Digital Jersey have been talking to the States procurement department about changing policies to ensure that tech specialists in the Island get a bigger share of the work to keep the money in Jersey and to build the skills and capacity of the local IT sector.

Yesterday, Bailiwick Express revealed that since 2013, most IT consultant spending has gone to firms based outside of the Island – last year, Jersey companies won contracts worth £620,866, compared to £1,027,542 going to UK firms.

This year, a UK company has won the £1.2 million eGov “Design Authority” contract from the States, despite several Jersey firms bidding for the work, and the contract to set up a parking app to run alongside scratchcards has also gone to a UK company.

Digital Jersey CEO Tony Moretta said that he was working with the procurement team to make sure Jersey firms got a bigger share of the work – but added that even when work was shipped out to companies from overseas, they could still work with local firms to provide some of the work.

He said: “Digital Jersey will be involved in future digital procurement projects.

“I think we need to have a revised procurement policy, I’ve been talking to the States’ Procurement department and they are open to those discussions.

“It’s about doing whatever we can to level the playing field for local companies.”

And he added that the UK firm running the eGov design authority contract had already held meetings with local suppliers.

Mr Moretta said: “eGov could be the best driver for the digital economy in the short term. If we do it right we can make government more efficient – Estonia, for example, has calculated the cost savings as 2% of GDP, that’s GDP, not public spending.”

The figures about IT spending were revealed in response to a Freedom of Information Law request by Bailiwick Express.

The stats show the following breakdown in terms of IT consultant spending going to companies in Jersey and overseas:

2011: Jersey firms £778,284 (55%); overseas firms £636,026 (45%).

2012: Jersey firms £1,060,207 (52%); overseas firms £980,992 (48%).

2013: Jersey firms £1,045,168 (45%); overseas firms £1,247,006 (55%).

2014: Jersey firms £634,886 (37%); overseas firms £1,078,136 (63%).

2015: Jersey firms £620,866 (37%); overseas firms £1,027,542 (63%).

The figures cover: contracts for technical systems analysis; IT management; technical architecture; project, programme and delivery management; software development; and IT support.