Government Business 19.02

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 19.2

Business Information for Local and Central Government CONFERENCE DESTINATIONS

NEWCASTLE GATESHEAD

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TRANSPORT

FUNDING

Devolving Local Major Transport Schemes

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

OUTSOURCING FM Knowing the risks

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

CALM BEFORE THE STORM www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 19.2

Business Information for Local and Central Government CONFERENCE DESTINATIONS

NEWCASTLE GATESHEAD

Bustling heart of the North East

TRANSPORT

As this issue of Government Business goes to press, it’s all quiet on the western front as Councils prepare for elections. Alongside these, ten cities will be involved in a mayoral referendum, which hasn’t exactly gone according to plan in some locations.

FUNDING

Devolving Local Major Transport Schemes

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

OUTSOURCING FM Knowing the risks

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY – New Cloud boss • Service Desk & IT Support Show • Infosecurity

In Birmingham, an election lawyer pointed out that the referendum could be open to a legal challenge after three little words (quite important ones) were missing from official information leaflets. What should have read “How would you like Birmingham City Council to be run? By a Leader who is an elected councillor chosen by the other elected councillors. This is how the Council is run now.” It should have contained ‘a vote of’ after ‘by’ and before ‘the other elected councillors’. Got it?

As it turns out, these three little words were missed by Newcastle and Wakefield as well. Let’s hope they don’t end up having to to do the whole thing over again. Liverpool, however, need not worry - the council bypassed the referendum and residents will be voting to elect its first mayor. The six candidates are Joe Anderson (Labour Party), Jeff Berman (Independent Party), John Coyne (Green Party), Richard Kemp (Liberal Democrat), Steve Radford (Liberal Party) and Tony Caldeira (Conservatives). We’ll examine who voted what, where, why and what its means in our next issue.

Big news in transport is the DfT’s proposals for democratically accountable local transport bodies to receive funding. The consulation, which closed on April 2nd, has already generated some interesting responses, with the LGA saying the money should go staight to the councils - see page 45 for details.

In technology, Francis Maude opens up about open data as the UK takes on an 18 month co-chairship of the newly formed international Open Government Partnership (see page 89), and Chris Chant gives up the G-Cloud and is replaced by Denise McDonagh, who has worked in Government IT for almost 30 years and will drive forward further iterations of the G-Cloud framework - it looks as if Amazon has signed up for starters.

The rise of BYOD (bring your own device) and social networking has brought security issues to the fore once again, and its better to be data safe than data sorry. The Infosecurity show at Olympia is a must visit event for anyone tasked with developing their organisations’ IT security policy (see page 113).

Until next time Danny Wright

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Government Business magazine for £45 a year, please contact Public Sector Information, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, Fax: 020 8532 0066, or visit the Government Business website at:

Business Information for Local and Central Government

www.governmenttbusiness.co.uk | www.governmenttechnology.co.uk PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danny Wright ACTING EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Karl O’Sullivan PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Jacqueline Lawford WEB PRODUCTION Reiss Malone ADVERTISEMENT SALES Bernie Miller, Steve Day, Michael Kennedy, David Morgan, Julie Watson, Wendy O’Brien PUBLISHER Kelly Scott GROUP PUBLISHER Barry Doyle ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Lucy Carter, Charlotte Casey REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

© 2012 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1362 - 2541

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Contents

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

CONTENTS 07 GB NEWS 13 FINANCE NEWS 15 FINANCE A look at the strategic advice on offer from CIPFA as it restructed Wiltshire Council’s financial services.

19 ENERGY All this talk of ‘Free PV’ should be carefully examined when making energy choices in social housing, says Robert Rabinowitz PhD, director of Environmental Markets, BRE.

23 BUILT ENVIRONMENT Is this new pre fab school the answer to a future shortage in education buildings?

25 FM & BUILDING Barry Holt, director of policy & research at the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management, discusses the risks and advantages that are associated with outsourcing FM.

37 FACILITIES SHOW

63 SAFETY & HEALTH EXPO

The Facilities Show is working with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) to provide new CPD and networking opportunities at the 2012 event, which takes place at the NEC on 15-17 May.

Safety & Health Expo returns to Birmingham NEC from 15th-17th May for its most comprehensive show to date.

41 GREENBUILD EXPO Greenbuild Expo 2012 returns to Manchester with a stellar line-up of speakers and exhibitors ahead of the Green Deal launch.

45 TRANSPORT GB Magazine examines responses to the DfT’s ‘Devolving local major Transport Schemes’ consultation.

53 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW The CV Show 2012 at the NEC is set to be a ‘must-go’ event for the UK’s commercial vehicle buyers. 15-17 May.

Government Business

71 IFSEC 2012 As councils continue to explore costeffective ways to keep their buildings and people safe, the IFSEC International 2012 education programme will help organisations better understand how to protect their business.

77 ACADEMIC VENUES The quality of academic venues is about to increase, says Kate Axten, commercial events manager at Kingston University.

81 DESTINATIONS ‘Friendly’ hit the top spot for words used to describe NewcastleGateshead in a recent delegate survey.

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk 113 INFOSECURITY The thirst for new and innovative solutions to combat IT security threats will be quenched at this years Infosecurity Europe

117 DATA SOLUTIONS 89 GT NEWS eWorking not working at Royal Courts of Justice; Maude pushes Open Data policy

101 SERVICE DESK & IT SUPPORT SHOW Organiser Diversified Business Communications announces exciting new additions to its exhibitor list.

93 INFORMATION ASSURANCE

107 G-CLOUD

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has been working with Information Assurance specialists from across government to pilot its new BCS CESG Certified Professional scheme

As Denise McDonagh takes over from Chris Chant as head of the Government’s G-Cloud programme, she warns that the Government isn’t going to be making any ‘big bets’ on the cloud straight away.

The BSIA explains how to avoid data destruction pitfalls

121 HIRING CONSULTANTS Huw Hilditch-Roberts, director in charge, Institute of Consulting, points out that consultants with commercial knowledge and experience are able to lead and implement this period of change

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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CHARITIES

NEWS IN BRIEF

High street shoppers deterred by ‘chugging’ says LGA research

GB News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Tower Hamlets commended for young people services Tower Hamlets Council has been awarded a national quality mark commending its services for young people. Awarded by the National Youth Agency, the quality mark highlights the council’s partnership work and range of services for teenagers. Tower Hamlets Council is currently looking at ways it can continue to build on improvements it has made in the past decade.

Street fundraisers are deterring shoppers from visiting town centres, according to a Local Government Association survey which shows that more than two out of three councils (68 per cent) have received complaints about street fundraisers from the public, businesses and other groups including the voluntary sector.

Councils are calling for updated powers to clamp down on so-called ‘chuggers’ – charity ‘muggers’ who congregate in large numbers on busy shopping streets and use aggressive tactics to obtain donations.

According to the LGA survey, almost three in four councils (72 per cent) considered chugging to be a problem in their area, to at least a small extent. More than half (54 per cent) said street fundraisers were putting potential shoppers off visiting their local high street.

Many ‘chuggers’ are agency workers employed by major charities. Because they collect bank details rather than cash, they do not have to abide by the rules which apply to

volunteers with charity collection tins.

The outdated Charities Act means that local authorities often have little power to regulate them, or intervene if they cause a nuisance to shoppers and businesses. Several councils have been working with charities to draw up voluntary codes of conduct for fundraisers to follow, which have started to prove successful at minimising problems. However, local authorities need updated powers to act where chuggers persistently cause problems. Most complaints about chuggers came from residents.

Cllr Nilgun Canver, the LGA’s Licensing Champion, said: “Local authorities and charities have gone some way towards tackling the problem of intrusive fundraisers by establishing voluntary codes of conduct for street collections in their areas. We now need government to catch up and ensure that all councils have the necessary means to ensure that charities can prosper without residents and shoppers being unduly harassed.”

MAYORAL REFERENDUMS

Commission publishes report on the role of directly elected Mayors As residents of ten English cities will vote on whether to adopt directly elected mayors in referendums being held on May 3, The University of Warwick’s Elected Mayors and City Leadership Commission has published its report “What is the role of elected mayors in providing strategic leadership to cities?”

The Commission report says that Mayoral powers should not be limited by a city’s boundaries but should cover an entire economic area. The report states: “Mayors are more likely to be effective, both in supporting the economy and making effective decisions for local citizens, if they are responsible for functioning economic areas” “There is ‘no point’ in the mayors running anything less than a boundary-spanning region that can foster economic growth. Government should return to considering extending to city region/metro mayors where this is appropriate for local areas at the earliest opportunity.”

It also warned against a one-size-fits-all mayoral model, called for more clarity on powers, predicted that the issue of mayoral

pay could quickly become a political minefield and recommended a recall process that would allow dysfunctional mayors to be removed from office.

The commission, which was established last year, interviewed 42 mayors, staff and senior council figures in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US. Professor Keith Grint, research director at the commission, said: “Ultimately, directly elected mayors may be a way of answering the most important question at the heart of governance: what is the purpose of politics? If politics is about how we mediate our individual and collective conflicts then we had better pay some attention to reinvigorating the body-politic: politics is too important to be left to politicians.”

Residents of Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham and Coventry will vote in referendums on May 3, when Liverpool will elect its first mayor. tinyurl.com/7l2spmn

Council lawyers meeting national standards Figures from the Law Society reveal that 142 local councils hold the legal management quality standard – Lexcel, awarded by the Law Society to in-house legal teams that meet high standards. Authorities in the south east have the highest number of accredited legal teams, with a total of 54 county, district and city council legal teams holding the standard.

tinyurl.com/6ufp4fr

Serco to manage Mansfield’s leisure centres Mansfield District Council has announced that Serco Leisure will manage its five leisure centres as managing agent to the Mansfield District Leisure Trust, following a comprehensive procurement process.

The 10 year contract will begin on May 1. The Council will still retain ownership of the buildings and be responsible for major structural liabilities

Waste system ‘on track’ A groundbreaking electronic system which will remove the need for 25 million paper waste transfer notes in the UK each year is ‘on track’ to roll out in early 2014 following extensive stakeholder engagement.

The electronic duty of care project (edoc) is being led by the Environment Agency and is seeking to modernise the way waste movements are recorded seeking to modernise the way waste movements are recorded. tinyurl.com/8yd9bxg

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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LOCAL TRANSPORT

PEOPLE

Pothole Review gives guidance on prevention as well as cure Local authorities have been given advice on how to tackle the problem of potholes on their roads following the publication of a review.

As part of the Coalition Government’s £6m Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme, ‘The Pothole Review’ looks at how best to fix potholes and also how to prevent them from appearing. The recommendations for Central Government, local highway authorities and the highways sector fall into three main themes: Prevention is better than cure (intervening at the right time will reduce the amount of potholes forming and prevent bigger problems later); Right First Time (do it once and get it right, rather than face continuous bills); and Clarity for the Public (local highway authorities need to communicate to the public what is being done and how it is being done).

The review investigates the issue of potholes from an engineering perspective plus explores the wider issues such as public expectations, the impact of long term maintenance strategies, decision making arrangements, the processes of reporting, prioritising and repairing, guidance and wider operational arrangements within local highways authorities.

Local transport minister Norman Baker said “We’ve given £3 billion to councils for road

George Robertson new chief exec at East Herts

maintenance over the next four years but money can only go so far and the old adage rings true: prevention is indeed better than cure.

“I would urge all those involved with highways maintenance, including councillors, chief executives, local highway practitioners, those in the utility sector and contractors to adopt the approaches set out in this report, not only to make real cost savings but also to provide a high quality service that both the road user and local residents deserve.”

Matthew Lugg, president of the Association of Directors of Economy, Environment, Planning and Transport, who led the Pothole Review, said: “This Review has focused on key principles and strategies to reduce potholes in the future.

There are a number of key recommendations, which when implemented by the highway sector will lead to more effective outcomes for the highway users and the economy. I would encourage all parties to take on board the recommendations. I am thankful for the help and assistance that was provided by colleagues from both the public and private sector including key stakeholder organisations.”

East Herts Council’s appointments panel has selected George Robertson to be the chief executive and director of customer and community services.

Robertson joined East Herts Council in August 2007 as director of customer and community services. He has been interim head of paid services in the absence of the previous chief executive Anne Freimanis. whose contract was terminated in January.

Barnsley names Diana Terris Diana Terris has been appointed chief executive of Barnsley Metropilitan District Council.

She was previously chief executive at Warrington Borough Council for five years. Terris stated: “I will certainly be heading across the Pennines with some happy memories.”

Former Barnsley chief executive Phil Coppard left the post in December following disagreements with the council’s leaders about cuts.

LARIA announce new chair

READ THE POTHOLE REVIEW.......

Tinyurl.com/6qd5xgo

GREEN ECONOMY

APSE report outlines vital council role in developing the new green economy The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is calling on central government to unlock local authorities’ potential to develop the green economy. The call comes as APSE launched a new report ‘The transition to the green economy: the vital role of the ensuring council’, which shows what local authorities are achieving and highlights ways in which national policy could enable them to do more.

The report shows how the ‘ensuring council’ model developed by APSE – whereby a local authority retains a core capacity to deliver efficient services and aligns this with strategic vision, policy co-ordination, leadership, entrepreneurship and accountability – can underpin the transition to a green economy.

Forty-six case studies in the report, written by Philip Monaghan and Eve Sadler of think-tank Infrangilis, show how every function within a local authority can make a contribution.

Leadership in Hackney, spatial planning in Peterborough, transport in Bromsgrove and Redditch, property in Birmingham, waste management in Stirling and green skills training

GB News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

in Blaeneau Gwent are among the many examples given.

APSE’s chief executive, Paul O’Brien, said: ‘Councils are already making an impressive contribution through use of their assets, community leadership, regeneration, planning, procurement, transport, education and management of services on the front-line. It is disappointing that the Government’s recent policy roadmap on the green economy does not make any reference to the role of local government in this important transition.”

Measures which could be taken by central government to help unlock local authorities’ potential discussed in the report include: enabling £143bn pension fund investment in low carbon regeneration projects; requiring the electricity industry to work on district energy planning; and making Feed In Tariffs viable for large-scale social housing schemes”

Neil Wholey, head of research and customer insight at Westminster City Council, is the new chair of the Local Authorities Research & Intelligence Association (LARIA). He was elected at the association’s recent conference in Birmingham. Andy Davies, who served as LARIA chair for five years, remains on the council as the treasurer. New council members include Neil Bendel, Professor Tony Bovaird, Dale Hall and Darren Sugg.

Empty homes adviser named Architect and TV presenter George Clarke is to be an independent Government adviser to help bring empty homes back into use.

Clarke presented Channel 4’s recent series of programmes, The Great British Property Scandal. His work as independent adviser on empty homes will involve encouraging council groups to identify good ideas.

TO DOWNLOAD THE APSE REPORT..... tinyurl.com/7j3boj7

TO READ MORE VISIT......

tinyurl.com/7opzmga

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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CENTRAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Scrapping DCMS could save £1.6m says IEA The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has recommended closing the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in order to save £1.6bn. The IEA also stated that stopping government funding of museums, galleries and libraries would save another £0.5bn, with each visitor to the British Library costing the public purse amn estimated £72.

Commenting on the implications of closing down the DCMS, Mark Littlewood, IEA director general, said: “If the government isn’t seriously considering closing down the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, then it should start doing so now. A major failure of its Comprehensive Spending Review was that it sought to salami slice areas of public expenditure, rather than to eliminate certain programmes entirely. The subsidies provided

by DCMS should be ended altogether and any residual regulatory functions should be substantially liberalised and

10% off

quote ‘GOV12’

transferred to other departments.

“A complete closure of all DCMS functions could save the taxpayer around £1.6bn per annum. Whilst this is a small proportion of overall government expenditure, it would allow for some worthwhile reductions in overall taxation.”

However, the Public and Commercial Services Union believes a secure future for the DCMS must be confirmed to protect free access to the arts and allay fears for staff. The union has written to the permanent secretary Jonathan Stephens to ask him to assure his staff that the department will remain.

The letter states: “The ambition by some to wish to see DCMS consigned to the scrap heap is hugely misguided, and will leave the UK as the only European country without a culture ministry. We have a golden goose here. It needs to be nurtured and not culled to suit a petty minded and narrow political agenda.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

GB News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Self Build help on the way Housing minister Grant Shapps has confirmed the Government’s support for the self-build market, as reports predict a 141 per cent rise in mortgages for those who build their own home over the next three years. Shapps pledged to double the size of the self-build sector by launching a package of measures. He said: with the numbers of mortgages available set to rise by a massive 141 per cent, there’s never been a better time for people to lay their own foundations.”

