IT Advisory
Our IT Advisory professionals guide you through strategic IT planning, digital transformation, and complex technology challenges to navigate the modern marketplace.
Our Services
GEF Consulting Inc. provides specialized management and IT consulting services on complex engagements primarily to the Public Sector, both domestically and internationally.
With over 25 years as a trusted independent consultancy, our IT Advisory practice offers comprehensive support across the IT project lifecycle and strategic planning. We combine expertise from our Procurement Advisory and Business Transformation practices to deliver a fulsome, end-to-end consulting service.
Capabilities
Our IT Advisory capabilities are extensive and grounded in practical experience within the public sector environment:
Strategic IT Planning
We advise on IT strategy, including assessing future state soliutions and conducting options analysis.
Market Research & Assessment
We conduct curated market research on technology vendor spaces and solutions, informing budgeting and identifying viable options. This includes assessing market capability and solution availability for effective procurement planning.
Business Process Assessment & Design
Our team is experienced in documenting current and future state business processes, and performing process redesign using methodologies. This also includes defining business process workflows and requirements .
Requirements Definition & Documentation
We specialize in eliciting, capturing, and documenting comprehensive business, functional, and technical requirements.
IT Service Management (ITSM)
We have deep expertise in ITSM consulting, particularly within healthcare. We follow specific ITSM methodologies and frameworks, including ITIL and Agile, tailored for successful application in public sector contexts.
ERP Advisory
Our experience spans over 20 years with digitization and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. We advise clients on ERP procurement and implementation approaches.
Our ERP advisory projects involve detailed requirements gathering, process documentation, target operating model development, providing recommendations on procurement options, to full implementation program management.
Digital Health & Healthcare IT Expertise
With over 23 years focused on healthcare and digital health, we possess unique expertise in healthcare business analysis, including deep experience with standards like HL7 and FHIR .
We have been instrumental in the evolution of healthcare IT interoperability standards, supported large-scale EMR and PMS implementations, and helped organizations adapt to new digital health priorities and policy shifts.
Project Planning & Execution
We develop detailed project plans, including tasks, timelines, resources, and milestones, demonstrating our ability to plan and execute complex IT projects effectively. Our proprietary methodologies are proven for public sector success.
Risk Management
We identify and manage project risks, developing comprehensive strategies for mitigation.
Benefits
Partnering with GEF Consulting for IT Advisory services offers distinct advantages:
Profound Public Sector Understanding
Our exclusive focus on the Public Sector means our consultants deeply understand government culture, governance, policies, and procedures, which is a significant asset for our clients.
Extensive Proven Experience
Benefit from our over 25 years of experience, including a track record of successfully completing large-scale, complex, and transformational projects on schedule and within budget.
Trusted Partnership
Clients consistently regard GEF resources as trusted advisors, relying on us as the "go to" independent consultancy.
Robust and Proven Methodologies
We utilize proprietary frameworks and tools, developed and refined over 25 years, to ensure successful, repeatable, and predictable engagement outcomes.
Case Studies
ERP Modernization / SaaS Advisory
This provincial worker compensation board had embarked on a business transformation of their finance, HR and procurement functions since their legacy ERP system no longer met their needs. GEF was retained to prepare them for the eventual transformation to a modern SaaS-based ERP.
To that end, GEF developed the Business Requirements, Report Inventory, Business Scenarios / Use Cases, Interaction Diagrams, Capability Validation & Finalization, Current State Conceptual Reference Architecture including Current State Processes, Future State Conceptual Reference Design, Future State Interface (Technical) Requirements, Future State (“to be”) Processes, the Future-state IT Blueprint Document and the Conceptual Future-state Target Operating Model (TOM). GEF led over 150 workshops with stakeholders through-out the client organization in support of producing the aforementioned deliverables.
Outcome: Documented future state Procurement, Finance, and HR processes, documented detailed requirements and other related artifacts in order to support the ERP system procurement, and the analysis and information required for the business case. i.e. successful completion and acceptance by the Client of all deliverables.
IT Strategy: Enterprise SaaS Platform (Salesforce) Roadmap
GEF was charged with assessing the maturity levels of Salesforce internal processes across the Ontario Government, focusing on Ministries with major Salesforce investments.
This comprehensive evaluation identified areas for improvement and, working with Government executives, the GEF team established a roadmap for enhancing operational efficiency. Integral to this effort was the implementation of a Centre for Enablement (C4E), designed to facilitate internal change management for the OPS teams working with Salesforce. By strategically weaving in this concept, this empowered OPS teams with the necessary tools, training, and support to navigate and adopt changes seamlessly. This holistic approach not only ensured a smoother transition but also fostered a culture of continuous improvement, aligning Salesforce practices with evolving business needs.
Outcome: Multi-year roadmap accepted and adopted, affecting multiple major provincial ministries in the Ontario Government.
Strategic IT Assessment: A Case Study in Healthcare (Drug Adjudication)
In order to inform the client's future direction, GEF was engaged to conduct a study on a province wide drug adjudication system focusing on a technical & security assessment of the current solution, along with an application portfolio analysis and supported by curated international market research.
Outcomes: Some of the fundamental questions we answered were; (1) Does the existing service delivery model align with current business and technical trends and industry best practices in the delivery of I&IT managed services? (2) What are the inherent risks in current and emerging (e.g. Blockchain) technology platforms? (3) What are Industry best practices for application development strategies within a managed services contract structure?
Enterprise Technology Modernization in the Insurance Industry
Over the course of 2025, GEF assessed the current state of this complex public sector insurance organization’s technology and solution environment, conducted international market research to inform a future state vision, crafted a future state architecture vision and then conducted a formal solution options analysis to inform a multi-year roadmap.
Managed Service (MSP) Advisory in the Energy Sector
This province’s energy regulator had recently awarded a multi-year contract to an internationally based managed service provider (MSP) to develop and deliver a solution to provide the ongoing hosting, operation, and maintenance of the province’s electricity bill relief program for low-income households. GEF was retained to provide the IT expertise (requirements, architecture, detailed design, TRA/PIA) and advanced project management oversight to manage the MSP through the detailed design and implementation of the new SaaS-based managed service solution on behalf of the client organization.
Results & Outcome: GEF was effectively both the client’s de-facto IT and project management arm for this initiative. The new solution had a hard target date to go into production 15 months after award of the contract to the MSP. Under GEF’s leadership, the new solution went into production on time and on target.
