DVLA website 'one of most accessible government sites' » Central Government » 24dash.com

DVLA has unveiled its new corporate website, delivered by Eduserv, a not-for-profit IT services group serving the public sector, and powered by a Sitecore Content Management System. 

The DVLA website is visited by 1,000,000 people per week and provides essential information for all driving licence holders and vehicle keepers in the UK. 

Sitecore’s .NET web content management software enables the rapid development of easily editable Internet sites and web-based applications.

Implementation of the software now means that non-technical DVLA staff can quickly create and load content directly to the site. 

This replaces the previous system that was reliant on a small number of staff in the IT department developing content and uploading information on their colleagues’ behalf.

Eduserv is experienced in tailoring Sitecore’s content management software to meet the specific needs of public sector organisations. 

As a government agency, a high priority for DVLA was to ensure easy user accessibility. 

Eduserv, a specialist in this area, was able to project manage the delivery of an AAA compliant site.

The new site is now one of the most accessible government sites in the UK, complying with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative. 

The W3C’s AAA standard is the highest achievable measure of web accessibility and according to AbilityNet is held by less than 1% of world sites.

Amongst other accessibility features implemented, all pages of the site can now be read by screen readers, allowing people with all levels of visual impairment access to essential medical and license information. 

As part of DVLA’s commitment to treating the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality, the site is also delivered in Welsh.

As a government agency it was essential that DVLA’s site suffered no down time.  Eduserv ensured the transition from the old to the new website was very smooth and that information could be accessed by the public at all times.

Janis Griffiths, Web and Development Account Manager, DVLA, comments: “We enjoyed open and honest communication with Eduserv throughout the project, leading to an extremely productive supplier customer relationship.  Eduserv was flexible to our changing needs and generous with their time to train staff and resolve problems.  Customer feedback so far has been very positive.”

Eduserv was delighted to work with DVLA following a successful tender in response to an advert in the Official Journal of European Union (OJEU).  

The OJEU constitutes a level playing field where small companies like Eduserv compete against large multinationals throughout Europe for procurement deals of over £94,000.