Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you all the latest from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. In this newsletter, we bring you a detailed update on what has been happening across the Digital Partnership throughout the last month and details of upcoming activities.
If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.
Refreshing Scotland's Digital Strategy: Progress Update.
Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, COSLA and Digital Office for Scottish Local Government are working together to refresh our joint Digital Strategy for Scotland.
Find out more about the process of refreshing Scotland’s Digital Strategy in our first blog by Becca Fairless, Head of Digital Strategy and Policy, Scottish Government.
We’re thrilled to share fantastic news for Microsoft customers in the UK. From February 1, 2025, Microsoft is introducing notable price reductions for its Commercial Cloud services, providing welcome relief amidst the ever-changing currency landscape.
This development follows Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to align global prices to the US dollar, and thanks to the team at Crown Commercial Service, UK customers will benefit from:
A 5% reduction in Azure pricing, effective immediately from February 1, 2025, for all customers.
A 6% reduction on M365 licences and other Modern Workplace Cloud Services. This reduction will take effect at contract renewal or when adding new products to your organisation’s estate.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to spotlight impactful partnerships and savings opportunities.
New Aggregated Procurement Opportunity for M365 Licences.
The Digital Office, Scotland Excel and Crown Commercial Services (CCS) have joined forces again to offer councils a new opportunity to renew their Microsoft Enterprise Agreements through aggregated procurements. This initiative enables councils to secure cost-effective Microsoft Licence Solutions Partners by leveraging the collective strength of their shared demand.
Councils have the opportunity to submit their Microsoft licence requirements by 23rd April 2025, with the contract anticipated to be awarded in July 2025. This contract will cover enrolments from 31st August 2025, to 1st December 2025. It's important to note that participating in the procurement process imposes no obligation to commit to the successful bidder.
Participating in one of the CCS aggregated procurements is likely to provide you with a saving between 2% to 3.5% on Microsoft reseller (LSP) margins compared to market pricing. If you would like to participate in this initiative, please get in touch with Monika Franko.
Available Spaces on Scottish Government's Fully Funded Data and AI Courses.
The Scottish Government is offering fully funded places for public sector professionals on two of the Data Lab’s online courses through the Scottish Digital Academy:
Driving Value from AI helps organisations know how to work responsibly and ethically with AI. It’s ideal for leaders or managers who would like to explore the opportunities, challenges and risks of working with AI.
Driving Value from Data helps organisations realise the potential of using data as a strategic asset for improved decision making.
Places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. You must register by 31 March, with all learning completed by 18 April.
Security Operations Centre Framework Project Update.
In January, we held the third and final Technical Panel for the Security Operations Centre Framework. Scotland Excel and the Digital Office are now in the final stages of compiling the documentation, which includes technical requirements and procurement information, into a tender pack for release on Public Contracts Scotland.
The recent refresh of the Prior Information Notice has successfully updated the market on the procurement and generated fresh interest. If any council is interested in participating in this project, please contact David Ritchie or Sam Jones directly.
Enhancing Council Preparedness with Table-Top Cyber Exercises.
The Digital Office, in collaboration with the Scottish Government Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3), is excited to announce that we will be delivering an upcoming cyber tabletop exercise for North Lanarkshire Council. Last year, we successfully delivered exercises to four councils and are eager to expand our reach even further this year.
We have several new exercises in development and are keen to engage with anyone interested in learning more about cyber exercising, its benefits, and how it can help your Council prepare for and respond to cyber attacks. For more information, please contact David Ritchie.
Updates from our Digital Programmes
National M365 Cross-Organisation Collaboration Programme.
Last year, we paused the document-sharing workstream between councils and NHS organisations, recognising that many teams were not yet ready to enable this functionality effectively.
Instead, we’ve focused on the M365 Landscape Analysis to better understand where each council team stands on their M365 journey. This analysis will guide us in designing tailored support to help teams achieve their goals.
A huge thank you to the 20 councils that have already completed the questionnaire! Your responses will shape a programme of work that aligns with your current needs and aspirations, and inform when we revisit document sharing.
If you haven’t completed the questionnaire yet, please do so—it’s not too late to make your voice heard!
Less Than 350 Days Left Until the End of the Digital Telephone Migration.
Only 350 Days left until the end of the digital telephone migration!
Our Digital Telecare Programme is here to support all Scottish Local Authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and Housing Associations in preparing for this transformation.
Whilst BT has extended their migration deadline to 2027, other telecom companies are unchanged and we remain committed to counting down to the 2025 deadline to ensure all Scottish Telecare Service Providers are ready well in advance.
Transitioning to digital services before the 2025 deadline is crucial to avoid any interruptions. Our dedicated Digital Telecare team is armed with the resources and expertise to help you on your journey to digital.
Retrospective of the Engage Process Community Kick-off Session.
We had the pleasure of co-facilitating a session with colleagues from West Lothian Council, Gosia Kolomanska and Engage Process, Dick Langeveld, to shape our newly created collaborative space. With 39 colleagues in attendance, we had fantastic discussions—an inspiring way to kick off this initiative!
This shared space is designed to help Scottish Local Authorities break down silos in business process reengineering, enabling a more connected approach to transformation. By linking process mapping to wider programmes of work—such as skills development, capacity building, optimisation, digitalisation, and automation—we can drive meaningful change across local government. Aligned with Scotland’s National Digital Strategy, this initiative recognises the critical role of process improvement in delivering transformative outcomes. A well-defined process is the foundation for innovation, efficiency, and better public services.
We have created our collaboration space in the Digital Office Teams environment and will be sharing the Miro used during the session to gather further insights, before our next community call to action.
Artificial Intelligence Community Kick- Off Meeting: Wednesday 5th February.
Our Artificial Intelligence community co-led by City of Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross and Renfrewshire Councils, brings together diverse stakeholders: council leaders, technologists, policymakers, and community representation, to collaborate and address shared challenges and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Collaborative Solutions: Aligns AI strategies with local priorities like service improvement, citizen engagement, and ethical considerations.
Shared Expertise: Leverages diverse insights to identify innovative AI applications, driving efficiency and cost savings.
Capacity Building: Supports knowledge-sharing and skill development, empowering councils to adopt AI responsibly.
Inclusive Policies: Ensures strategies are actionable, transparent, and designed to maximise AI’s positive impact on communities.
We're excited to announce our AI Community Kick-Off Session on Wednesday 5th February at 10am - 11:30am on Microsoft Teams. Our First community call will explore:
Different perspectives and experiences in AI
AI related projects
Ethical and responsible adoption of AI
Future implementation plans
Opportunities, challenges and barriers as a collective across local government
5G Innovation Region Programme Overview Webinar Series: Thursday 27th February.
Over the next three months, the Digital Office will be hosting a series of webinars covering ongoing Smart Infrastructure projects within the 5G Innovation Region Programmes.
Each of these webinars will be led by representatives from three separate growth regions: the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, the Ayrshire Growth Deal and the Glasgow City Region City Deal.
The session with the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal was held on the 21st of January, and the recording is now available to view on our Digital Partnership SharePoint Site.
The Next Session with Ayrshire Growth Deal is taking place on Thursday 27th February, 2 - 3pm on Microsoft Teams. Sign up now using the link below.