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT - tinyurl.com/7n5gp68

Social care and Waste pilots get LGA funding Eight new council-led projects have been given new funding to help improve care for the elderly and make waste collection more efficient. The LGA is supporting eight procurement schemes with funding of £20,000 to kick-start each.

Cllr Peter Fleming, Chairman of the LGA’s Improvement Board, said: “These innovative pilots should lead to improvements in the services which matter most to the public – such as rubbish collections, roads and elderly care. These pilots will help find further savings.”

The projects are expected to feature at a launch event shortly Regular updates will be available on the LGA website and the ‘Knowledge Hub’.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT - tinyurl.com/7ot2nen

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PENSION FUNDS

NEWS........

Tax Payers Alliance suggests a Council pension fund crisis Council leaders have been quick to dismiss fears of a council pensions crisis, after the Tax Payers’ Alliance reported that UK authorities had a combined pension deficit of £54bn last year.

TPA researchers have long called on ministers to tackle what they see as the soaring costs of town hall pensions, claiming last year that £1 out of every £5 of Council Tax ‘was spent on employer contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)’.

The lobby group’s latest research, published on 13 April, reveals that the combined pension fund deficit across the 101 LGPS funds fell to £54bn in 2010-11, from a record high of £91bn in 2009-10.

However, the TPA suggests that ‘even after a recovery, the latest combined deficit has still increased from £51bn in 2008-09’.

Researchers claim that Birmingham City Council is the authority running the largest pension deficit, estimated at £1.3bn in 201011, while 13 other local authorities appear to be running deficits in excess of £500m.

But the Local Government Association moved quickly to play down talk of a gaping ‘black hole’ in town hall pensions that could engulf taxpayers. Recent evidence suggested that the LGPS is currently ‘cash positive’ – meaning more money is currently going into the LGPS than is being paid out.

Sir Steve Bullock, the LGA’s workforce board chairman, said that the TPA’s latest figures were merely a ‘snapshot’ of the funds’ financial health taken in the aftermath of the recession.

“It is a spurious way of gauging the viability of a pension scheme and this year-old figure has no relevance to the actual cost of local government pensions,” he said.

“The fact that the nominal deficit fell by £37bn in just a year shows that we are getting it right and that the supposed ticking time-bomb is already being defused. We will continue to work to ensure the ongoing viability of local government pensions”, he added.

Local government ministers, employers and trade unions are currently discussing ways to ease the cost of the LGPS on taxpayers, including proposals to increase staff pension contributions and to adjust accrual rates.”

READ MORE - www.taxpayersalliance.com

BENEFITS

Universal Credit rollout could put strain council resources, says Unison Unison has warned UK local authorities that the government’s roll-out of the new Universal Credit benefit could increase the strain on council resources. The union says that the coalition risks ‘botching’ the move to the new benefit by making it more difficult for low-income families to claim benefits and tax credits.

New claimants will start to receive Universal Credit in place of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit from October 2013.More than 1 million people will be moved on to it by April 2014, with all claimants receiving it by 2017.

However, Unison believes that the transfer is at risk because the government intends to combine the introduction with a shift to claimants accessing and administering the service online.

The Department for Work and Pensions has said the benefit will make ‘extensive use of online technology to allow people to better manage their claim and understand the benefits of entering paid work’.

The union says its analysis shows that the low-income people who rely on benefits and

Fiscal rules signal closely monitored

tax credits are the least likely to apply on the internet. This includes almost 4 million disabled adults who have never used the internet, along with 8.1% of adults earning less than £200 a week. They are also least likely to be able to afford the cost of calling an 0845 number if they can’t get online.

Unison has emailed every councillor in England, Wales and Scotland calling on them to take action to ensure the transfer works, pointing out that if things go wrong people will turn to their local council for help.

General secretary Dave Prentis said that the move to online administration of benefits was “another outrageous policy the government has not thought through’.

He added: “This Cabinet – stuffed full of millionaires with gadgets galore – thinks everyone can get on the internet. Back in reality, people on low incomes, those that need benefits and tax credits, are the least likely to have a computer. The coalition’s cuts are already hitting families hard without the government making it more difficult still to claim much-needed benefits and tax credits.”

Finance News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has set out new fiscal rules across government that will see departmental spending more closely monitored by the Treasury. Alexander told the Institute for Fiscal Studies that the UK finances should never again be allowed to get into “a mess”. He outlined two new rules to ensure ‘fiscal discipline’, in addition to the government’s spending cuts, warning that the deficit ‘remains a clear and present danger to stability’.Departments will now need to monitor and share spending information with the Treasury on a monthly basis. They will also be required to have a plan for around 5 per cent of their budgets to be ‘reprioritised’ if new spending pressures emerge. Alexander said that the new rules have been drawn up with finance directors from across Whitehall and would “fundamentally change and improve financial management across all organisations spending public money.”

Improved monitoring will also change the incentives on financial management across government, he said.

Audit Commission’s annual fraud and corruption survey gets underway The only national survey of fraud and corruption in the public sector begins its annual update today. Over 480 public bodies - including councils, police authorities and probation boards - will be taking part.

Covering the 2011/12 financial year, the annual survey issued on 2 April 2012 will collect important information about a wide range of fraud and corruption issues, including housing tenancy and procurement fraud. Chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O’Higgins, says: ‘The survey is the only one of its kind in the public sector. We achieved a nearly 100 per cent response rate last year. It found that local government detected over 121,000 cases of fraud and corruption, equating to an over £185 million saving for the public purse.’

Survey results will inform the Audit Commission’s national report on local government fraud ‘Protecting the Public Purse 2012’, to be published later this year. Copies will be available on the audit commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk

READ MORE - www.unison.org

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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TRANSFORMATION AND THE NEED FOR PRACTICALITY The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has long understood the need for strategic financial advice that is not only technically perfect but is also grounded in the practicalities and demands of modern public services. The results achieved in work undertaken for Wiltshire Council in restructuring its financial services are outlined below.

Wiltshire Council was created as a Unitary Authority in 2009, replacing the former Wiltshire County Council and Districts of Kennet, North Wiltshire, West Wiltshire and Salisbury. The new Council quickly established a reputation for innovation and created a successful shared services operation for the majority of its transactional services including many financial operations.

In 2010 the council’s business plan identified the need to reduce back office costs by around 25 per cent over four years.

CIPFA was commissioned to work alongside the Council to analyse the financial service function, to identify areas where savings could be made and to provide a clear route map for transformational change.

The challenge faced by the Council was large and complex. As a new authority it faced the need to integrate services from five

individual organisations whilst maintaining standards and improving performance levels.

The squeeze on public sector finance and the array of options for future service delivery including the expansion of shared services both within and outside the Council created the need for clear strategic advice and support in establishing a route map to transformation.

OUTCOMES AGREED The outcomes required from CIPFA’s input were agreed up front – an absolutely crucial component in any advisory work. CIPFA was asked to create a structural framework to achieve specific objectives including reducing costs, streamlining operations and meeting the needs of both customers and staff. The new structure needed to be aspirational and forward looking and represent the specific needs of Wiltshire Council. The

council was clear that it wanted a service that was appropriate – not a generic approach based on theoretical models.

CIPFA advisors spent a month on-site at Wiltshire Council and created a series of distinct workstreams to achieve the outcomes required. These workstreams focused on the structures, posts and budgets of the finance function and also looked at benchmarking and performance data. The aspirations of the Council and staff were set high on the agenda giving the exercise a positive outlook rather than one of cost cutting and service reduction.

PRACTICAL REALITY A crucial factor underpinning the review was that it had to be grounded in practical reality. Timescales were such that the recommendations from the review were to be actioned immediately. It was therefore E

As a new authority, it faced the need to integrate services from five individual organisations whilst maintaining standards and improving performance levels.

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

15

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FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING E important that proposals were properly tested and that managers and staff were consulted throughout the review.

CIPFA’s two main advisors were both former finance directors with combined experience of over 50 years at the most senior level in local government finance.

The use of experienced advisors as opposed to a consultative approach meant that Council staff were comfortable with the methodology employed and the advisors could integrate immediately into the day to-day operations of the finance function.

The key findings of the review were communicated to managers throughout the process. CIPFA does not work with the “big bang theory” that outcomes should be hidden until the final report is agreed. CIPFA has found that a more iterative approach that challenges and tests assumptions is a much more productive way of achieving transformational change.

SLASH AND BURN The review demonstrated a number of significant issues that the Council faced in achieving its aims. An initial factor was that the overall cost of the finance function was not shown to be excessive when benchmarked against similar sized organisations. The need

to reduce costs therefore had to be handled carefully to preserve service levels and avoid a “slash and burn” process that undermined the good work that the Council had undertaken in the run up to reorganisation and subsequent innovation such as the creation of its shared service function.

The review identified a number of key messages that informed the recommendations made. These included highlighting the imbalance between financial accounting and management accounting with a disproportionate number of staff dedicated to the production of management accounting information. The strategic finance function had a low profile within the organisation and was operating with substantial interim arrangements that hindered the move to a higher performing and more effective service.

The review also identified a significant imbalance in the management and senior practitioner levels within financial services. Significant numbers of posts designated ‘principal’ and ‘senior’ needed to be reduced and new specifications and processes introduced.

SHARED SERVICES REASSESSED The Council’s shared services function had achieved significant savings since its

Finance

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

inception but needed to be reassessed alongside the need for stronger corporate control of the finance function. CIPFA’s review looked to strengthen corporate control but urged the Council to continue its shared services journey and to expand the service when possible.

The outcomes of the review created a number of recommendations that would lead to a potential cost reduction in excess of the required 25 per cent over four years and would be deliverable in a 10 month timeframe. The recommendations included a reduction in management control from 1:3 to 1:5, professional development opportunities and more transparent and accountable systems and structures.

Wiltshire Council accepted the recommendations of the review and has been working to create a modern, affordable and high performing finance function.

CIPFA relished the opportunity to provide practical strategic advice that achieved transformational change for the Council.L FOR MORE INFORMATION More detail of CIPFA’s transformation and advisory services can be found on cipfa.org.uk or for further information contact Ian Frost on 01782 681285

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ENERGY

Energy

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Considering energy in social housing industry analysts are predicting that the annual deployment of solar PV in the UK will increase a hundred-fold within the next five years. Robert Rabinowitz PhD, director of Environmental Markets, BRE, advises on how to choose the right business model for renewables in social housing “In any market, as in any poker game, there is a fool. The astute investor Warren Buffet is fond of saying that any player unaware of the fool in the market probably is the fool in the market,” writes Michael Lewis in his book ‘Liar’s Poker’.

Housing associations and other social landlords are uniquely positioned to benefit from government incentives for the production of renewable energy, the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The renewable energy market is currently experiencing something of a gold rush and many social landlords are being besieged by companies offering to finance and install renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels or heat pumps across their estates.

In order to ensure that they do not end up playing the role of Warren Buffett’s fool, finance directors should consider whether any deal they are being offered provides the maximum value for their own company. In particular, they should consider whether “PV for free” deals – which transfer the lion’s share of profits, as well as many of the risks, to third parties – are the best available in the market and best meet the needs of their organisations.

WHY SOCIAL HOUSING IS WELL POSITIONED TO BENEFIT The social housing sector is in a strong position to take advantage of the FIT and RHI. It has control of large property portfolios, allowing landlords to capture economies of scale in deployment. Landlords with inhouse maintenance operations can also reduce costs further by training their own staff to fit and maintain equipment, although

compliance with the Micro-generation Certification Scheme (MCS) is required.

The size of the housing stock they own means that many housing associations have strong balance sheets and so have very low costs of capital. At the same time, they are able to claim the highest generation tariff rate of 41.3p per kWh for solar PV panels that are installed on individual dwellings, instead of receiving lower rates of 36p or 29p that would be received for larger installations.

Finally, the sector’s strong commitment to reducing fuel poverty and its carbon footprint gives it a direct driver for deploying renewable energy throughout portfolios.

AN EMERGING MARKET The renewable energy market in the UK is quite immature compared to the market in countries such as Germany and Spain which have had FIT policies for years, but it is now growing fast. The market has many of the typical features of an immature market in its “goldrush” stage, easily recognisable to anybody who, for example, witnessed the initial stages of the carbon offsetting market. Some industry analysts are predicting that the annual deployment of solar PV in the UK will increase a hundred-fold within the next five years.

In the City of London, people who knew nothing about renewable energy 12 months ago are promising investors market-beating returns based on the FIT. New companies offering to sell renewable energy equipment to consumers are popping up, backed by private equity finance. Even retailers like M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury are getting in on the act.

Social landlords should be careful about

selecting the right partners in this market, bearing two primary things in mind. First, making money from renewables requires a long-term commitment. The equipment needs to generate energy for 20-25 years to earn the targeted level of returns. Installed incorrectly, PV panels will generate far less electricity than expected and they can be a fire risk if not correctly mounted and ventilated.

Also, there are policy risks in this area since governments, both here and abroad, have the power, which they sometimes use, to remove environmental policies or reduce incentives.

Social landlords need to feel secure that their partners can be trusted to install and maintain equipment for 20-25 years without damaging their property and that they have the financial strength to survive reversals in government policy. This is particularly important in light of recent high profile cases of financial distress of social housing contractors.

PV FOR FREE Much of the running in the renewable energy market is being made by companies offering “PV for free”. In this approach, the social housing provider does not pay for the installation. Instead a third-party provides the finance to a separate company that owns and operates the solar panels. Tenants are then frequently given the electricity generated by the panel for free while the generation and export tariff is paid to the company that owns and operates the panels and hence back through to the investors.

This model has a few advantages. Obviously, it does not require the RSL to provide much of its own financial resources, although E

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ENERGY E some small contribution may be required.

Secondly, the process of installation, monitoring, maintaining and repairing the equipment is handled by a specialist organisation removing many associated risks from the RSL. In addition, if tenants receive electricity for free, this can make a contribution to reducing fuel poverty.

There are, however, a number of very significant drawbacks to the model, primarily that there is little or no financial upside to the RSL. Private equity investors will generally aim for a fairly hefty return on their investment, aiming for 9-12 per cent non-leveraged return. Signing up to a “PV for free” deal means that these profits are not available to fund refurbishment or social programmes.

THE DOWNSIDE There are several other disadvantages. A “PV for free” company is likely to focus only on installing solar PV panels rather than looking at how the RSL can benefit from other renewable technologies such as solar thermal and heat pumps. There may be occasions when solar thermal is a better use of roof space from an environmental and financial perspective, with the added benefits related to affordable warmth.

The “PV for free” company is also going to focus on installations that earn its investors the required rate of return, which may be considerably higher than the social landlords’ required returns. This would mean targeting the largest, unshaded properties facing in the optimal direction without reference to social need or other issues. By taking control, social landlords can apply their own targeting policy to tie in with fuel poverty targets, maintenance schedules and carbon reduction targets.

Also, the “PV for free” model involves leasing roof space to an outside company for 25 years. One needs to be sure that the company will not damage the properties and that it is capable of meeting its obligations over such a

long period. Finally, there is the issue of equity among tenants. The PV for free model passes all the benefits of the scheme onto the lucky tenants whose homes are suitable, whether or not they face fuel poverty. Finally the operator may seek to sell off its 25 year revenue stream to other perhaps less responsible operators or investment institutions which may have less regard for the social housing provider’s aims and objectives or tenant wellbeing.

ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS MODELS There are numerous other ways of financing renewable energy deployment. Obviously, given housing associations’ low cost of capital, it would be preferable to finance as much as possible on balance sheet (i.e. the loan is secured against the housing associations’ assets) without breeching banking covenants, which may trigger an increase in the cost of capital for all borrowing.

If this is not possible, several other options may be viable. Banks are developing new models whereby housing associations can set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) which own and operate the equipment. While such a structure would require an initial equity injection from the housing association, it does mean that the profits are ultimately paid back to the housing association.

Other financial institutions are developing lease-based approaches. Under such an approach the housing association would lease the solar panels over a 10-15 year lifetime.

The revenue from the panels would pay for the lease over its lifetime. At the end of this time, the RSL makes a small final payment and then owns the panels and collects the final 10-15 years of revenue as free cash-flow.

Both of these approaches are designed to reduce up-front investment required from the social housing provider while retaining the very significant profits that can be earned once the loans are paid off. Their primary disadvantages are that they are more complex

Energy

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to structure and that more of the ongoing operational risk will remain with the social housing provider. They may, therefore, be more suited to larger social housing providers.

There are other approaches that may ultimately be more profitable for social housing providers, such as a shared equity approach that draws on private equity investment but achieves a better balance of returns between the parties in terms of the value that each party brings to the table.

CONCLUSION When considering possible business models for installation of renewables across their estate, finance directors of social housing providers should be aware of the massive potential financial value of their estate for renewable investors and the full range of financing options. Any deal to which they sign up should share the risks and rewards equitably with any external finance providers.

