Transforming Local Government: How Fife Council and CGI Are Using AI to Build Smarter Services
Across every sector, the pace of technological change is transforming how we work. Artificial intelligence and automation are no longer distant concepts; they are here, reshaping roles, workflows, and expectations. For organisations to stay ahead, preparation is essential. The future of work will reward those who act now to strengthen three foundations:
- People: Equipping staff with the skills, tools, and confidence to thrive alongside intelligent systems.
- Processes: Redesigning workflows that balance human judgement with machine precision.
- Data: Building trust through strong governance, transparency, and interoperability.
CGI’s partnership with Fife Council shows what is possible when these three elements come together to create transformation that is both scalable and sustainable.
Facing the Challenge Head-On
Fife Council, Scotland’s third-largest local authority, serves more than 370,000 residents. Like many councils, it faces rising demand, tighter budgets, and growing complexity in service delivery. Traditional transformation methods such as isolated pilots or short-term trials often struggle to create lasting impact.
Recognising this, Fife took a fresh approach: a data-led strategy that aligns service design, workforce planning, and technology deployment into one coherent vision for the future.
The Approach: Evidence Over Intuition
In just four months, starting February 2025, CGI and Fife Council co-developed a comprehensive transformation framework built on insight, not assumption. Key elements included:
- Faethm by Pearson: Modelled how 33 emerging technologies could impact over 19,000 roles across the council.
- Soroco’s Scout: Analysed real workflows to uncover inefficiencies, repetitive tasks, and automation opportunities.
- Strategic Opportunity Mapping: Combined occupational data with process insights to prioritise high-impact initiatives.
- Cost Efficiency: Delivered at less than half the cost of traditional consulting models.
Together, these tools created a single view of how technology will reshape work and where the council can respond proactively.
What’s Been Achieved So Far
Although transformation is ongoing, the early results are significant:
- Fife have clearer insights into the impact technology will have on our workforce over the next 5 years
- Fife can target our work on process automations more effectively to areas of greatest benefit.
- Fife can identify and prioritise areas with the greatest potential for releasing capacity - either to deliver better outcomes, or deliver expected savings outlined in our forward, published Budget plans.
- Up to 65% of effort in some roles spent on repetitive tasks
These insights are already shaping Fife’s digital strategy, workforce planning, and investment decisions, ensuring resources are focused where they matter most.
A Human-Centred Perspective
“The partnership with CGI, Faethm and Soroco has helped us see the future of our workforce more clearly. This isn’t just about greater efficiency – it’s about creating capacity, improving service, and helping our people adapt to change with confidence.”
— Charlie Anderson, CIO, Fife Council
Behind every data point lies a human story of people gaining time back, of services becoming more responsive, and of teams working with technology, not against it.
Lessons for the Wider Public Sector
Fife’s experience offers valuable guidance for other councils and public bodies preparing for the future of work:
- Start with evidence, not assumptions.
- Integrate technology with people and process from the start.
- Scale responsibly, not experimentally.
- Measure outcomes, not just outputs.
- Focus on long-term value, not short-term cost savings.
- Build trust through transparency, ethics, and governance.
- Keep people at the heart of transformation.
Looking Ahead
The next phase will embed automation and AI into live services, support continuous learning, and ensure governance and interoperability remain strong. Fife now has a blueprint for sustainable transformation that others can adapt to their own context.
This is more than a technology story. It is about reimagining public service for a new era of work, where data, design, and digital innovation help communities thrive.
Why techUK Should Care
For techUK members, this case study signals a growing shift:
- Demonstrates a responsible data driven AI approach to automation and AI
- Rising demand for scalable, ethical AI frameworks
- Opportunities for collaboration with public sector bodies
- A need for shared standards and best practices
- The chance to drive innovation through local partnerships
Ready to Start Your Own Transformation?
Fife Council’s journey shows what happens when innovation meets purpose. If you are exploring how AI and automation can help your organisation deliver better, smarter services, let’s start the conversation.
Author
CGI
CGI
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