de Novo-Cardiff Oracle Cloud Rollout — Cardiff 2026

Key Points

• Welsh firm de Novo Solutions has partnered with Cardiff Council to replace legacy HR, Payroll, Procurement and Finance systems with an integrated Oracle Cloud platform.
• The programme will support around 15,000 council employees and more than 700 frontline services across Cardiff.
• Delivery will use de Novo’s Odyssea® methodology and OLGA, a local government Oracle template drawn from work with Kent and Swansea Councils.
• Project governance will include Cardiff Council, Oracle and Civiteq and follow phased design, build, testing, migration, cutover and hypercare stages.
• de Novo and Oracle will partner with TeenTech to run five major Youth STEM Innovation Events and year-round STEM engagement for up to 2,500 children aged eight to 18, prioritising disadvantaged learners.
• Cardiff councillors describe the programme as an investment to modernise back-office services, improve digital inclusion and support workforce self-service.
• de Novo Solutions has received recognition from Sunday Times and other business awards in 2025–26.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) July 28, 2026 –As reported by Helen Crisostomo, VP of Business Development for de Novo Solutions, the Welsh digital transformation firm will replace Cardiff Council’s long-standing legacy systems across Human Resources, Payroll, Procurement and Finance with an integrated Oracle Cloud platform. The programme is designed to modernise the council’s back-office operations that underpin roughly 15,000 employees and more than 700 frontline services citywide, the company said.

How will the project be implemented and which partners will take part?

De Novo said delivery will follow its Odyssea® decision-led implementation methodology, supported by OLGA, its local government template of pre-configured Oracle processes and accelerators developed from earlier implementations with Kent and Swansea Councils.

The governance model, de Novo added, will include Cardiff Council, Oracle and Civiteq and follow a phased approach encompassing design, build, testing, data migration, cutover and a period of hypercare to ensure a safe transition to the new platform.

What benefits does de Novo say the Oracle Cloud platform will bring to council staff and managers?

De Novo described the Oracle Cloud deployment as an enabler of more intuitive self-service tools and easier access to HR, Payroll and Finance processes for employees and managers.

The firm said the change will allow the council to simplify processes, make better use of data and modernise and integrate public services as part of a broader ambition to improve the council’s digital offer.

What commitments has de Novo made on social value and youth STEM engagement?

De Novo and Oracle will work with TeenTech for the duration of their engagement with Cardiff Council, delivering five major Youth STEM Innovation Events and year-round STEM activities aimed at up to 2,500 children aged eight to 18.

Helen Crisostomo said the initiative will prioritise disadvantaged learners and support teachers, contributing to Cardiff’s goals on digital inclusion, skills development, community wellbeing and sustainable economic growth.

What have senior council figures said about the programme?

As reported by Cllr Leonora Thomson, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance, the council described the contract as “an important investment in the systems that support the day-to-day running of the council and the delivery of services across Cardiff.”

Cllr Thomson said replacing current systems with a modern, integrated platform will improve efficiency, resilience and future readiness, while providing employees and managers with better tools and access to information.

How does de Novo justify its local credentials and capability to deliver for Wales’ largest local authority?

Helen Crisostomo framed de Novo as a Welsh-headquartered company within the Cardiff Capital Region and said the business is “incredibly proud” to support Wales’ largest local authority on a programme intended to modernise critical public service systems and to create “lasting social value for young people across Cardiff.” The company pointed to prior local government experience and its Odyssea® blueprint as evidence it can deliver the expected benefits.

What governance and technical safeguards will be used to manage the transition?

De Novo outlined a structured governance model involving Cardiff Council, Oracle and Civiteq to oversee phased design, build, testing, migration, cutover and hypercare activities.

The phased plan aims to manage risk during data migration and cutover while providing a period of intensive support (hypercare) after go-live to stabilise operations and address issues promptly.

What external recognition has de Novo received that the company highlights as relevant to this contract?

De Novo Solutions noted recent recognitions including placement on the Sunday Times 100 Fastest Growing UK Companies lists in 2025 and 2026, being named a Deloitte Technology Fast Growth regional winner, and winning the business category at the 2026 St David Awards. The firm presents these awards as indicators of growth and capability in the technology and services market.

What are the stated aims for pupils and teachers under the TeenTech partnership?