This is not simply a matter of avoiding becoming Warren Buffett’s fool in the market.

Properly structured, a renewables business strategy can also be a driver of significant strategic importance, helping to strengthen balance sheets and provide profits that can be used to finance core corporate goals such as reducing fuel poverty, improving housing stock and reducing carbon footprints.

BRE Training manages the courses; ‘Introduction to Renewables’, ‘Renewables for Building Designers’ and ‘Sustainable Refurbishment for Homes’. These courses provide key information on how best to use renewables technologies effectively and economically and the opportunities to incorporate renewable technologies during refurbishment works. L FOR MORE INFORMATION For further details of BRE’s consultancy service, and training please visit www.bre.co.uk

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As construction of the first standardised Sunesis school in the UK gets underway at Oakfield Primary in Rugby, the model receives endorsement from the Design Council. According to its makers, it can reduce construction costs by an average of 30 percent and can be erected in just 20 weeks.

The latest figures suggest that the rising birth rate has left England needing about 2,000 new primary schools within the next three years.

Department for Education statistics show the primary school population is expected to rise by 454, 571 by 2015 – the equivalent of 2,030 extra schools based on the current average intake of new 224 pupils per school.

The most acute crisis is in London where an additional 100,000 places are needed.

Lancashire is short of 14,000 places and Birmingham, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Leeds all need at least 11,000 extra places.

The Design Council CABE has endorsed a Sunesis Keynes standardised school, which is one of the first to have been launched to the UK market.

Sunesis is a joint initiative between public sector construction procurement company Scape and contractor Willmott Dixon. There are plans to submit a further four models to undergo the same Design Council review process.

Pre-fab schools were last used in the 1960s to 1980s. They were built as part of the Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme. These metal framed concrete constructions have become extremely unpopular in recent years. The Design Council has said the new approach opens up the debate into the benefits and possibilities of delivering standardised designs, which is necessary given the efficiency drive to cut the cost of school building schemes.

To date, there has been much debate about the pros and cons of such an approach.

Supporters believe standardisation offers certainty in costs and delivery timescales.

Others argue that it may not meet the needs of an end user, as the lack of a bespoke, individual design is less likely to meet a particular context or brief. That perception is changing, however, with the Design Council stating that Keynes could provide a valuable learning environment, offering proactive spaces for learning and play.

Alan Thompson, Design Council senior advisor, explained: “We have made a number of general comments about the long term challenges for the standardised process and for the design of both buildings and the landscape. We find the Sunesis Keynes project to be a valuable response to the challenges of delivering new primary schools.

“And providing the client and design team continue to develop their models further, we believe this could be a successful way to build new schools, specifically where both the site and client brief are at the less demanding end of the spectrum.”

News of the Design Council endorsement comes after Warwickshire County Council purchased the £2.2m Keynes model and construction of the first standardised Sunesis school in the UK got underway at Oakfield Primary in Rugby. Local authority controlled company Scape believes standardisation is the way forward.

A SHIFT IN PERCEPTION Scape’s CEO Mark Robinson explained: “According to the National Audit Office and Construction Excellence, over 50 per cent of public buildings are delivered late and cost more than first thought. Sunesis is different, in that it offers complete certainty in cost, time and quality up front. Time and cost certainty are critical factors for local authorities to consider, particularly as demand in many parts of the UK is outstripping supply. A surge in birth rates over recent years means that pupil numbers in many existing school buildings is nearing capacity.”

On average, Sunesis is set to reduce the cost of a new school facility by up to 30 per cent, and the build programme by around 20 weeks. It is available to any public sector client via Scape’s National Contractor Framework, to which Willmott Dixon was re-appointed in 2010 following a competitive tender process as the sole delivery contractor.

Aside from Oakfield, there are several other Sunesis schemes in the pipeline. Councils and schools are able to choose from three other standardised primary school designs (Newton, Paxton and Dewey). One model (Mondrian) is available to secondary schools. their emerging needs and priorities. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.scapebuild.co.uk

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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

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A growing number of FM specialists can now provide both the ‘hard’ facilities services such as building maintenance and the ‘soft’ services such as catering. Barry Holt, director of policy & research at the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management discusses the risks and advantages that are associated with outsourcing from a health and safety perspective.

Increasingly we are seeing organisations outsourcing activities to third parties, not only those for which we have traditionally looked outside but also many of the core activities of a business. The range of areas outsourced may now include those related to building and service maintenance at one end of the spectrum to financial operations, by way of activities such as IT. While this may make sound sense from a financial and business point of view, most facilities managers - as well as health and safety professionals - are well aware of the risks which use of external contractors can introduce.

In fact, the situation can be complicated further by the way in which there are often several levels of subcontract arrangements. For example, many organisations now outsource

the whole of their facilities management function to a specialist contractor. However, the FM contractor will often have to subcontract parts of this operation to another organisation, which in turn may rely on other subcontractors who may be self-employed or agency workers. Some organisations in this supply chain may even outsource their health and safety function. This introduces a particular problem in that, whilst it may be appropriate to have a third party carry out certain duties, the organisation itself still retains overall reasonability whether it realises it or not.

WHY DO WE SUBCONTRACT? In the past, organisations have traditionally kept control of those activities which were part

of their day-to-day operations. Obviously where specific projects were concerned, such as a new building, plant or machinery, they would go externally. However, we have a growing number of FM specialists who can provide both the hard facilities services such as building maintenance and the soft’ services such as catering. In part this trend has been accelerated by the economic climate in recent years.

Another reason why we have seen this move to the use of more subcontract labour is that it gives organisations more Many flexibility with regard organisations now to the number of workers required at outsource the who le any one time. E

“

of their facilities management func tion to a specialist contractor”

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E It avoids the need for businesses to pay employees when there is no current work or face the alternative of making redundancies with all the problems which this introduces.

Outsourcing also enables an organisation to review, periodically, the way in which a contractor is performing or the needs of the organisation, which may change.

The scale to which some organisations now outsource has escalated to the extent where in some industries, such as oil and energy, the majority of workers are subcontractors.

HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES AROUND SUBCONTRACTORS Whilst the increased use of subcontractors has significant financial benefits for an organisation, it brings with it considerable problems relating to health and safety. These arise from two main sources, competence and control. As we suggested earlier, some organisations may believe that, by outsourcing, they are relieving themselves of their legal responsibilities for health and safety management and that these are passed on to the subcontracting company.

As has been frequently demonstrated, this is not the case – overall responsibility must remain with the company that is doing the outsourcing, although the contracting company will have duties of its own to fulfil.

It is important to realise that there is a complex network of duties that must be considered in these circumstances. These include duty of care from the business to

Facilities Management

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

What does an organisation need to do to discharge its legal responsibilities for the health and safety of subcontractors working on its business? its own employees, which will have to take into account the activities being carried out by the subcontractor’s staff; duty of care from the business to the employees of the subcontractor, who may be unfamiliar with workplace hazards and hazards relating to the activities being carried out by the business, and; duty of care from the subcontractor to its own employees, and the duties of the employees of the subcontractor.

Some of these duties were defined in the case of RV Swan Hunter Shipbuilders and Telemeter Engineering, 1982. This case resulted from the large fire that occurred during the construction of HMS Glasgow at Swan Hunter’s Walker shipyard. Specialist welders had been provided by Telemeter Engineering Ltd to carry out welding inside the hull of the vessel. Welding within a confined space had been identified as a particularly hazardous activity, and Swan Hunter had included details of the hazard and controls in their ‘blue book’ which was issued to Telemeter Engineering but not to the actual employees carrying out the welding. One of the points covered in this document was that a rapidly burning cigarette is evidence of an oxygen enriched atmosphere within the space.

This was noticed when the shift turned up

for work but was not recognised and when one of the welders struck an arc there was an explosion and fire which killed eight people.

Swan Hunter was convicted and fined £3,000.

The company appealed but the original conviction was upheld. The Judge made the comment that ‘Swan Hunter had a duty to ensure the health and safety of its own employees by the provision of information.

If the ignorance of another organisation’s employees places its own employees at risk then it is the organisation’s duty, for the protection of its own employees, to inform the employees of another of any special risks within its knowledge’.

So, what does an organisation need to do to discharge its legal responsibilities for the health and safety of subcontractors working on its business?

SELECTION PROCESS The organisation must ensure that the subcontractor it selects, and its employees, are competent to carry out the job without causing undue risk to its own and the contractor’s employees, as shown in the Swan Hunter case.

What evidence do we need to have to ensure that this is the case? Some of the questions we need to ask are: E

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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT E Does the subcontractor have a valid health and safety policy that includes organisational details, arrangements, policies and procedures?

Have risk assessments been carried out for the activities for which they are being employed?

Does the subcontractor employ competent health and safety advisers?

What is the accident experience of the subcontractor?

Has the subcontractor been prosecuted for breaches of health and safety legislation?

Have any enforcement notices been issued and for what?

What health and safety training have employees received?

If the subcontractor is to carry out specific duties, e.g. food handling, electrical work, etc, do they have evidence of competence?

What the subcontractor cannot be expected to have is knowledge of the specific aspects of its tasks which relate to the place of work, activities and procedures of the employing organisation.

One of the problems of checking this information is that it is time consuming, particularly if several contractors are bidding for the same work; and even where organisations have included health and safety as part of their procurement process, it often deteriorates into a ‘tick box’ exercise.

However, recently schemes have been set up that will provide assurance of a potential subcontractor’s competence. These include the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme

(CHAS) and Achilles. Subcontractors registered with these schemes will have been checked in advance and have met certain standards.

However, many contractors are self-employed or work through an agency. How can we check their competence? One way which is becoming more widely available is the Safety Passport Scheme. This originated with the construction industry, which employs many casual and self-employed workers, but is now spreading into other industries. Details of passport schemes are available from HSE (www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg381.pdf).

It must be stressed that, even if a passport scheme is used, there is still a duty to ensure that the individual contractors coming onto site are made aware of issues relating to the site and its activities, such as emergency procedures, particular hazards, etc.

MONITORING AND CONTROL Having taken all appropriate steps to ensure that contractors coming onto site are competent and that they have received appropriate site induction, there is a need to ensure that there is effective communication during the period of the contract. This is probably the most common factor in serious incidents, where there is a lack of a common understanding of standards and expectations.

If this is to be achieved, it is necessary that health and safety is seen as everyone’s responsibility and that there should be a means of communicating both good and bad behaviour to those who are in a position

to take action, whether to recognise good achievements or to correct actions that are potentially dangerous. In one case of which we are aware, a CEO saw two contractors working on a flat roof with inadequate fall arrest equipment and PPE. He did not turn away thinking it was the safety manager’s job but immediately stopped work on that activity, before calling the sub-contractor’s director.

Facilities Management

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

SUMMING UP There are undoubtedly some problems surrounding the outsourcing of activities to subcontractors. These problems have been with us for a long time but are becoming increasingly important as organisations move toward outsourcing a wider range of activities, including those traditionally seen as ‘low risk’.

We need to ensure that we are suitably diligent in selecting our subcontractors and we need to ensure that their activities are carefully monitored.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Barry Holt is director of policy & research at the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management, which was established in 1975 to advance professional standards in accident prevention and occupational health throughout the world.

Barry has been involved in health and safety for 35 years, providing advice to organisations including major multi-nationals, SMEs, NGOs and Government agencies. He has a degree in metallurgy from Imperial College, London, and is a visiting lecturer in risk and safety management on MSc courses at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London and Liverpool John Moore’s University.

Over the last three decades IIRSM has grown from a collective group of UK health and safety professionals to a thriving International Institute spanning over 70 countries. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.iirsm.org This article was first published on facilities-manager.co.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Are you responsible for extensive housing stock?

Then you don’t have time to waste...

If you are responsible for the management and development of housing projects and control a support team to maintain them, then it is pretty safe to assume you are using software to manage your systems. This is particularly important with electrical and gas certification; you need to have complete control over the generation and tracking of thousands of certificates.

However, when involved in new developments electrical design software is also needed.

With Amtech software, you can streamline both activities and share information to save even more time. The designs can be exported directly to the certificates, so you only enter the information once, saving time and improving accuracy.

Amtech FastTest is the market leading electrical certification software in the UK with over 15,000 licences sold. Used by local authorities and housing associations, no

other package has the range of features, helpful wizards and number of reports available.

FastTest is fully networked so that certificates can be completed in the office or onsite, with all details stored for instant retrieval and built-in reminders for when certificates are due for retest.

Amtech ProDesign is the leading electrical design and calculation software, which is easy to use and integrates with FastTest. ProDesign’s many design options provide total control, from initial design through commissioning, right up to final completion.

FastTest and ProDesign are powerful software programs in their own right. Combined, they deliver even more time and cost saving benefits. Using software packages from the same manufacturer means they work together with each other and your operation. Amtech also supplies these popular packages as a complete suite of programs called Amtech Office,

which includes easy to use co-ordination and quick single cable calculation software.

Amtech is the market leading developer of software for the building services industry, with solutions to encompass every stage of a project, from design through to ongoing service and maintenance. The company can even provide GPS information

on the location of operatives in order to make optimum use of resources. The software range includes estimating, contract costing and management, contractor accounts and service and maintenance management.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0800 028 28 28 www.amtech.co.uk

Managing housing stock?

Complete control over contracts from start to finish!

Fully networked specialist software for Electrical Engineers... electrical design & certification right from the box!

amtech.co.uk/gov 0800 028 28 28 30

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

Software for the Building Services Industry

FM NEWS

‘Inconsistent’ EED directive position raises concerns In a letter to secretary of state for energy and climate change Ed Davey, bodies including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Friends of the Earth, and the UK Green Building Council have expressed concern over what they see as the coalition government’s ‘inconsistent’ position on the draft EED. The directive is designed to ensure the European Union meets its 20 per cent energy savings target by 2020. But the coalition government opposes a 20 per cent binding target and nearly all the other significant measures in the EED, according to the concerned groups.

The letter calls for measures including support for a binding 20 per cent energy savings target, allocation of individual national targets and a trajectory for each member state. It also backs ambitious renovation targets for all public buildings.

RIBA head of external affairs Anna ScottMarshall said the coalition government’s stance on the directive was “confusing” and needed more ambitious targets. She said: “The UK is in a great position to take advantage of a strong EED, given how our

energy efficiency policy is progressing.

It will help ensure we create new green jobs and growth by eliminating our current inefficient use of energy.”

According to Scott-Marshall, this will reduce carbon emissions and “save UK households and businesses money at a time of rising energy costs”.

In her statement, she expressed concern over the coalition government’s position, saying: “The coalition appears to be pushing for an unambitious target on public buildings renovations. This does not help lead the market for energy efficiency renovations, and leaves a large energy bill for the taxpayer. This position does nothing to foster confidence among those in the UK’s growing green buildings sector, including architects and other businesses.

It also stands contrary to the coalition’s claims to be the greenest government ever.

We need a sensible roadmap to improving the efficiency of our building stock.”

FURTHER INFORMATION www.ukgbc.org

Public buildings over 500 sq. metres will require Display Energy Certificates from 2013

Facilities Management

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Public sector facilities and energy managers need to begin adapting metering strategies to allow for the considerable increase in the numbers of buildings which will soon need Display Energy Certificates.

Currently, only public buildings with a floor area of 1,000 sq m or above need a DEC, but from 9th January, 2013 public buildings with a floor area greater than 500 sq m will be required to have a Display Energy Certificate in place. The threshold then falls to 250 sq m in 2015 with the changes resulting from recent revisions to the Energy Performance of Buildings directive.

To have sufficient consumption data in place in time, organisational metering needs to be reviewed and sub meters installed before the new threshold is applied.

Gas and electricity consumption data for a 12 month period is required to produce a DEC, and whilst supplier invoices can be used, the potential inaccuracy from estimated read invoices can lead to inaccurate DEC ratings.

TO READ MORE... tinyurl.com/d92xooz

THE UNIFOLD® GUTTER LINING SYSTEM THE PERMANENT REPAIR FOR LEAKING GUTTERS A permanent repair for leaking gu ers is extremely difficult as many different problems cause a gu er to leak. Bandage repairs and coa ngs are only emergency con ngencies whilst a more permanent solu on is sought and roll out gu er liners whilst more durable, have a tendency to warp and bubble due to expansion and contrac on caused by our lovely Bri sh weather.

BEFORE

Only one system on the market has the permanent, long term solu on to this age old problem and this is the UNIFOLD® gu er lining system.

Designed and manufactured by Ampteam Ltd, UNIFOLD® has enjoyed 17 years of success within the market place and has been a welcome addi on to many high profile companies, B & Q, The Royal Mail, DHL and Dunlop to name but a few.

