The External Services/Providers Monitoring Group of Scottish Borders Council met on Tuesday 25 August 2026 to review the performance of the CGI contract. The meeting's agenda focused on the contract's performance up to the end of June 2026, including updates on transformation projects, service delivery, and community benefits.

CGI Contract Performance to 30 June 2026

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the performance of the contract with CGI, which was established in 2016 and subsequently amended and extended in 2020. The report, prepared by the Director of Finance, Suzy Douglas, covered the second quarter of the calendar year 2026.

The report and associated slide deck provided an overview of several key areas:

• Actions and Governance: Updates were provided on actions taken since the previous meeting, including the installation of CGI-branded window graphics and the progress of a Change Improvement Programme aimed at enhancing the turnaround time for change requests. Governance arrangements were also outlined, confirming that all scheduled meetings for the quarter, including this one, had taken place as planned.
• Transformation Programme: The status of various digital transformation projects being delivered with CGI was detailed. Projects were categorised using a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status.
  • Green RAG projects, progressing as planned, included the CAMS upgrade and Bartec/JADU integration.
  • Amber RAG projects, experiencing delays, were the Comino upgrade to the Cloud and the Curricular refresh.
  • Blue RAG projects, which were completed and in business as usual, included the Uniform hosted solution (though its decommissioning was flagged as Red due to a remaining server), Evotix Protective Services, Adelante Smartpay, NEC housing, Lync to Teams migration, Corporate Autodeck, CCTV solution, and School telephony.
  • Red RAG projects, facing material delays, were Office 365 close and Business World to Cloud. Plans were in place for the completion of these projects.
• Key Performance Information on Service Delivery: The report highlighted key activities, successes, and issues during the quarter. Successes included the completion of several long-standing projects and the successful curricular modernisation in early adopter sites. Issues noted were related to KPI 25 (Impact Assessment Production) not meeting targets, the need for redevelopment of the SBC & CGI Finance Model, and a backlog in design work for the new curricular infrastructure, which was resolved in July. The report also detailed service failures, quality levels regarding complaints and security, and continuous service improvements.
• Community Benefits and Recruitment: Information was presented on CGI's community activities, including kit sponsorships for local clubs such as Melrose Bowling Club and Melrose Junior Girls FC, and participation in events like the Tweedbank Litter Pick. Details were also provided on CGI's recruitment activities within the Scottish Borders, including apprenticeships and joint planning with Scottish Borders Council for school engagement events.

The report recommended that the Group review the information provided and seek clarification from officers or CGI representatives as needed, and then determine their satisfaction with the performance details.

The meeting also included standard procedural items such as considering the minutes of the previous meeting held on 26 May 2026. Additionally, there was a section for Items Likely To Be Taken In Private, which would involve the exclusion of the public to discuss exempt information as defined by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. This private session was scheduled to include the private section of the previous meeting's minutes and further discussion on CGI contract performance.