporate Services, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; Keith Hillier, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Veterans Affairs Canada.
Current ISA Staff:
Rick Bryson, Interim Executive Director; Beth Gaudet, Project Manager for the Alliance Initiative.
ISA Projects:
The ISA has begun work on the Alliance Initiative and is looking at a couple of other potential projects. The Alliance Initiative is the project name for the joint effort to implement a new human resources system. Through a project team headed up by the ISA, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Government of Prince Edward Island are implementing an IT solution for their human resources needs. The chosen solution is PeopleSoft, which meets operational needs and Year 2000 requirements.
The KEP Connection:
The Knowledge Economy Partnership (KEP) has created an environment for federal/provincial cooperation which is unparalleled in any other part of the country.
The primary purposes of KEP are: to identify and capitalize on opportunities to achieve common goals through the effective use of information technology and innovative service delivery approaches; and to dismantle bureaucratic barriers that impede the citizens of Prince Edward Island from receiving the quality service they deserve.
Since the signing of the KEP agreement in June 1996, successful joint projects have been implemented in service delivery, economic development, knowledge transfer and infrastructure.
As a KEP-funded initiative, The Innovative Solutions Agency (PEI) Inc. (ISA) contributes to the goal of enabling federal, provincial and municipal governments on Prince Edward Island to collaborate to better serve their clients and reduce potential overlap and duplication.