A fully engineered system specifically designed to address all of the issues that cause ® leaking gu ers, each project is surveyed and UNIFOLD manufactured to fit exactly. The unique hinge system allows the unifold liner to fit into the ghtest of spaces with ease and lamina on of membrane on metal makes it a substan al and stable addi on to the exis ng gu er.

DUNLOP, COVENTRY AFTER

Highly skilled, trained opera ves use superior materials in manufacture and each and every gu er is given a 20 year materials and installa on guarantee.

In addi on to these excep onal quali es of the Unifold gu er liner system; Ampteam has a network of superior, highly regarded contractors throughout the country who are trained by Ampteam to correctly install Unifold.

For more detailed informa on on our unique, permanent solu on please contact our office on 01384 252777.

AMPTEAM LTD

Tel: 01384 252777 www.gutterliners.com Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

FM NEWS

CIBSE Building Performance Awards highlight efforts of the carbon conscious building sector The University of Bradford was crowned Carbon Champion of the Year at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2012, held in February.

Rewarding excellence in sustainable and aspirational buildings, the CIBSE Building Performance awards are designed to raise industry standards by recognising those who are designing and managing the UK’s most sustainable and innovative projects and products. They showcase the best examples of actual low carbon performance in practice, allied to excellence in the design, construction, and operation of buildings of all types.

The University carried out a sustained and comprehensive programme of energy efficiency that not only reversed their buildings, previous trend of rising energy use and emissions, but reduced them by 8 per cent since the start of the programme in 2005. The University also won the client of the year award.

AECOM was named Consultancy of the Year while Imtech Aqua took Contractor of the Year. Norman Disney & Young took the accolade for Refurbishment Project

of the Year, for a refurbishment project transforming The Angel Building, an early 1980s building in Islington, North London.

Max Fordham took the award for Public Sector New Build of the Year and also beat off the competition to win the Private Sector New Build of the Year with the Brockholes Visitor Centre in Preston while British Land won the Client Energy Management Award.

Passive (Energy related) Product of the Year went to Datum Phase Change for the Racus ceiling tile, while Energy Using Product of the Year went to Monodraught for their Cool-Phase Low Energy Cooling and Ventilation System - a low-energy alternative to air-conditioning. Norland Managed Services was recognised for its contribution to Training for Building Performance and Transport for London won for Building Operation. Norman Disney and Young was awarded Commissioning Project of the Year and the award for Collaborative Working went to Harrods.CIBSE Low Carbon Energy Assessor Andrew Gardner took the title of Low Carbon Consultant of the Year. Over the course of one year he helped his clients to

Facilities Management

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

save approximately 61 tonnes of carbon.

CIBSE President Andy Ford said:“The future is a resource and carbon constrained world.

CIBSE is placing the enabling of effective performance engineering delivered through our members at the heart of what it does.

All the entrants recognised have shown their commitment and skill at creating a sustainable built environment. We are proud to showcase some of the best projects, products and innovations and urge all of our winners and runners up to continue their efforts.”

The CIBSE Building Performance Awards focus on actual, measured performance. Judged by a panel of industry leaders, winners of the awards know that their work is best in class.

The Awards were presented at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London by BBC Newscaster Huw Edwards, who has been handbagged by Margaret Thatcher in a Welsh barn, and silenced an archbishop during a live broadcast to 250 million listeners.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cibseawards.org

It’s no good burying your head in the sand

You need BAFE When you specify fire alarms, portable extinguishers or emergency lighting you need to be sure that they meet the latest standards, using approved equipment and that your contractor is competent.

There are now over 900 BAFE registered contractors from all parts of the UK who are certificated so that they meet your requirements.

These key third party certification schemes are backed by UKAS accredited Certification Bodies thus ensuring you get the products and systems your fire risk assessment requires.

BAFE.... Independent – National – Quality!

Bridges 2, Fire Service College, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0RH

Tel: 0844 3350897 • Fax: 01608 653359 • Email: info@bafe.org.uk

www.bafe.org.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

33

Founded in 1977, Wensley Group is now established as a high quality and highly efficient Joinery Manufacturers, general building and refurbishment contractor. “A family business that cares, with professional objectives to deliver” For more than 30 years, Wensley have delivered over 5000 projects to a high standard, achieving value for money, quality of delivery and scheduled completions.

“To become best within our industry, by investing an honest approach, understanding client requirements and delivering quality projects without compromise” n Refurbishment n Construction n Joinery Production n Contemporary Surfaces Quality Standards 3 Investors in People 3 FSC Accredited 3 ISO 9001/14001

Health and Safety 3 CHAS 3 Construction Line 3 Achilles Building Confidence 3 Altius

Wensley Group. The Works, Alcester Road Redditch B98 9EJ Tel 01564 742465 Info@wensleygroup.co.uk www.wensleygroup.co.uk

FM NEWS

Government Procurement Service awards Yorkon four-year modular building framework Off-site construction specialist Yorkon has been awarded a major framework agreement by Government Procurement Service for the supply of modular buildings across the public sector.

The four-year framework is for the supply of bespoke modular buildings for applications such as nursery, primary, secondary and further education facilities; office schemes, healthcare buildings and patient accommodation.

By avoiding costly competitive tendering, the new agreement will substantially reduce procurement time and cost for Yorkon’s customers in the public sector.

Government Procurement Service, an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, is the largest professional buying organisation in the public sector, delivering cost savings by centralising procurement for Government departments, including health, education and local government.

Commenting on the framework, Simon Ambler, Director of Yorkon, said:“This follows a rigorous, independent assessment of our off-site building system and services, as well as assurance of supply, our quality

management procedures, regulatory compliance and commitment to innovation, as well as costs.”

“The framework gives our customers in the public sector an alternative method of procurement that will substantially reduce procurement time and deliver significant cost savings.”

Yorkon’s recent contracts include a challenging project to double capacity of the cardiac catheterisation unit at Lister Hospital in Stevenage, which involved adding a new storey on to the roof of the existing unit that was provided by Yorkon in 2004.

Another big project involved the construction of a new purpose-built satellite haemodialysis unit for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust for the delivery of renal services out in the community in line with the Government’s health strategy.

Yorkon provides bespoke steel-framed buildings, which are manufactured off site in significantly less time, with less disruption and less impact on the environment. Its projects have been recognised by numerous

Facilities Management

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Haemodialysis unit at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

independent awards and accolades for design, build quality, project performance and customer service excellence.

Over the past six years Yorkon, part of the Portakabin Group, has delivered 96 per cent of its building projects on time and 94 per cent on budget, rising to a staggering 99 per cent for the last two years - well in excess of construction industry averages.

Butler & Young Lift Consultants Ltd LIFT AND ESCALATOR CONSULTANCY

We are able to provide independent advice for:

3 Maintenance 3 Repairs 3 Refurbishment 3 New Installations

3 Planning 3 Auditing 3 Disabled Access 3 BREAAM

Before

After

ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE SERVICES WE OFFER Butler & Young Lift Consultants Ltd provides consultancy on matters relating to lifts and escalators.

We are staffed by time served engineers having experience associated with all facets of the lift and escalator industry.

We undertake general condition and compliance reports, feasibility studies, rolling programmes, performance and specification studies, plus the preparation and administration of maintenance contracts. We also undertake due diligence and dilapidation surveys and provide comprehensive options reports.

Butler & Young Lift Consultants Ltd specialise in the refurbishment, restoration and replacement of existing lifts or escalators, undertaken on complete ‘turnkey’ projects which invariably incorporates building, electrical and other associated works.

On many projects we act as the Project Manager, the Lead Consultant and when requested the Health and Safety Co-ordinator.

Whatever your lift or escalator needs contact:- Butler & Young Lift Consultants Ltd

01883 346448 info@bylcl.co.uk www.bylcl.co.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Gaia Energy

Independent Energy Brokers Negotiating Energy contracts for Facilities Managers and other energy buyers. Apart from Procurement, we can facilitate the analysis of energy prices, validation of utility bills and report on energy usage and carbon impact: n Energy management n Capacity reviews n Solar/Feed-In n Energy surveys

n Monitoring & targeting n Metering/AMR n Voltage optimisation n Water Auditing

Established in 1995 Gaia Energy (known as Gaia Communications until April 2012) has business relationships with many of the main UK Church denominations, like The Methodist Church and the Church of England.

Commercial clients range from farms to factories.

We are full members of the Utilities Intermediaries Association.

Tel: 01570 422011 Fax: 01570 423391 info@gaia-energy.co.uk www.gaia-energy.co.uk

“I will be happy to validate the benefit Gaia Energy has brought to The United Reformed Church utilities accounts”.

Ann Barton, Facilities Co-ordinator, URC Head Office

SOME OF OUR HEROES NEED A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT For those who do, there’s RBLI

Our mission is to enable ex-Armed Forces men and women who may bear the physical and mental scars of service to return to the wider community with increased confidence, self-esteem and independence.

We’ve been doing just that for almost 100 years and have earned a reputation for excellence.

LifeWorks has been designed to increase confidence and motivation and help an individual understand and find their career options.

Our commitment to supporting those from the Armed Forces is as enduring now as it was when we were formed in 1919. And, coming from an independent charity, it’s customer focused and not-for-profit.

For further information on LifeWorks and how we can help: Call 0800 319 6844 or email Lifeworks@rbli.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

AN EXCITING TIME FOR THE FM PROFESSION

Facilities Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Helping to put FM firmly on the map as an established profession, Facilities Show is working with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) to provide new CPD and networking opportunities at the 2012 event, which takes place at the NEC on 15 - 17 May. This year’s Facilities Show will see the introduction of the new CPD Seminar Theatre in association with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). As the industry becomes ever more fast-paced and subject to increasing levels of legislation, the need for continuing professional development is essential for all ambitious facilities managers. This revised content will reflect a move within the FM industry towards increased professionalisation and officially recognised development.

Valerie Everitt, director of education and professional standards at the BIFM, believes that topping up knowledge through training and CPD opportunities now forms a critical part of every successful FM’s job. She stated: “This is an exciting time for the FM profession - there is a vast talent pool of experienced FM managers and those keen to enter our industry. To remain on top of your game in this economic climate, every FM, regardless of experience should invest in their personal career development, or risk being left behind.”

Members of the BIFM Approved CPD Provider Network will also be running sessions in the new BIFM CPD Theatre.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT ZONE In line with visitor research, the 2012 exhibition will reflect a demand for increased content on sustainability, and the Sustainable FM Academy returns within a bigger and better Energy Management Zone. Industry’s leading players will be on hand to advise visitors and showcase their latest solutions.

New to the show is the Facilities Forum, a seminar theatre that will host leading industry speakers addressing key issues on the FM agenda, providing thought provoking insight on issues including compliance, security, risk management, cost control and churn management.

The Facilities Forum will feature sessions from Theresa Flower, Facilities Manager at Nottingham City Council, and Liz Kentish, the new deputy chair of BIFM. WASTE MANAGEMENT The growth of the waste management provision at Facilities Show will be evident in the number of leading companies which have chosen to exhibit. These include SITA UK, Centrol Recycling Group, Grundon Waste

The show’s biggest ever networking bar will provide the perfect environment for meetings and the Facilities Management Association (FMA) is set to hold its May networking event.

Management, Biffa Waste Services, Bagnall & Morris, Environmental Waste Systems, Overton Recycling and Waste Efficiency Ltd. A record 250 exhibitors are expected, reflecting the scale and diversity of this ever growing sector. Visitors will have the chance to engage with companies and service providers from the worlds of energy management, maintenance, security, vending, parking, waste management, information technology, cleaning, health & safety, interiors, office management and sustainability.

The show’s biggest ever networking bar will provide the perfect environment for meetings and the Facilities Management Association (FMA) is set to hold its May networking event at the show.

Adrian Newton, portfolio director for

Facilities Show and Total Workplace Management, believes it is vital that FMs get out and meet the suppliers they are keen to work with and see their products and services in action. He stated: “Sixty nine per cent of visitors to our 2011 FM shows cited sourcing new products and services as a key reason for their attendance as well as 79 percent who wanted to learn about the latest industry trends - take advantage of the free networking opportunities open to you.”

Facilities Show will be located in its own hall at Birmingham NEC, having previously shared an entrance with Safety & Health Expo. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.facilitiesshow.com Twitter @Facilities_Show

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

We deliver

• Records Management • Inter-site Logistics Solutions • Physical and virtual mailrooms • Scanning, reprographics and printing • Back office processing

• Cost savings • Absolute compliance • Proven governance • Leading innovation • Risk mitigation

Outsource with TNT Business Solutions to enjoy real benefits across a range of fully-integrated solutions, managing information in a physical and digital world while giving you peace of mind to focus on your core business Find out more at www.tntbusinesssolutions.co.uk or get in touch now by calling 01827 303030 and asking for Tim Robb

We’re proud to install and service: Fire extinguishers Fire alarms Hose reels Sprinklers (LPCB Level 4 standard) Dry and wet risers Fire blankets Automatic door closers and releases Fire safety signage Emergency lighting.

"If you need any form of fire safety, save yourself a huge amount of hassle. Churchesfire works for me!"

Ian Taylor - Dunstable Icknield Lower School

www.churchesfire.com Tel: 0870 608 4350

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY CONSTRUCTION IS SO EXPENSIVE? Well it doesn’t have to be!

M.L.P.S. provides labelling & identification solutions to a diverse range of industries including, electrical, electronics, warehousing, distribution, automotive, aviation and manufacturing to name but a few.

Whether its barcode labels, asset labels, rating plates, health & safety signs you require, we have the solution to produce professional labels and signs on demand.

Visit us at the Facilities Show Hall 2, Stand M8

Tel: 01476 590400 e-mail: sales@mlps.co.uk www.mlps.co.uk

At MorrCo we apply our commercial fit out “can do” attitude and experience to all your construction needs.

Every aspect of interior 21/03/2012 construction completed including all your design requirements.

12:54:19

We want to help you to enhance your core business

www.morrco.co.uk 38

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

ThermaData loggers for accurate monitoring of energy usage in buildings In today’s world of trying to minimise energy consumption, it has never been more important to monitor temperature to determine energy efficiency and comfort levels in occupied buildings.

The ETI ThermaData loggers provide a simple and accountable solution for this. Designed for use in a wide range of environments – from commercial offices to museums - the waterproof ThermaData loggers offer improved performance over previous low cost data-loggers by providing 0.5°C accuracy, up to 4,000 temperature readings and high/low digital LED alarms.

The alarms offer the user visual verification that temperatures have not exceeded the userdefined limits in the building.

Data from the ThermaData logger can be quickly and easily uploaded onto a PC via the ThermaData logger cradle and the data can be analysed in userfriendly table or graph format via the ThermaData logger software.

For a comprehensive brochure or further details, contact the ETI sales office on 01903 202151.

Cost-effective label and signage systems MLPS was established in 1988, and though based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, covers the whole of the UK – from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Its success is built on an ability to listen to its customers’ requirements and then recommend the correct solution to satisfy their needs.

MLPS provides labelling and identification solutions to a diverse range of industries including electrical, electronics, warehousing, distribution, automotive, aviation and manufacturing to name but a few.

Whether it’s barcode labels,

Facilities Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

asset labels, rating plates or health and safety signs you require, the company has the solution to produce professional labels and signs on demand.

It supplies the latest range of equipment and software for all applications, from entry level through to high volume industrial models. It is an authorised dealer and partner for Lighthouse, Zebra and Kroy label printers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01476 590400 Fax: 01476 590400 sales@mlps.co.uk www.mlps.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01903 202151 sales@etiltd.com www.etiltd.com

TimeAttend’s flexible time Complete fire care from Churchesfire minimises and attendance solution resource costs and time brings continued results TimeAttend was launched over six years ago with a set of core principles that have remained unchanged.

A time and attendance system that is easy for anyone to use, fast and simple to implement, fully featured and flexible and noticeably cost effective, The TimeAttend system was initially designed to cater specifically for the contract cleaning industry. It has now evolved into a comprehensive time and attendance suite used internationally by a wide range of different businesses and industries.

TimeAttend remains true to its initial list of requirements. The system must work anywhere, from a single building to many hundreds of distant locations.

It needs to have the absolute minimum of impact at each site, and must report back to one single, easy-to-use

interface that can be accessed at any time, day or night, from anywhere in the world.

Customers should not need any technical skills to operate the service and should not need to install any software or special server machines.

TimeAttend can be easily redeployed from site to site as customers’ businesses evolve.

By retaining and developing upon this clear blueprint, TimeAttend has successfully grown year on year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0800 321 3058 Direct dial: 01252 855242 andyl@timeattend.com www.timeattend.com

Established in 1992, Churchesfire celebrates its 20th birthday this year and is now pleased to offer the complete package of fire safety care. The company conducts fire risk assessments, fire safety training and the installation of fire extinguishers, alarms, sprinklers and more.