According to the announcement, the TeenTech collaboration will run five major Youth STEM Innovation Events and maintain year-round engagement for children aged eight to 18.

The work will seek to prioritise disadvantaged learners and to support teachers, with the stated aim of inspiring young people towards digital and technology careers and contributing to local skills development.

Which earlier local authority implementations inform the OLGA template?

De Novo stated OLGA draws on pre-configured Oracle processes and accelerators developed from previous implementations with Kent and Swansea Councils.

The company positions OLGA as a local government-focused template intended to accelerate delivery and reduce configuration risk.

Who will be responsible for the council’s change management and staff training?

The public statements indicate the programme will include elements intended to improve employee access to self-service tools and to simplify processes, implying that training and change management form part of the phased design, build, testing and hypercare workstreams.

The announcement assigns responsibility jointly to de Novo (as lead implementer), the council (as sponsor and operator) and delivery partners Oracle and Civiteq, though specific staffing and training schedules were not published in the release.

Which figures or documents provide the public record for this announcement?

The details summarised here derive from the de Novo Solutions announcement and direct quotes attributed to Helen Crisostomo, VP of Business Development for de Novo Solutions, and Cllr Leonora Thomson, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance.

The company also referenced its OLGA template and prior work in Kent and Swansea as background to the technical approach.

Background of the particular development

Cardiff Council is Wales’ largest local authority and operates a wide range of frontline services. Many councils across the UK have been replacing ageing, siloed back-office systems with integrated cloud platforms to reduce operational overheads, improve data quality and enable more agile service delivery.

The move to Oracle Cloud fits a broader public sector trend to consolidate HR, payroll, procurement and finance into a single platform to provide consistent data, reduce duplication, and deliver enhanced self-service capabilities for staff.

How does de Novo’s Odyssea® methodology and OLGA template relate to prior public sector implementations?

Odyssea® is de Novo’s decision-led implementation approach, intended to guide project phases from discovery to hypercare.

OLGA is presented as a pre-configured Oracle local government template, leveraging lessons and artefacts from previous implementations in other UK councils—specifically Kent and Swansea—to reduce configuration time and risk.

Organisations adopting such templates typically aim to reduce customisation and accelerate time-to-value, although local process differences still require adaptation and governance.

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How does the TeenTech collaboration fit into wider skills and inclusion objectives?

TeenTech is an established UK education charity that organises STEM events and activities designed to engage young people with technology and engineering careers.

Collaborations between private-sector digital suppliers (like de Novo) and education charities are increasingly used to create social value commitments alongside public sector IT contracts, with a focus on widening participation, supporting teachers, and linking local business capability to schools’ skills pipelines.

Prediction: How this development can affect Cardiff Council employees, residents and local learners

• Short term: Employees may face transitional disruption during phased cutover and data migration, requiring time for training and adjustments to new self-service tools; hypercare is intended to mitigate those effects.
• Medium term: If implementation follows the stated plan, staff should gain more intuitive access to HR and payroll information, and managers should obtain better data to make workforce decisions.
• Long term: Consolidation onto an integrated platform could reduce administrative overhead and fragmented processes, freeing staff resources for frontline service delivery.
• Service continuity: The phased and governed approach aims to protect frontline services during transition; successful cutover and hypercare would limit risk to resident-facing services.
• Indirect benefits: Improved back-office efficiency and data use could enable faster responses, clearer budget visibility and better-targeted services over time, though benefits depend on successful technical and organisational change.
• Immediate engagement: Up to 2,500 children aged eight to 18 will have access to events and year-round activities, potentially increasing awareness of STEM careers.
• Equity impact: Prioritising disadvantaged learners can widen participation, but measurable outcomes will depend on event design, follow-up activities and coordination with schools and local employers.
• Skills pipeline: Sustained engagement could help build a local talent pipeline for digital roles if linked effectively to apprenticeships, training and employer opportunities.
• Delivery risk: Large ERP-style transformations carry risk around data migration, timeline slippage, cost and user adoption; governance and hypercare are critical mitigations.
• Realising social value: The success of TeenTech and other social commitments depends on execution, measurable targets and long-term partnerships with schools.
• Local adaptation: Pre-configured templates reduce time-to-deploy but require careful tailoring to Cardiff’s specific processes, legal obligations and union agreements.