East Devon Council Evaluates AI Use Without Set Savings or Performance Targets

East Devon District Council is evaluating how artificial intelligence could support council services, but it has not yet established measurable outcomes for current staff use. As of July 2026, 67 staff members had access to the paid version of Microsoft Copilot, while all office-based staff could use its basic free version. The council said AI was bringing benefits, but work to identify additional applications and potential improvements is still underway. For suppliers, the key distinction is that existing access to Copilot is not evidence of a broader software, implementation, or support procurement.

The issue came into sharper focus at a full council meeting on October 14, when Cllr Mike Goodman, representing Sidmouth Sidford for the Conservative Party, asked what AI had achieved in staff time, response times, customer satisfaction, and financial savings. He also asked what targets had been set for the next two years and what improvements the authority expected by 2027. The written response said staff training had been followed by an action plan from the digital team to identify needs and uses across council services. It stated: “That work is ongoing, so we are not able to comment on the level of improvements that could be seen until this work has been completed.”

That response makes the council’s current activity a market-discovery signal, not a solicitation or confirmed buying timeline. The digital team’s assessment may help establish where AI could address operational needs, but the council has not specified future requirements, budgets, performance thresholds, or a procurement route. Companies developing public-sector AI offerings should therefore avoid treating the number of current Copilot users as a forecast of demand. A relevant supplier conversation would focus on evidence the council itself has raised: measurable service improvements, staff-time effects, response times, customer satisfaction, and financial savings.

Transparency and governance are also material to any future opportunity. Goodman questioned why the council’s AI policy was not publicly available, saying he had previously been told an updated policy existed but could not find it. The council confirmed that the policy is an internal staff-use document available on its intranet, was updated on September 21, and is scheduled for review every four months because the technology is changing rapidly. Goodman also referred to an external audit finding which, he said, identified that the acceptable-use policy had not been reviewed since June 2024. He sought confirmation that the recently updated policy was the same document and argued that public-sector AI policies should be public. The relevant portfolio holder was absent, so his supplementary questions did not receive substantive answers at the meeting; the chair said they would be noted and passed on. For prospective contractors, these questions underscore the importance of addressing transparency, governance, and measurable public value alongside technical capabilities.

• Current deployment: As of July 2026, 67 staff had access to paid Copilot; all office-based staff could use the basic free version.
• No quantified outcomes: The council has not yet reported defined savings, staff-time gains, response-time improvements, or customer-satisfaction results from AI use.
• Assessment underway: The digital team is developing an action plan to identify service needs and potential AI uses following recent staff training.
• No solicitation announced: The action plan is a discovery-stage indicator, not a confirmed procurement, RFP, or purchasing schedule.
• Potential evaluation criteria: Supplier proposals can align to the council’s questions on measurable efficiency, response times, resident experience, and financial savings.
• Governance context: The internal AI policy was updated on September 21 and is due for review every four months; it is available to staff on the council intranet.
• Transparency question remains: Cllr Goodman sought clarity on policy publication and whether the updated document addressed an audit concern he cited regarding review since June 2024.
• Practical supplier posture: Distinguish existing Copilot access from any future requirements, and avoid assuming a specific product expansion or procurement timeline before the needs assessment is complete.