By offering full service and maintenance, clients can rest assured that their fire needs are fully catered for – minimising resource costs and time.

For organisations that occupy larger premises or multiple sites, an effective fire management information system is essential for accurate and timely analysis and reporting. A key element of this is availability – providing nominated people within your

business easy access to data at any time of the day or night, wherever they are located.

Public sector customers are highly valued and are offered specialist rates which can be taken advantage of throughout the year. The Facilities Show will give visitors the opportunity to discuss their fire safety needs with Churchesfire’s experienced staff, as well as try out some of its products and browse its online training programme and even walk away with some goodies.

Churchesfire will be exhibiting on Stand V5, right next to the Show Bar and VIP Lounge.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0870 608 4350 www.churchesfire.com

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Visit Greenbuild Stand G5 to save 20% on the latest titles in the field

www.routledge.com/sustainability

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

GREENBUILD EXPO

SHARING GREEN BUILDING EXPERTISE

Greenbuild Expo

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Greenbuild Expo 2012 returns to Manchester with a stellar line-up of speakers and exhibitors ahead of the Green Deal launch Greenbuild Expo 2012, the largest sustainable refurbishment and building event in the North of England, returns to Manchester Central in May (9-10) with a whole host of exhibitors, speakers and a Green Deal debate arena.

The fourth Greenbuild Expo will once again offer over 100 free seminars and training sessions, as well as all the latest product innovations and services to help construct, refurbish or manage your buildings more sustainably. The extensive conference programme will feature sessions from DECC, the Cabinet Office, Manchester City Council, the BRE, Energy Saving Trust, Kingfisher, Balfour Beatty, Keepmoat, Jewson, Plumb Center and more. These will address a broad range of topics including the Carbon Reduction Commitment, social sustainability, tackling fuel poverty, the Renewable Heat Incentive, funding options for retrofit projects, legislation updates and a fabric-first approach to low-energy building. Once again the conference programme will be packed with expert advice as well as case studies of successful projects from around the UK. GREEN DEAL The new Government initiative the Green Deal intends to reduce carbon emissions cost effectively by revolutionising the energy efficiency of British properties, both commercial and residential. This will impact on industry and this year we will be running Green Deal debates which will focus on: how it will work, skills shortage, funding and what it entails for domestic and commercial properties.

The event, which is aimed at professionals,

such as architects, contractors, installers, builders’ merchants, commercial landlords, house builders, planners, facilities and energy managers among others, will also have a hands-on training area with demonstrations.

Ignition 12 will return with an expanded two-day seminar programme. Producing heat to warm homes, offices and factories uses about 40 per cent of the energy we consume in the UK. However, unlike electricity production, there has been no sustained attempt to reduce this or shift to renewable sources. With the long awaited introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive in 2012, and the rising cost of oil and concerns over supply, this is about to all change and Ignition12 will focus on a heat source that has great potential in the UK – woodfuel.

SUSTAINABLE CITIES The Sustainable Cities seminar room returns for 2012, with a programme of speakers tackling going green in an urban environment.

A central debate area dedicated to the Green Deal, will feature some of the industry’s biggest names discussing the government’s flagship policy. The speakers will be addressing topics such as how we will deliver low-carbon refurb in reality, how we can encourage consumer take-up, what skills the industry needs and how the funding models will work.

A BREEAM showcase looks at the UK’s highest scoring projects and reveals how they achieved those top marks. The Regulation Revealed room will feature an expert panel who are there to answer your questions about sustainability and regulation, whether that’s a particular part of the

Code for Sustainable Homes or BREEAM. A CPD room with accredited sessions will include ventilation, window specification, voltage optimisation, Part G updates and solar shading, plus a training hub with taster sessions on everything from solar PV installation to becoming a Green Deal assessor.

RENEWABLE ENERGY National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies (NSAET) looks at the different routes to becoming competent in renewables, from full training to assessment, plus what is involved in these processes, including knowledge, practical competency and legislation in terms of MCS, the Green Deal and new EU training directives. The Distributed Energy Team, part of The National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) based in Blyth, Northumberland, works with local authorities in North East England on a number of social housing projects to address fuel poverty and ensure that the most suitable technology is installed for the required application.

Training - Throughout the event there will be a selection of training sessions on offer, covering solar PV, solar thermal, heat pump system design, specifying external wall insulation and green refurb.

Regulation and ratings - Ask the experts your questions on BREEAM, the Code for Sustainable Homes and more. The panel will be available to answer any questions you have about the various rating and regulation systems for sustainable buildings. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.greenbuildexpo.co.uk

Renewable energy that doesn’t cost the earth Global Heat Source supplies renewable energy systems to the trade, in particular solar photovoltaic systems along with inverters, roof mounting systems, air/ground source heat pumps and solar thermal kits.

The company is based in the heart of the Lake District, with a satellite office in central Scotland. Its philosophy is simple: to offer top quality brands at some of the most attractive prices available in the UK, and to continually strive to give the customer

which are at the core of its business model, firmly believing that renewable energy products should not be financially out of reach of anyone. With that in mind, the company constantly strives to drive prices down - a source of renewable energy that doesn’t cost the earth. excellent service and value for money.

The young, dynamic company takes great pride in its established and ever growing reputation for quality of service and value,

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01228 406371 sales@globalheatsource.com www.globalheatsource.com

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

at ld 4 u s ui 3 e nb A Se ee and r G St on

choose wood First We believe that wood should be the first choice material for all sustainable construction.

• Wood has the best thermal insulation properties of any mainstream construction material.

• Wood has the lowest embodied energy of any mainstream building material.

• 3 tonnes of CO2 can be saved by using timber frame from the 20 tonne CO2 footprint of a typical 3 bedroom detached house.

• Wood from sustainably managed forests can actually be better than carbon neutral.

Green profile for illustration purposes

Visit www.woodforgood.com to find out more.

Leading the way in the Passive House standard

SPHC Providing Quality Approved Passive House Services n Consultancy n Design n Certification n Training

For help and advice with your Passive House project get in touch with the experts.

Or visit or showroom: 24 Fairykirk Road, Rosyth Fife, KY11 2QQ t 0845 3883 716 e info@sphc.co.uk w www.sphc.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

On Thursday 10th May at 11:45am in the yellow seminar room, Steff Bell from the Scottish Passive House Centre (SPHC) will be discussing large scale passive house development.

The SPHC is the UK’s leading specialist in the Passive House Standard. The term passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its carbon footprint.

When applied, it results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling.

The SPHC provides consultancy, certification, training and design services to help its clients implement the Passive House standard on projects across the UK. Recognised by the German Passive House Institute (PHI) as an approved certifier, the

SPHC has been influential in the development of the Passive House standard in the UK to date, and was responsible for the first certified passive house in Scotland (Tigh-Na-Cladach, Dunoon) and the first in England (Underhill House Warwickshire).

The SPHC works on all types of passive house projects including domestic, non-domestic and retro-fit, both large and small scale. Visit the SPHC at this year’s green build Expo on stand F58 FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 3883 716 www.sphc.co.uk

Wilo-Stratos GIGA helps specifiers meet environmental targets Wilo has launched the WiloStratos GIGA in the UK - a high efficiency glanded pump targeted specifically at the building services and industry sectors. It offers up to 70 per cent lower energy consumption compared to conventional, uncontrolled pumps.

The Wilo-Stratos GIGA is the first pump from Wilo’s new high-efficiency series for heating, cold-water and cooling applications, and it suited to projects where energy saving pumps will pay significant dividends over a typically 15 year life cycle.

Due to the combination of new hydraulics with a new highly efficient drive concept (HED – High Efficiency Drive) the Wilo-Stratos GIGA offers major energy saving benefits.

Specifying the GIGA will result in a saving of emissions amounting to approximately 8,000 kg CO2 per year as well as up to £70,000

in electricity costs per pump over a 15 year life cycle, compared to conventional uncontrolled pumps (based on the Blue Angel load profile).

The new GIGA has a typical payback period of less than two years, which highlights the benefits and value of installing high efficiency Wilo pumps.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.wilo.co.uk

Eurocell showcases PVC-U recycling solution Eurocell will be demonstrating how its £3m investment in postconsumer PVC-U recycling helps specifiers create energy efficient and sustainable buildings at this year’s Greenbuild. This includes the Eurologik 0.8w/m²K U-value window for the new build sector, which is designed specifically to meet the requirements of low and zero carbon developments up to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 and BREEAM Outstanding.

Alongside this will be Eurologik ‘A+13’ window system, which offers both new build and replacement sectors maximum thermal performance. The A+13 specification is one of the highest BFRC (British Fenestration Ratings Council) ratings for a double glazed PVC-U window in the UK. Completing the line-up is the company’s innovative new Cavalok cavity closers made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled PVC-U and which have been used on several zero carbon and Passivhaus developments as part of a

Eurocell window solution.

All post-consumer PVC-U recycling at Eurocell is carried out at its Derbyshire-based facility. Following the increased investment at the end of last year, it now has the capacity to process up to 10,000 endof-life frames per week.

Eurocell welcomes enquiries from any organisation looking for a sustainable solution to dealing with their old PVC-U windows.

To find out more about the post-consumer PVC-U recycling solution offered by Eurocell, including project case studies, visit stand C20 at Greenbuild Expo on 9th–10th May. FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0333 321 2354 www.eurocell.co.uk/eurologik70

Wood for Good points out the environmental benefits of using wood

Taylor & Francis welcomes Earthscan to its growing portfolio

Wood for Good works on behalf of the timber industry to promote the suitability and sustainability of wood as the ultimate, versatile low-carbon construction material. The organisation aims to present clear, honest facts about wood to the building industries and associated professionals such as architects, engineers and planners.

The website at www. woodforgood.com contains a wealth of information, tools and case studies which are free for all to use. Free CPD sessions are provided for architects, engineers and planners to help educate them about the range of solutions that wood can provide; Wood for Good is highly active in speaking at industry conferences and organising networking events.

This year sees the launch of the Wood First campaign. Wood for

Building on two centuries’ experience, Taylor & Francis, which includes the Routledge imprint, has grown rapidly over the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher.

The Taylor & Francis Group publishes more than 1,000 journals and around 1,800 new books each year, with a books backlist in excess of 20,000 specialist titles of which over 100 titles a year are in the built environment arena, covering everything from digital architecture to the building regulations. In 2011, Taylor & Francis welcomed Earthscan, the world’s leading publisher on sustainability and environmental technologies, to its portfolio, representing a dedication

Good believes, in an era defined by the need for low-carbon and low-cost, that wood should be the first choice for architects, engineers and specifiers.

Wood sequesters carbon as it grows, and captures and stores it in its structure. It requires little energy to produce and and has high performance thermal and structural qualities which mean it is now replacing steel and concrete in some buildings. By pre-engineering off-site, it also reduces the building time on many projects, further reducing costs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION David Hopkins Tel: 020 7291 5371 www.woodforgood.com

Greenbuild Expo

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

to this fast growing field.

Key titles include ‘Designing Zero Carbon Buildings Using Dynamic Simulation Methods’, ‘Applied Photovoltaics’ and ‘Beyond Smart Cities’. Visitors to stand G5 at Green Build Expo will be able to browse titles and save 20 per cent on all those displayed at the show, as well as talk to the editorial team to find out what’s new in the world of green building.

To browse the full list of titles on the environment and sustainability visit www.routledge.com/sustainability FOR MORE INFORMATION routledge.com/sustainability

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LOCAL TRANSPORT FUNDING

Transport

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

DEVOLVING LOCAL MAJOR TRANSPORT SCHEMES The DfT’s proposal to give local communities control for decisions affecting local transport is a radical change, and has generated a diverse range of views from stakeholders. It proposes devising a new system - devolving capital funding for local major transport schemes to democratically accountable local transport bodies. Government Business looks at some of the already published responses to the consultation, which ended at the beginning of April this year.

In January this year, the DfT produced its ‘Devolving local major transport schemes’ paper to take forward discussion about a new system for prioritising and funding local major schemes after the end of the current Spending Review period. It brings together into one paper a discussion on the structure, sizing, configuration, governance and accountability arrangements for a new system beyond 2014-15.

Initial informal consultation with a range of local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships in England (outside of London) has helped shape the paper and identify important issues, which are subject to a range of different views.

The current system for prioritising major schemes is a competitive process, put in place in October 2010 to deliver an affordable programme of schemes left over from the previous Government’s Regional Funding Allocation. As local major transport schemes can take on average four years to move from business case to the start of construction, it is vital that the Government considers this change now, in order that schemes be ready for delivery after 2015.

READ THE FULL CONSULTATION DOCUMENT - tinyurl.com/6rj5tbb

The paper sets out the context, rationale and objectives for forming local transport bodies. It also considers the options for distributing funding, facilitating strategic investment and the role of Local Enterprise Partnerships in decision making.

Responses were invited from local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and representative groups, with the consultation period closing on April 2nd. Following receipt of responses, the Government is due to produce a summary report setting out the next steps. The following professional organisations, included as part of the consultation, considered various aspects of the consultation.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the DfT to rethink its plans to fund 38 Local Enterprise Partnership

areas outside London, suggesting that the cash should instead go to individual local transport authorities.

The LGA’s response describes the Department’s proposals as “a step in the right direction” but says allocating funding to LEP areas will add an unnecessary layer of complexity. Funds should be devolved to individual councils and councils should be free to decide how they engage with each other and with other bodies to use those funds”.

“Where individual councils cannot afford schemes that bring strategic benefit to a particular area they will have an incentive to come together and to form partnerships with others to deliver those schemes on a case-by-case basis, creating flexible and temporary coalitions of the willing.”

The LGA believes decisions on transport priorities should be taken by ‘councillors alone’ because they are democratically accountable.

It also rejects the DfT’s view that LEPs should have a ‘central and influential role’

in priority setting. The statement read: “There is no democratic justification in according the views of those represented on LEPs greater weight than other stakeholders.”

The LGA response includes advice from TAG (local government Technical Advisors Group). It accepts that the devolution of the funding pot could mean some costlier schemes are not built, but states: “Evidence produced by Pteg and supported by TAG suggests that smaller-scale schemes tend to deliver better value for money in any case.”

The LGA also opposes the DfT’s suggestion that local transport bodies should still have to follow the DfT’s business case model and WebTAG appraisal guidance. “For devolution to be meaningful LTBs must not be forced into using a single centrallydetermined system of evaluation,” it says. E READ THE LGA’S FULL RESPONSE HERE - tinyurl.com/caqeazw

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

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LOCAL TRANSPORT FUNDING E THE CHARTERED INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION (CIHT) Earlier this month, CIHT submitted its response to the consultation, highlighting its support in devolving decision making for major transport schemes from national to local level. CIHT recognises the concept of a group of local transport bodies working together on larger schemes. However, the Institution believes establishing these consortia will present its own challenges given the disparate nature of the LEP geographies and the inevitable tendency towards parochialism.

Although CIHT welcomes the principles of this new scheme, it believes the challenge in setting up new local transport bodies should not be underestimated, particularly given the tight deadlines for the new processes to be implemented.

John Smart, CIHT Director of Professional and Business Development said: “At CIHT we support the shift of power and responsibility from national to local level by creating Local Transport Bodies, as set out in the scheme.”

“We believe these local transport bodies should be democratically accountable and representative. However, it is essential that the development of major schemes fit with existing statutory plans, as it

Transport

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

THE CIHT believes the challenge in setting up new local transport bodies should not be underestimated, particularly given the tight deadlines for the processes to be implemented. would be inappropriate for local transport bodies to develop new ‘wish lists’ of major schemes that don’t fit with existing development plans and strategies.”

“These local transport bodies will need to be correctly balanced to take account of local circumstances. Encouragement should be given for representatives from other relevant bodies to be involved such as: district councils, the Highways Agency, Network Rail, local Chambers of Commerce and other key transport groups. This would provide transparency in the decision-making process, and accountability to the local community.”

In addition, CIHT supports the proposal for the abolition of the £5m threshold for major schemes and agrees that local transport bodies should be free to allocate the devolved funding to smaller (sub-£5m) schemes, particularly as the total funding available to each area will be relatively small

READ THE FULL RESPONSE FROM CIHT - tinyurl.com/c4llg4c

PLANNING OFFICERS SOCIETY The Planning Officers Society believes that the core proposal represents a significant improvement over recent methods, and will do much for local enterprise and delivery.

POS wholly supports the core proposal, but, in a written response, the Society stated: “The implementation timetable appears very challenging if by December 2012 Local Transport Bodies are to submit proposals for sign off of governance, financial management, accountability and meeting and testing Value for Money when the indicative allocations will only be known in August 2012.”

