10 years of Digital Collaboration

The Digital Office pioneered a collaborative approach to digital transformation, bringing Scotland's local authorities and partners together to share expertise, develop common solutions and tackle challenges collectively. As the first model of its kind in the UK, its success has attracted international interest, with similar approaches being replicated. The tools, resources and frameworks developed through this model, including the Digital Telecare Playbook, Digital Office Resource Centre and Digital Maturity Assessment, have demonstrated the value of shared learning and collaboration. This recognition reflects the strength of our partnership approach and showcases Scotland as a leader in collaborative digital transformation. Here are 10 of our key highlights.

1. Shaping National Strategies to strengthen Scotland's Digital Future

The Digital Office has provided a trusted route for Scotland's local authorities to influence national digital priorities and ensure local government has a strong voice in shaping the country's digital future. Working closely with COSLA, the Scottish Government and local authorities, we have helped connect national ambition with the realities of local delivery. This collaborative approach has helped shape Scotland's Digital Strategy and the Sustainable Digital Public Services Delivery Plan 2025-2028, securing a shared commitment to advancing digital maturity, strengthening workforce capability, improving data and interoperability, encouraging innovation, and developing common solutions that benefit councils and communities across Scotland.

2. Improving Digital Maturity 

The Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) has become a central tool supporting digital transformation across Scottish local government, providing local authorities with a consistent, evidence-based framework to assess capability, align priorities and drive improvement. Evolving from a leadership focused exercise to an all-staff assessment, the DMA now captures wider organisational insight and translates findings into practical actions through workshops, dashboards, findings trackers and improvement plans. It supports local authorities aligning digital ambitions with workforce capability, data, technology and organisational change priorities, while creating a shared evidence base across the sector. The DMA is increasingly recognised as an enabler for continuous improvement, collaboration and informed investment decisions across local government. 

3. Building Digital Skills and Leadership Capability Across the Sector 

Through a growing portfolio of digital, data, AI, service design and leadership development initiatives, the Digital Office has supported local authorities to build the confidence, skills and behaviours needed to lead change and embrace innovation. Working collaboratively with partners including the Scottish Digital Academy, programmes have connected learning directly to organisational priorities, communities of practice and transformation activity. From frontline employees to senior leaders, participants are gaining practical skills, developing new ways of thinking and building networks that accelerate progress. This collective investment in capability is creating stronger digital leadership, a more confident workforce and a culture of continuous improvement across Scottish local government.

4. Driving Digital Health and Care Transformation Across Scotland

The Digital Office has worked with local government, health, housing and technology partners to help transform Scotland’s digital health and care landscape. Collectively, we have driven the analogue-to-digital migration of telecare services, supporting councils, HSCPs and housing providers to deliver safer, more resilient services ahead of the national Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch-off. We have established the national shared Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) platform, creating a scalable, collaborative foundation for digital telecare, and championed the adoption of CHI across local government to support integrated health and care records, improving data sharing and delivering more joined-up care for people across Scotland.

5. Empowering Scotland's Local Authorities to Harness AI

The Scottish AI Community has created a collaborative space for councils to explore the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence collectively rather than developing separate approaches in isolation. Co-led by councils and supported by the Digital Office, the community is driving a Once for Scotland approach to AI governance, policy, skills and adoption. Successes include the co-development of shared AI resources, guidance, training materials, policies, DPIAs and implementation approaches that can be adopted across councils. By bringing practitioners together to share learning, governance approaches and use cases, the community is helping build confidence, capability and consistency while supporting the safe, ethical and effective adoption of AI across Scottish local government and the wider public sector. 

6. Maximising Impact Through Microsoft 365 Collaboration

The LocalGov M365 Foundations Programme has supported Scottish local authorities to maximise the benefits of Microsoft 365, strengthening collaboration across the sector. By bringing councils and partners together, the programme has delivered better value through aggregated procurements for Microsoft licences, while developing shared governance guidance and practical resources to support adoption, deployment and implementation. From technical deep dives to cross-council working groups, we are creating opportunities for local authority teams to learn from one another, solve challenges collectively and turn local knowledge and experience into shared benefits for all.

7. Strengthening Scotland's Local Government Cyber Resilience

The Digital Office has helped strengthen cyber resilience across Scottish local government, enabling councils to prevent, respond to and recover from cyber threats. Working with councils, Scottish Government, Police Scotland and national partners, we have influenced national cyber policy, shaped practical security requirements and embedded local government needs into major national programmes. Through collaborative cyber exercises, assurance activities, shared guidance and incident preparedness support, councils have strengthened their defences while avoiding significant consultancy, compliance and implementation costs. By reducing duplication, securing national investment and promoting shared approaches to cyber resilience, this work has enhanced preparedness, safeguarded critical services and protected citizens' data across Scotland.

8. Using Smart Infrastructure to Improve Places and Services

The Digital Office has helped local authorities turn smart infrastructure pilots into practical tools that support services, improve decisions and reduce duplication. Working with local authorities and partners, we developed practical guidance and reusable IoT blueprints for social housing, waste, air quality, water monitoring and winter maintenance, giving others proven approaches to adapt rather than starting from scratch. We also facilitated a CivTech project with Perth and Kinross Council, Stirling Council and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, using sensors and AI to understand and predict visitor volumes in rural and remote locations. We are now delivering a Scottish Government Invest to Save grant funded project using sensors to improve the energy efficiency of council properties. The next step is to develop business cases for scaled adoption across wider smart infrastructure opportunities.

9. Scaling Shared Solutions to Support Public Service Reform

Working in partnership with local authorities and local government partners, the Digital Office has helped the sector use its collective scale to secure better commercial outcomes and support wider public service reform. Examples include the Shared Telecare Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) (with Scotland Excel), the Social Care Case Management framework (with Scotland Excel), aggregated Microsoft 365 procurements (with Scotland Excel, Scottish Government and the Government Commercial Agency), and sector-wide agreements with suppliers such as CACI and Engage Process that have reduced costs and avoided separate local procurements. The next step is to develop the Common Solution Register with Scottish Government, helping councils understand how to reuse solutions available across the wider public sector, and to build business cases for more shared solutions and procurements.

10. Turning Data into Better Public Services

The Digital Office has helped local authorities put better data foundations in place and use data more confidently to improve services. Working with councils and partners, we have helped councils access Scottish Government’s data maturity service, co-developed data literacy training with The Scottish Digital Academy and Perth and Kinross Council, and championed CHI as a key standard for better sharing across health, care and local government. We have also worked with CACI and Smart Data Foundry to help councils target interventions and enable more preventative approaches in areas such as child poverty, housing and education. The next step is to work with Scottish Government on pan-public sector data leadership, improving interoperability, standards, sharing and linking to support public service reform.