“Key issues are the establishment of the LTB, which could be contentious; agreeing the relationship with the LEP (and establishing E

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Driving Seat°

Our Transport & Logistics Group provides pragmatic, commercial legal solutions. Our multi-disciplinary team is fully integrated and draws on experience of handling legal and commercial issues to provide exceptional advice to those involved in transport management and service delivery in a constantly changing marketplace.

We have considerable experience in acting for transport companies and those involved in fleet management, especially in the areas of corporate

and general financing, mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance advice, real estate and employment.

For more information please contact Matthew Yates (0113 261 6047, matthew.yates@dwf.co.uk) or visit our website, which contains further information about our Group and the events we are holding this year.

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LOCAL TRANSPORT FUNDING E appropriate governance arrangements); having in place sufficient officer support and fulfilling the assurance/accountability/ appraisal and evaluation requirements; and agreeing the post 2015 priorities. In areas where there is considerable experience of joint working between the LTAs and were the LTB to comprise only those LTAs, with advice on priorities provided by the LEP, then it is more likely that the proposed implementation timetable could be met.

Increasing the scope of LTB membership

ADEPT Part of the response from the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) reads: “There are mixed views across the ADEPT membership on the retention or otherwise of the £5m threshold for major schemes. Whilst ADEPT supports the notion of being able to spend its allocation on schemes that it considers important regardless as to whether they cost less than £5m, there remains a concern that there may be a temptation to divert away

As things stand there is a potential that the new devolved arrangements could end up overlapping unnecessarily with the LTP programme. beyond the authorities that are concerned with delivery of transport schemes would result in complication and delay, making unachievable the proposed December 2012 deadline for submission of proposals for governance, financial management, accountability and meeting and testing value for money.”

READ THE FULL RESPONSE FROM THE PLANNING OFFICERS SOCIETY HERE

tinyurl.com/ck43dkz

from ‘major’ interventions on the basis that it would be easier to reach consensus on a package of much smaller measures which may not have the impact of a major scheme.

“ADEPT would welcome guidance on this which would help reinforce the importance of major schemes, but at the same time still allows the flexibility to introduce the truly important interventions regardless of cost.

As things stand there is a potential that the new devolved arrangements could end

Transport

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

up overlapping unnecessarily with the LTP programme. More joint discussion with the DfT is needed on this issue, but top slicing existing funds goes contrary to the spirit of the new devolved responsibilities.”

READ THE FULL RESPONSE FROM ADEPT HERE - tinyurl.com/dyxz9op

CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND The CPRE, which works to influence how we plan our towns and cities to make them better places to live and work, stated: “The Eddington Transport Study (2006) highlighted the need to avoid ‘solutions looking for a problem’. While the current economic circumstances may encourage a perception that ‘something needs to be done’ and quickly, this should not be allowed to justify spending on out-dated road schemes. Extensive evidence and experience demonstrates that the best outcomes are secured when a wide range of options are considered.

The CPRE continued: “Recent policy changes, such as rail devolution and changes to bus policy, significantly increase the sustainable transport choices available and as a result the benefits achievable from a greater emphasis on initial option generation that E

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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Road Fuels

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LOCAL TRANSPORT FUNDING

Transport

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

“The CPRE, which works to influence how we plan our towns and cities to make them better places to live and work, stated: “The Eddington Transport Study (2006) highlighted the need to avoid ‘solutions looking for a problem’.

E takes these choices fully into account.

The legal requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will make this necessary: the National Transport Model 2011 shows, for example, that in 2035 on ‘business as usual’ trends, emissions from surface transport will at most be 10% lower than the 1990 baseline, despite the Climate Change Act 2008 requiring cuts of at least 80% by 2050.” L READ THE FULL RESPONSE FROM CPRE HERE - tinyurl.com/cjtb8hq.

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TRANSPORT

Commercial vehicle show bounces back with vigour

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

With world exclusive launches promised and a packed exhibition show floor which is bigger than last year, the Commercial Vehicle Show 2012 at the NEC Birmingham from 24-26 April is set to be a ‘must-go’ event for the UK’s commercial vehicle buyers.

The Commercial Vehicle Show is owned by the CV Show LLP, comprising the Road Haulage Association, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and IRTE Services Ltd, the trading company of the SOE (Society of Operations Engineers).

“The commercial vehicle industry has bounced back from recession with vigour, a fact spelled out by the enthusiasm for the 2012 Show,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “The number of exhibitors already signed up demonstrates the sector’s commitment to drive through economic uncertainty, delivering even more efficient and capable vehicles, products and services to the UK’s CV buyers.”

Major vehicle manufacturers have committed to the CV Show with Citroën, Fiat Professional, Ford, Isuzu Truck, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and Vauxhall just some of the big names set to wow the crowds with the latest metal. Iveco will be represented by its dealers - Guest Truck and Van and Sherwood Truck and Van. Ashwoods Automotive, Ingimex and Tevo form part of the broad range of bodybuilder and storage solution companies that will exhibit.

Steve Clary, commercial vehicles director, Ford of Britain, said: “2012 is a very important year for Ford’s commercial vehicle operations.

The UK LCV market is extremely important to us and gives us the perfect platform to get closer to existing and potential customers.”

TRUCKING Representing the truck world, Sam Whittaker, truck sales and marketing director of Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “The CV Show provides us with the ideal platform from which to present the exciting New Actros, International Truck of the Year 2012”.

On its return to the CV Show this year, leading commercial vehicle manufacturer Isuzu Truck UK is launching a brand-new service for the UK market. ‘I-Vision’ is a newly created division within Isuzu Truck’s UK business organisation that will offer UK operators the full range of vehicle telematics included within Isuzu Motors Japan’s proven online Mimamori system. Also on display will be a selection of vehicles from Isuzu Truck’s 2012 product line-up with vehicles in a range of weights and in municipal, temperature controlled and dry freight specifications.

TYRES The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders will use its presence at the show to draw attention to new vehicle Type Approval rules that come into force this year.

Particularly relevant to bodybuilders, SMMT will host two seminars on 25 April that introduce Type Approval, what to be aware of and how to get approval simply, easily and quickly. For more information and to register

waste vehicles. These tyres have been developed and improved over the last 20 years in liaison with its customers, and are used extensively by cost-conscious councils in the UK, Germany and Holland.

Aftermarket-focused ‘Workshop 2012’ is aimed directly at the fleet engineer and passenger car garage operator and will be home to suppliers of products from handheld diagnostics to pillar lifts capable

With attention fixed on fuel efficiency, companies like Eclipse Diagnostics, Launch, Texa and SPX ensure that engines operate at peak efficiency. for a seminar, go to senta.smmt.co.uk.

The tyre business is well represented by manufacturers, stockists and tyre management companies such as ATS Euromaster, Bridgestone, R H Claydon, Direct Tyre Management, Hankook and Kirby Tyres.

Westlake, a new exhibitor for 2012, will make a splash with a 100m2 stand in Hall 2.

Bandvulc offers an environmentally sustainable tyre solution, encompassing all aspects of commercial tyre requirements for today’s fleet operators. Among its range of tyres on display will be the everpopular Wastemaster MKIII for use on

of raising a 44 tonne artic off the deck.

Workshop 2012 will have big names and innovative products with companies like Blitz Rotary, Bradbury, Cobra, Gemco, Liftmaster, Ring Automotive, Somers Totalkare, Stertil and TRW Automotive among exhibitors showing their latest equipment in Hall 2.

FUEL EFFICIENCY With attention firmly fixed on fuel efficiency, companies like Eclipse Diagnostics, Launch, Texa and SPX can ensure that engines operate at peak efficiency. Recognising the broad spectrum of visitors to this essential E

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TRANSPORT E meeting place for workshop operators, Maha has separate stands for car and commercial equipment, while Unipart Automotive’s Garage Equipment Services showcases products from international and home suppliers.

Among exhibitors offering solutions for efficient fleet management - keeping environmental awareness high on operators’ priorities - are Air1, Blue Tree Systems, Carnation Designs, CMS Supatrak, EcoDrive Systems, Eminox, Greenox Adblue, Hatcher Components, HJS Emission Technology, Isotrak, MiX Telematics, TomTom Business Solutions and Triscan Systems.

From 3 January this year, commercial vehicles that do not comply with the LEZ III and LEZ IV TfL standard have to pay a daily charge of £200 or risk a penalty of £1,000 for non-compliance. This year’s CV Show will see a number of exhibitors with products and advice to help organisations comply with the new standards, such as Eminox and HJS Emission Technology.

Continental Automotive, under the VDO brand, has developed a wide range of tachograph data management products to capture, analyse and archive driver and tachograph data from owner drivers to fleets of all sizes across the world. It will launch a new marketing initiative at the show to keep the transport industry aware of the latest developments in legislation and what VDO equipment is available to meet their requirements and ensure they are compliant.

Telematics, safety and security supplier Cobra UK will be showcasing Global Live, its ground-breaking mobile CCTV monitoring security system with live image streaming at this year’s show. Global Live offers HGV and van operators a solution to combat the everincreasing incidence of load interception and theft, while protecting drivers and passengers.

The system can also offer bus and coach operators peace of mind, affording extra security for VIPs in transit and protecting assets from vandalism on late night bus routes.

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

With a number of exhibitors planning new vehicle and product launches at the event, CV Show 2012 promises to offer every option for effective fleet operation and maintenance.

Axtec (Axle Weight Technology) is an independent British company providing a range of products which combat vehicle overloading. It claims to be the only British manufacturer specialising exclusively in axle weighing and has built a reputation for innovative and effective solutions to overloading problems.

There are several first-time exhibitors at this year’s CV Show including Clean Sweep UK with its sweepers and scrubber dryers for transport and warehouse companies; County Pumps, the Oxfordshire-based fuel-pump and fuel management specialist and Grote Industries, a leading worldwide manufacturer and supplier of lighting

products and safety systems for commercial, military and specialised vehicles.

NEW LAUNCHES With a number of exhibitors planning new vehicle and product launches at the event, CV Show 2012 promises to offer its business visitors every option for effective fleet operation and maintenance.

Webasto, the vehicle heating and airconditioning specialist, will launch a new parking heater. Visitors will find Webasto’s stand close to manufacturers for which it already supplies cab heating systems, as well as many of the conversion companies that already use its equipment, E

Lower your fuel bill and emissions with Renson’s fuel saving device Renson provides a fuel saving device that can help companies reduce their fuel budget and lower their vehicles emissions. First developed to help combat the emissions caused by the growing number of vehicles on the road, the device helps the vehicle burn its fuel more efficiently. As a by-product of lowering the emission, it was found that the vehicles also improved fuel efficiency, helping to lower the costs by up to 20 per cent in some cases.

The device has been tested by globally recognised facilities. TUV Rhineland showed a 14.3 per cent fuel saving, SGS showed a 10.68 per cent and California Environmental Engineering saw a 10

companies and organisations in the UK, which have all seen similar results. A fire and rescue organisation showed improvements of 12 per cent in their fleet of fire appliances and 20 per cent in their fleet of small vehicles; trials involving heavy haulage have shown improvements of eight per cent.

Renson offers a money back guarantee if customers don’t see at least five per cent improvement. per cent improvement in a diesel vehicle and 12 per cent with a petrol vehicle.

The technology has been trialled by several

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01925 924114 rfsinfo@renson.ltd.uk renson.ltd.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

55

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

n s o 67 tu B si d 2 Vi an St

FOR HIGH VISIBILITY VEHICLE LIVERY & MARKINGS Chevron Kits and Markings

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Be Seen, Be Safe... that’s the chevronshop.com motto – and that’s why all our kits are purpose-designed for a perfect fit on the UK’s most popular cars and vans. We only use fully approved materials and colours that conform to the latest industry guidelines and standards covering vehicle conspicuity.

chevronshop.com 64 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9LH

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E-Drive Solutions your premier partner for Driver Safety, Fuel Saving Technology, Fleet Branding and aftermarket communication installations.

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HYDROLIFT WIRELESS MOBILE COLUMN LIFTS

Training for tomorrow’s technology for the Automotive Industry

City of Bristol College is one of the leading training providers to the Automotive Industry, we offer expert advice and the training solutions to provide you with the resources and skills to maintain your fleet in the most efficient and cost effective manner.

n Available in both 6.2 and 8.2 Tonne capacity columns. n Over 30% faster than comparably priced lifts. n Wireless communication of columns via radio control n User-friendly - quick and easy setup n Adjustable forks - no need for special wheel adaptors n Simple and rapid charging of batteries n Operation with LED display from each column

VISIT US AT THE CV SHOW 2012 STAND 2F30

Our offerings include: • Certificate of Professional Competence in Road Haulage (CPC) • Apprenticeships in HGV, FLT, LGV, PSV, Auto Electrical & Parts • Driver CPC • Irtec licence • Advanced Electrical Courses • Vehicle Accident and Repair Programmes • Specialist and Bespoke Programmes • ATA Accreditation Get in touch today to speak with our Business Development Team on 0117 312 2025/07773 288 583 or email tetbd@cityofbristol.ac.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

www.BlitzRotary.com, www.mobilecolumnlifts.co.uk igibbs@rotarylift.com Ian Gibbs, Sales Manager 07785924333

TRANSPORT Show opening times Tuesday 24 April: 08.30 to 17.30

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Wednesday 25 April: 08.30 to 17.30 Thursday 26 April: 08.30 to 17.30

Find your way around with the CV Show app E including Alphatec. Brigade Electronics’ demonstration truck will be on display at the CV Show with its latest vehicle safety products, including a new wireless camera monitor system. VBG Group will show its New Ringfeder ball coupling for the first time. This has been designed specifically for the car transporter industry.

GREEN TICKET PROCESS The websites www.cvshow.com and www. workshopshow.co.uk list more than 120 categories where visitors can check exhibitors’ products, helping them to plan visits and make best use of their time. They also feature links to the ticket application process and by clicking on the ‘free tickets’ panel on the

home page prospective visitors can register their application. The process is entirely online this year and visitors should simply print their ticket and bring it to the show, where it will be scanned at the entrance.

By adopting this ‘green ticket’ process, the CV Show will considerably reduce its carbon footprint, in line with the road transport industry’s objectives. For the very few visitors without online access, there’s a hotline telephone number to help - 0844 557 2788.L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.cvshow.com www.workshopshow.co.uk Tel: 0844 557 2788 Twitter: #CVShow

The CV Show has an app available for free download. Designed to work across iPad, iPhone, desktop and Android devices, the app gives show visitors a detailed list of exhibitors’ contact details with web links and company information. Users can save stand locations to their ‘favourites’ tab before the show.The zoomable show plan allows users to look around their current location easily and acts as a convenient orientation tool to navigate through the halls. The CV Show App is available to download free now from www.cvshow.com

trg to unveil new mobile Award winning fleet training facility and fresh tracking systems from TRACKER bring costs down brand at the CV Show Established in 1993, TRACKER’s award winning fleet tracking systems help companies meet the many challenges facing them, allowing businesses to reduce costs and make valuable savings.

With 18 years’ experience in the telematics industry and the security that comes with being owned by RBS Insurance, TRACKER provides the knowledge and confidence expected from an industry leading telematics provider. Taking advantage of the highly resilient back office system requirements of the financial services sector, companies can be sure their data is in safe hands.

With TRACKER Fleet, users can enjoy total visibility of their fleet.

The system helps to minimise fuel costs by eliminating unnecessary journeys, reducing emissions and keeping users informed and up to date with any unforeseen events.

Valuable insights into driver behaviour are gained through its use - a selection of reports and alerts can be customised to help make informed business decisions.

Furthermore, TRACKER’s patented new technology provides a true measure of engine idling time by sensing the electrical noise created when a vehicle’s engine is running.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01895 234 567 www.TRACKER.co.uk

trg has a lot to talk about at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show. Not only will the company be bringing its new mobile training facility, a trailer decked out as a classroom where each driver gets their own PC to ensure an interactive experience, but also a new fresh brand that positions trg as providing ‘brilliant logistics’ to its clients.

The business has diversified and now provides a full range of flexible services in every aspect of logistics, including drivers, a distribution fleet, warehouse and management staff, training and consultancy.

This demonstrates to clients that trg thinks about the business as a whole and how transport affects their bottom line.

The company will be holding seminars on its stand addressing

the current debate around driver shortages. To finish off what promises to be an exciting show, trg has developed a replica remote-controlled truck which stands approximately 1m in length. Visitors will be challenged to manoeuvre the vehicle around a short course, with the chance to win a prize for the fastest and most accurate driver. Visit trg on stand 3F70 at the CV Show or at the web address below.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 08006 340340 CVShow@therecruitgroup.com www.trglogistics.co.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

57

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

If you need to Boost it, Charge it, Test it or Condition it, we sell it!

Visit us online at www.speedcharge.co.uk and see for yourself our extensive range of Schumacher battery equipment - the largest manufacturer of battery chargers is in the world!

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Increase your Fleets Miles per Gallon and lower your Fuel Bill with Renson’s Fuel Saving Device.

With fuel prices rising, Renson Ltd is helping companies and organisations lower their fleet’s annual fuel bill.

3 Saves between 5% and 20% on Fuel used.

3 Saves between £500 - £4,500 Dependant on mileage 3 Return on investment in under 6 months 3 Easy to install and Maintenance Free 3 10 Year Life Span 3 Proven Technology, Independently Verified by Global Test Facilities 3 Money Back Guarantee. If improvement is below 5%.

Contact Renson Ltd on 01925 924114 or rfsinfo@renson.ltd.uk Or head over to our website www.renson.ltd.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

AutoSock and more on show from John Jordan

Bradbury - market leaders in garage equipment

AutoSock are reusable textile ‘socks’ that are pulled over the driving wheels of vehicles that need extra grip on snow or ice. They are quick and easy to fit.

“We had a superb CV Show in 2011”, reported Martin Gray, MD of John Jordan Limited, which distributes AutoSock in the UK. “If the right people carried AutoSock there’d be no excuse for roads being blocked by vehicles when the snow falls faster than it can be cleared. We have a simple and effective solution and feel a real responsibility to try and get the message out.”

AutoSock created and developed the vehicle snow sock concept and owns the relevant EU patents. “Last winter there were numerous copies in the UK and Irish markets; some of these are of very poor quality. AutoSock is taking legal action and working with

Bradbury Equipment, in its 116th year, is a well established company with a wealth of experience and technical expertise.

Its priority is to ensure customer satisfaction.

Bradbury is one of the market leaders in the supply, installation and maintenance of garage equipment in the UK. As part of the Stenhoj Group, Bradbury is committed to providing top quality garage equipment and services to both car and commercial vehicle workshops for the whole of the automotive industry.

Bradbury appreciates that the purchase of garage equipment is a major decision for any business and should not be taken lightly. Understanding this, the company installs equipment that is innovative, reliable and meets both current European legislation and the needs of the modern day motor vehicle, which, together with an exceptional after sales service, is paramount to the

trading standards authorities, but it takes time. We hope that fleet managers will contact us to find out what it is about AutoSock that puts them in a league of their own.”

John Jordan Limited will also be showing a range of quick fitting Maggi chains for light commercials and trucks, plus the Spikes-Spider chain system - the chain of choice for many German and Swiss emergency services because they are so quick and easy to use.

FOR MORE INFORMATION john-jordan.co.uk

Tread and pressure management devices from RL Automotive RL Automotive has an unparalleled record in supplying tyre after sales products across the UK. The company supplies customers with a complete range of tyre related products from consumables to capital items including a range of innovative digital tread and pressure measurement devices, TAC-Scan and AIR-Scan.

Tyre wear diagnostic equipment has been left behind in the tide of new technology that has swept the automotive industry. It is largely still done manually which is not only time consuming and inaccurate but also makes readings subjective.

TAC-Scan is a diagnostic tool that can measure tyres up to 385mm in width. It eliminates human error and produces accurate and consistent results quickly. A laser in base unit passes across a whole tyre

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

continual growth of any business.

Bradbury’s sister service company, which, along with a number of factory trained independent engineers, installs, maintains, calibrates and services Bradbury equipment, gives Bradbury access to over 150 trained engineers.

By selecting Bradbury Equipment, customers can be secure in the knowledge that they are purchasing a quality product with value for money built in.

This is coupled with a personal service offered by area managers with over 80 years in the industry - one of the most experienced teams in the market place.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.bradburyequipment.co.uk 2012 Catalogue OUT NOW!

Consumables, tools & equipment

From Tyre Changers to valve caps we are ready to help you find what you need!

recording readings every 0.5mm to an accuracy of +/- 0.01mm in a matter of seconds. It produces a profile that not only records tyre tread depth, but can be used to diagnose faulty alignment and inflation issues (via a pressure probe) affecting safety and fuel consumption.

RL Automotive holds stocks of more than 2,000 separate types of product from companies such as Norbar, PCL, Ingersoll-Rand and Tech. Mondolfo Ferro tyre equipment can be supplied and installed anywhere on the UK mainland within 48 hours.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0870 850 8821 www.rlauto.com

At RL Automotive we pride ourselves on bringing you, the customer, the latest products at competitive prices and offering a service that is second to none.

From our Oxfordshire based head office we can deliver your goods on a next day service & locate those hard to find products for you.

Our sales team is standing by to help with technical advice, quote for capital equipment, tools & consumables or help with any other queries you may have.

So go on - give us a call now on 01235 818 777 to place your order!

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TREAD - ANALYSIS - CONDITION SCANNER

Save fuel and tyres with TAC-Scan

The TAC-Scan Package gives you everything you need to get the full potential out of your tyres: · · · ·

TAC-Scan Laser Tyre Scanner – To accurately and consistently measure Tread depth, Tread Wear and Pressure Data Analysing Software Technical and Practical Assistance Detailed reports

Bought out right or for a monthly fee of less than the cost of half a tank of diesel TAC-scan gives you the confidence that your tyres are working for you.

“Dedicated to saving YOU money!”

Fax: 0870 850 8824 email: sales@rlauto.com

TEL: 01235 818 777 Web: www.rlautomotive.com

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

59

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Wide selection of training programmes on offer at the City of Bristol College City of Bristol College is one of the leading training providers to the automotive sector. The courses, which are recognised by the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI), cover the full spectrum of motor vehicles that includes light vehicles, HGV, PSV and forklift trucks.

The College’s position as one of the most successful colleges in the UK is confirmed by awards and recognition - the College was one of the first training providers nationally to be awarded the Training Quality Standard in 2008 for its effective and responsive approach to meeting the needs of employers.

The College has also achieved TQS Part B accreditations,

demonstrating excellence in employer responsiveness.

City of Bristol College is employer-focused in delivering a wide selection of training programmes including apprenticeships, advanced short courses through to bespoke company programmes.

Infrastructure includes dedicated workshops, team leaders, trainers, national assessors, business advisors and a recruitment team.

To find out how City of Bristol College can help assist with your training requirements, call 0117 312 2025 and speak to the business development team.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0117 312 2025

Expertise and variety of service give E-Drive the fleet communications edge Established in 2003 and with offices in the UK and Ireland, E-Drive has evolved to become one of the most focused companies in the automotive industry. With a national footprint of engineers, the company has become a premier partner for a number of tracking (GPS) suppliers.

Knowledge and expertise has enabled it to consolidate a portfolio of driver safety and fuel saving products that add value across commercial fleets.

E-Drive distributes and supports a range of services which complement each division in the converging automotive market.

It offers a variety of services from a basic audio installation right through to fully integrated vehicle communication systems, and can offer nationwide services

60

that include a telematics and tracking installation service.

Camera & radar detection (anti-collision), driver behaviour & fuel saving systems, along with fleet vehicle branding and a fully outsourced back office support network are also covered.

E-Drive will be on stand no.3B54 at the Commercial Vehicle Show.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Mark Stamper Tel: 07725 606 895 mark@e-drivesolutions.com www.e-drivesolutions.com

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

Professional hi-vis livery from chevronshop.com chevronshop.com is a leading provider of high visibility vehicle livery and markings for commercial operators, government agencies, local authorities and utilities.

Launched in 2008 by its sister company Bluelite Graphics, chevronshop.com was created as an online option to help commercial and public service fleet managers select and correctly apply the most appropriate markings to the front, sides and rears of vehicles.

The company holds hundreds of commercial vehicle templates online, which makes selecting and ordering markings in kits straightforward.

All quality assured self-adhesive kits are designed to fit perfectly onto the UK’s most popular cars and vans and are despatched within 24 hours of order; each kit contains a full application

guide and material warranty.

Chevronshop.com also provides valuable advice to customers on how to meet often complex industry legislation governing vehicle conspicuity “because non-compliance with established rules and regulations can open up potential costly legal action” warns Lorraine Avery, managing director of chevronshop.com. talk to chevronshop. com on Stand 2B67 at the Commercial Vehicle Show.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0870 2208341 www.chevronshop.com

Precise vehicle lifting equipment from Blitz Rotary Blitz Rotary manufactures a comprehensive range of vehicle lifting equipment for CV & PSV workshops which makes decisions easy; there are tailor-made products for virtually every application.

Blitz was founded in 1872 as a repair workshop for precision machinery. However, the growth of the motor industry led to an increasing demand for vehicle repair tools. As a result, Blitz began to produce vehicle jacks, electric air pumps and air compressors.

This success and the growing need for Blitz Rotary garage equipment, which includes truck lifting technology, necessitated the move to their current headquarters in Braünlingen, Germany.

Blitz Rotary has maintained ISO certification since 1997, and employs the most modern methods of manufacture, including fully automatic production facilities, utilising welding robots, resulting in a

very high number of components being produced in-house.

There are many different factors in the organisation of a vehicle workshop and one of the most important of these is the choice of suitable lifting equipment. For this reason Blitz Rotary do more than simply design elements that are functional, but also focus on the aspects of ergonomics and safety, another reason why Blitz Rotary lifts are approved by all leading truck manufacturers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01787 477711 www.blitzrotary.com www.mobilecolumnlifts.co.uk igibbs@rotarylift.com

TCS announced as UK Schumacher distributor

Consilium: people, products; problem solved

TCS Products has announced it is now the master distributor for Schumacher Electric Corp. in the UK and Ireland, and the Schumacher products will be on display at the Commercial Vehicle Show on stand 2H30.

Considered the largest manufacturer of battery chargers and related products in the world, until now Schumacher products have not been available outside of the USA. The products carry many manufacturer approvals in North America including Exide, and Porsche.

Schumacher Electric is wholly owned by Don Schumacher who also runs one of the most successful drag racing teams in the USA with seven world titles in Top-Fuel and Funny Car racing.

The first products to arrive in the UK are the professional range of booster packs.

These will be followed by a

The ‘Consilium Way’ is a passion shared across the company’s business culture, based on a passion for people, products and problem solving.

It’s this passion that has kept their customers in Local Government working together with the Consilium Team over the past 26 years.

In the face of cuts, Mobile Working technology could be one of the few ways to make efficiency savings without impacting on service. Consilium use their experience to guide organisations through Mobility projects from the very beginning.

They provide consultancy to help organisations update Mobile

range of professional battery chargers and testers.

The UK website at www.speedcharge.co.uk will carry all details of all the products available in the UK and Europe as they become available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ctechs.co.uk/events

FOR MORE INFORMATION Ian Garwood Tel: 07584 517981 info@tcsproducts.co.uk www.speedcharge.co.uk

Intellitec’s wide and diverse range of vehicle control systems on show Autoelectrical specialist Intellitec not only designs but also manufactures and installs electrical systems for OEM and fleet operators of commercial vehicles. The company’s products are used for distribution, remote power, charging, switching, and control systems in a wide variety of applications including vans, bus, truck, recovery and military vehicles.

Battery Guard 3000 protects batteries by providing automatic low voltage protection, preventing any startup issues if the electrical loads are left running after the engine is turned off. Fully programmable, the voltage threshold and the timer delay before isolation can all be set to different levels.

The system features Windows

Working strategies and go on to truly realise the benefits.

Consilium’s Enterprise Mobile Working Solution, TotalMobile™ has been proven to increase productivity and save up to £1.5 m per year. Total Flexibility means the solution can meet the needs of a whole organisation perfectly. It works online and offline, on any device and can be adapted for any worker.

Consilium will share their 26 year of expertise in making organisations more efficient at webinars, seminars and events throughout the year.

Commercial Vehicle Show

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

based software and data logging facility which allows every low voltage event to be recorded.

Intellitec also offers a prototyping service for OEMs. Design and development of a completely new electrical system can be ready for production within six weeks.

With a diverse product range from simple relays & switches through to complex CANcompatible programmable multiplex control systems, Intellitec is the first choice for innovative solutions. Visit stand 2B66 at the Commercial Vehicle Show to see the latest exciting developments.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.intellitecmv.com

New Ingimex box van to be launched at CV show

Ingimex has been designing and manufacturing light commercial vehicle bodies for the past 40 years. It offers the full scope of services from feasibility studies, through design, test, manufacture and aftersales, all from their custom built site in Telford, Shropshire.

Always ahead on innovative design, Ingimex was founded in 1972 with the idea of applying the properties of aluminium extrusion to commercial vehicles instead of the more typical use of wood or steel. Forty years on, this is still the principle behind the Ingimex designs - resulting in durable bodies with the best payloads on the market.

2012 sees the launch of the

new Ingimex box van – just in time for exhibiting at the CV show. The box van will include a new, uniquely Ingimex wide-lathe rear shutter, the popular four tier load restraint system and a whole host of other features. Like all Ingimex bodies, the box van has been tested to European design standards. The introduction of this new body marks the conclusion of Ingimex’s new product range launch, with the new dropside and tipper having been launched last year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01952 585833 sales@ingimex.com www.ingimex.com

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HEALTH & SAFETY

SAFETY COMES FIRST AT THE NEC IN MAY

Safety & Health Expo

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

In the wake of the recent Löfstedt Report, it is more pertinent than ever for safety professionals to remain abreast of what is going on in the industry. Reacting to this, Safety & Health Expo returns to Birmingham NEC from 15th -17th May for its most comprehensive show to date.

Safety & Health Expo is run in partnership with the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), and the Institute of Safety & Health (IOSH) all of which bring to the show a multitude of experience and expertise along with the enthusiasm for ongoing professional development which is instrumental to the ongoing success of the show.

One of David Cameron’s biggest ambitions this year is to tackle “the health and safety monster” that he believes is tying businesses up in red tape and stifling the economy.

Visitors can find out how Government plans to shake up the regulatory regime will affect them by attending the SHP Legal Arena.

Now in its fifth year, the Legal Arena will feature talks on a range of fascinating and engaging topics – presented by a veritable ‘dream team’ of legal eagles representing some of the UK’s most respected law firms.

Among the many session highlights, Rob Elvin, partner at Squire Sanders, will explain the new ‘fees for intervention’ scheme, which will allow the HSE to recover costs for all enforcement action taken in respect of “contraventions” by duty-holders.

LÖFSTEDT REVIEW The Löfstedt review of health and safety regulation – and, in particular, its recommendation that the law in relation to strict liability be reviewed – will be covered by Peter Forshaw, of Weightmans. In recognition of Government reforms in the realm of civil litigation, Carl Dray, of Nabarro, will give safety practitioners some tips on how to deal with personal-injury claims. Further sessions will cover topics such as fire safety, driving at work, corporate manslaughter, prosecution of individuals, sentencing trends, and the latest ‘landmark’ cases.

David Lummis, chief executive officer of the BSIF, comments: “Safety & Health Expo provides a great platform for us to meet with both the visitors and exhibitors whilst supporting the great work our members do.

We have organised a number of activities including breakfast briefings, opportunities to meet overseas buying groups, and of course the BSIF Safety Awards and hope that these will provide helpful additions for all of those who attend the show.”

The BSIF will announce the winners of their Safety Awards on Tuesday 15th May.

As in previous years, there are three award categories: The BSIF Service Awards, The BSIF Safety Excellence Awards and The Product Innovation Awards. The Product Innovation Awards will be separately judged by a panel of eminent safety industry professionals.

BSIF SAFETY AWARDS The BSIF Safety Awards continue to underline the Federation’s dedication to the highest standards within the supply of occupational health and safety products and services. The awards recognise pioneering innovation, celebrate achievements and schemes that have been designed to reduce accidents/ injuries and the creative use of new technology to develop innovative products.

The face-to-face nature of Safety & Health Expo, combined with the fact that it has become an annual meeting place for professionals from all over the UK and Europe, make it a convenient and efficient networking environment which lends itself to sharing

experiences and best practice perfectly. Visitors will have the opportunity to get answers from speakers and exhibitors which are tailored precisely for them and their business needs.

Running alongside Facilities Show and IFSEC International, which are free to attend, the educational content will provide various opportunities to enhance the CPD value of attending the show. As working at height is a continuing hot topic for safety professionals across many industries, Safety & Health Expo is bringing back the Access Industry Forum’s (AIF) Knowledge Base. The forum for the principal trade associations and federations involved in work at height has an ambitious programme of topics and speakers lined up. Topics include ‘The Löfstedt Review and the Work at Height Regulations’, ‘Is claim to blame?’ and an update on last year’s groundbreaking discussion: ‘In search of the Holy Grail: No more working at height accidents ever’, featuring contributions from RoSPA, IOSH, HSE, IIRSM and BSC. E

One of David Cameron’s biggest ambitions this year is to tackle the ‘health and safety monster’ that he believes is tying businesses up in red tape and stifling the economy.

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

HEALTH & SAFETY E New to the show this year is The Academy, sponsored by ARCO, which is set to include sessions from best-selling author Steve Asbury about ethics and Magnet Group on their SHP IOSH Award winning ‘Serious about Safety’ campaign. Joining them will be presentations from ARCO, Scott Safety, Draeger and ARC Associates.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH The Occupational Health Theatre sponsored

by Posturite will feature sessions from Maria Bourke of Letsgethealthy.co.uk, Bob Raigon of Safety Groups UK and Dr Sayeed Khan, Chief Medical Officer at EEF. It will also feature panel debates with some of the leading voices in occupational health.

IOSH will also host a series of networking groups for their construction, food and drink, retail and distribution, sports ground

The full timetable will be published on the Safety & Health Expo website in the coming weeks. All sessions are free to attend and are seated on a first come first served basis EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS Exhibitors at Safety & Health Expo are set to showcase a variety of products and services with companies specialising in PPE, training, fall arrest, technology, testing and much more.

These include a number of new exhibitors.

Having recently launched in the UK, PICS Ltd will be exhibiting for the first time. With its contractor qualification and auditing services, PICS offers businesses operating in the UK and throughout EMEA access to an established, simplified contractor prequalification service that is already supporting a client base of some of the safest and most successful companies in the world.

The BSIF Safety Awards continue to underline the Federation’s dedication to the highest standards within the supply of occupational health and safety products and services. and events, fire risk management and Midlands branches. Rob Strange OBE, IOSH chief executive, highlighted the importance of sharing expertise, saying: “This year is set to be interesting for the industry. I’m sure there’s plenty more to come from the Government and its ongoing battle to boost the UK economy by attempting to cut back on what it refers to as health and safety ‘red tape’. During times like these, events like Safety & Health Expo give safety and health professionals the opportunity to keep in tune with changes and continue to make a difference to the world of work.”

Also new to the show, Dickies - the internationally renowned workwear brand - will be showcasing its new range.

Maurice Morton, sales & marketing director at Dickies, commented: “We have decided to embrace exhibiting at the SHE this year for the first time as we are now launching the first phase of our own PPE Head and Hand protection ranges. We are also using the opportunity to feature the UK Worker of the Year 2012 competition on our stand and inviting visitors to either apply or nominate a friend for the award of the UK’s best worker. Now in its third year,

Safety & Health Expo

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Dickies’ UK Worker of the Year is the perfect competition for us to find and recognise the very best of Britain’s workforce.”

At the Cirrus Research stand visitors will have the chance to venture into the ‘sound tardis’ to test the latest innovations and products for measuring occupational and environmental noise, as well as attend a range of technical and educational demonstrations.

RRC will be running its popular ‘Spot the Hazard’ game, giving all visitors the chance to win £500 in training vouchers each day. The computer-based game tests players’ health and safety knowledge as well as their skills with the mouse, challenging them to clock up the fastest time. There will also be the opportunity to attend free advice clinics and discussions on the latest e-learning and other forms of online training run by RRC’s health, safety and environment specialists. One visitor will receive £1,000 worth of training of their choice each day of the event. L FOR MORE INFORMATION For further information on Safety and Health Expo and to register for free entry, visit www. safety-health-expo.co.uk.

Twitter: @SHExpo

B-Green by Bollé Safety offers an environmentally friendly look at eye protection Bollé Safety, a world leader in the design and manufacture of protective eyewear, has developed a new and unique product - B-Green. The Solis B-Green is the world’s first safety spectacle to be manufactured from corn extract and is 100 per cent bio-degradable and Bio certified. It uses 30 per cent less fossil carbon to manufacture and produces less greenhouse gases than a standard product.

All the packaging is produced from recycled material and is also bio-degradable.

The Solis B-Green offers the wearer the highest levels of protection, style, comfort and exceptional field of view that people

radiation. It also has class 1 optical quality which means it can be worn all day, every day.

As with all of the range of products from Bollé Safety, the Solis B-Green offers the customer excellent value for money and world-renowned optical lens quality and coatings. Visit Bollé Safety at the Health and Safety Expo to discover more about protecting employees and the environment. have come to expect from Bollé products. It is approved to the European Standards EN 166 1F and EN 170, so provides the wearer with protection against impact (45m/s) and UV

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0208 391 3190 jo@bolle-safety.co.uk www.bolle-safety.com

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Lion Laboratories Breath alcohol - and more!

Vehicle Immobilisers

Lion has been supplying quality breath alcohol measurement equipment and other items to Police Forces and Commercial operations world-wide for over three decades.

Visit us on Stand I42 to see how we can help you to keep your environment safe.

Hand Held Screeners

For ALL your Health & Safety needs.

Membership, Training and Consultancy n NEBOSH n IOSH n COSHH n Risk Assessment n HSE First Aid n Manual Handling n Working at Height n Safeguarding Visit us at the

STAnd B22

Book And PAy onLine

Radar Speed Displays For a special S&H Expo discount, quote BSC2012 on your orders

www.lionlaboratories.com

www.bskills.org

or 0800 073 0282 @BSkillsS

The New Scafftag

®

As a non-mechanical plant hire & sales company we specialise in a wide range of products and services such as Crane Skips, Crane Cages, Temporary Roads, Road Barriers & Height Safety Products plus much more… n Crane Accessories n Goods Handling n Groundworks and General Plant n Lifting Equipment n Roads & Fencing n Safety Equipment For further details on our product range please contact us:

www.marwoodgroup.co.uk

0800 050 2012

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

Re-designed for Scaffolding

by Scaffolders

What’s improved?

Over recent months Scafftag® has been asking customers “what do you want from a Scaffold Tagging System”. From which you have shared your ideas, and joined in the discussion. We took these on board and improved the Scafftag®. You told us you want it simpler, so we’ve made it simpler, you told us you wanted it more durable so we’ve made it more durable, you wanted more security so we added security.

To find out more about the re-designed Scafftag® visit:

www.scafftag.co.uk

Tel: 0845 089 4060 Email: customer.services@scafftag.com Web: www.scafftag.co.uk

Business Skills meets Lion - a worldwide company for a safer world training requirements across the Black Country Lion Laboratories specialises in the field of breath alcohol analysis. Operating from its own purpose-built premises in Barry, South Wales, the company supplies much of the equipment used by the UK police, and exports to some 70 countries worldwide through a network of local distributors.

Together with its US sister company CMI®, Lion is the largest company in breath alcohol testing, and is generally regarded as the market leader.

The fully vertically integrated company carries out its own research, engineering, product development, manufacturing, marketing and sales.

For the commercial market, Lion Laboratories manufactures a range of breath testing equipment, starting with the simple non-quantitative lion Alcoblow® and rising to the sophisticated lion DS®-15 interlock system. This unit will actually prevent the vehicle on which it is installed from being started if the driver has been drinking.

For its sister company MPH® Industries Inc., Lion supplies a series of radar based devices designed to slow down vehicle traffic in areas where safety is paramount. The company can also provide traditional SpeedGuns® as well as vehicle mounted or free standing electronic speed displays.

For the Safety & Health at Work show preview, Lion is offering a five per cent discount (offer valid for 12 months). When ordering, quote ‘S&H2012Gov’.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01446 724500 info@lionlaboratories.com www.lionlaboratories.com

Business Skills is the employer training arm of Stourbridge College, and a market leader in health and safety training.

The company offers a wide range of courses for people who are keen to improve their career prospects, build on their professional or personal development, pursue higher level skills, find an apprenticeship or get back into work through training.

Covering the Black Country and wider West Midlands, Business Skills works with over 1,000 employers in the region and employs 50 people in its recently refurbished training centre, Kidderminster. Kim Babb, director at Business Skills, said: “We are a Black Country Chamber Patron and have worked with local and national employers including

Safety and Health Expo

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Mansell, Debenhams, Fitness First, The Village Hotels, Carillion, Worcester Bosch and Calor Gas.” As well as offering a wide range of NEBOSH, IOSH and COSHH courses, Business Skills now offers First Aid courses. Bronze, Silver or Gold Group Membership packages include consultancy days, places on one-day courses and unlimited telephone advice.

Contact Business Skills for a free health & safety check and organisational skills analysis.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0800 073 0282 www.bskills.org enquiries@bskills.org

View the latest in Marwood builds reputation equipment tagging and on quality plant supply inspection management

Marwood Group specialises in non-mechanical plant hire and sales, with product ranges in roads & fencing, groundworks & general plant, safety equipment, crane accessories and goods handling & lifting. The company reputation has been built by employing dedicated professional staff and supplying quality equipment. Plant equipment is carefully chosen for its quality and suitability to make a genuine contribution towards a more efficient & safer working place.

The company was established in the mid-1970s and now has 15 strategically placed satellite depots all over the country, with the latest located in East

Kilbride, Scotland. It has the ability to adapt and react as quickly as possible to customer demands, and aims to supply any product from its range in any quantity anywhere in the UK - on time, every time.

In addition to Marwood’s normal hire and sales function is an equipment repair and refurbishment service, with the issue of a certificate on full completion of works carried out. The company can also offer a free site survey on request, dependent on site conditions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0800 0500 2012 www.marwoodgroup.co.uk

Equipment status management specialist Scafftag is once again at this year’s Safety & Health Expo, stand I10. Visitors will be able to view the latest visual tagging equipment and inspection management systems that have been designed to help improve safety compliance.

Scafftag has redesigned some of its core products following extensive feedback from customer surveys, including Scafftag®, Laddertag®, Towertag®, Entrytag®, Excavation Tag, Mewp Tag and Forkliftag®. The revised tags include features such as more inspection checks, extra room to write additional notes and simple-to-follow layouts.

The Scafftag range covers a variety of applications and ensures that the most recent status of equipment (test/ inspection) is clearly visible at the point of use, helping workers make informed decisions about safely accessing the equipment.

Safetrak®, the asset identification and inspections reporting software, will be displayed at a separate stand, I13, located opposite the Scafftag stand. Visitors can try out the Safetrak® system first hand and witness the benefits that an electronic inspection and reporting system has over manual, paper-based reporting.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.scafftag.com

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Reaching heights safely Save money with our powered access solutions

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Quick and easy access for roof repairs, both internal and external Compact machines able to access difficult to reach areas Manoeuvres through standard gateways and narrow paths Low ground pressures avoiding damage to drives, paths and lawns Dual powered for silent, or internal fume free working Site to site transportation on standard plant trailer Full range of compact vehicle mounted access platforms Avoids costly hire charges Cost effective investment solutions / low cost of ownership

A full range of compact vehicle mounted access platforms which can be quickly set up on a standard driveway or single lane carriageway. Insulated cage options available.

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Concateno - providing reliable answers to important questions

Granberg AS - hand protection solutions at Safety & Health Expo

Concateno provides drug and alcohol testing services to a wide range of industries, and understands all of the regulatory requirements relating to different industry sectors.

Operating from four worldclass accredited laboratories, Concateno’s customers use the company to help answer important questions which impact on people in all walks of life. Many have safety critical or legal implications. These include whether an airline pilot is fit to fly, or whether a parent should have access to his or her child.

Each year, Concateno’s 10 million test results have to be correct and understood if they are to make a positive contribution to its customers, which number over 8,500 from across all

Granberg AS, an international group providing work and safety gloves for various markets including healthcare and retail, will be showcasing high performance EX® series assembly gloves and new Nitrile chemically approved gloves Chemstar® , ideal for use in a number of public sector professions.

Established in 1961 Granberg AS has developed into a professional company with subsidiaries in several countries and more than 250 styles of gloves in its portfolio that are approved by accredited laboratories and have EC compliance certificates.

With the new types of synthetic leather MicroSkin Shield® and MacroSkin Pro® Granberg is now upscaling to even higher standards by introducing EX®-series of super gloves with breathtaking, creative designs that will substitute

industries, including healthcare providers and government bodies. This is made possible by the integration of scientific excellence, global reach, specialist understanding of customer requirements, whilst delivering products and services to the highest levels of internationally recognised accreditations and quality standards.

This combination makes Concateno’s drug, alcohol and healthcare testing the reliable answer to critical questions the world over - when it matters most.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.concateno.com

natural leather due to a superior degree of longevity.

Nitrile powder-free gloves Chemstar® are packed as disposable, but feature characteristics of reusable chemically approved cat. III gloves. Therefore, they could be the perfect cost-effective substitute to rubber gloves in the cleaning industry as well as for laboratory work.

Visit Granberg AS on stand A12 at Safety & Health Expo 2012.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: +47 53 77 53 00 post@granberg.no www.granberg.not

Green Line – metal free protective footwear

First class Health & Safety advice and training

Green Line is a shoe range which has been produced with as much respect for the environment as possible.

Ejendals, Sweden’s largest supplier of shoes, gloves and skin care products for skilled workers, has made Green Line as the first protective shoes to be labelled with the EU Ecolabel. This means manufacturers must prove that their products meet the environmental, health and functional criteria which have been set carefully, through different types of tests and documentation.

The Green Line range does not contain any metals. Instead of using metal in the nail protection and toe-cap, Ejendals has used a material which takes extra care of the environment throughout its entire life cycle.

The Green Line shoe range is ideal for those who want a comfortable protective shoe which, at the same time,

Safety Priorities and Dental Support UK are UK based professional health and safety consultants offering a complete range of services to NHS Trusts, PCTs, hospitals, local authorities, dental practices, clinical and medical surgeries throughout the UK. Two main areas of focus are monitoring, critiquing and risk-assessing cross infection controls within a unit, and providing decontamination advice within the dental and medical professions. First class support to practitioners is provided by offering hands-on visits and advice, as well as specialist packages in order to comply fully with all aspects of health and safety legislation.

safeguards the environment.

The shoes fulfil all the requirements of a protective shoe and meet the EN requirements of EN 23045:2004 as well as IEC 61340-5-1.

Green Line shoes have quickly become a favourite amongst Ejendals’ customer base and users.

Safety and Health Expo

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These are based on a short-term contract. Providing services to assist PCTs in achieving overall compliance is also a speciality.

Both companies work closely with individual practitioners and managers in the monitoring and assessing of doctors’ surgeries, dental practices and care homes to ensure compliances with the Care Quality Commission’s recommendations and outcome requirements.

Fire risk, legionella risk assessments and staff training in most aspects of health and safety are also available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel:0800 028 7083 enquiries@safetypriorities.co.uk www.safetypriorities.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ejendals.com

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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If security is your business, can you risk ignoring Nedap?

Security Redefined Long-trusted providers can certainly be relied on when it comes to your security system.

Having established standards makes life highly convenient. But your job becomes even more reliable and safe when you decide for technological market leader in security management.

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IFSEC International

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

As public sector organisations continue to explore more cost-effective ways to keep their buildings and people safe, there is a growing demand for greater education. IFSEC International 2012 has its new education programme to help organisations better understand how to protect their business.

The Security Management Education Theatre will feature a series of 30-45 minute presentations from key industry figures and security management professionals, followed by Q&A sessions. Tipped to be another popular session, Nottinghamshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Broadbent, will lead a discussion alongside Mike Cherry, National Policy chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses, on the pertinent subject of ‘Integration not Isolation - the public/private response to business crime’. Broadbent has extensive experience having served with the CID at every rank up to detective superintendent. His experience encompasses serious and organised crime, intelligence, undercover and covert policing.

Another highly topical issue being discussed is ‘Dealing with the Insider Threat,’ to be led by Martin Smith MBE, chairman and founder of the Security Company. The former Royal Air Force officer, who was mainly assigned to counter-espionage and counterterrorism duties throughout East and West Europe, will address the issue that the Mark 1 human being remains the greatest and continuing weakness in the entire protective regime. His session will discuss the recognition and how to tackle the human aspects of security and fraud prevention.

Plan B Consulting will present ‘Organisational Resilience’ which covers the role of a business continuity manager and focuses on the most vulnerable security risks.

Mike O’Neil, managing director of Optimal Risk Management, will present ‘Procuring security services – some thoughts on why and how to change,’ while the directors of CornerStone will present a session entitled ‘How to ensure your security technology investment delivers the result you expect’.

Reflecting the need for today’s society to have effective counter-terror measures against the ever-present threats on the UK and international landscape, the Counter Terror Product Area in hall 3A again offers visitors an opportunity to browse thousands of products including counter-terror/physical security, access control, CCTV, fire safety, intruder alarms and integrated security/ IP networks. This area will bring together international companies that will assist organisations on national resilience, counter-terrorism, border security, surveillance and policing issues.

CENTRE STAGE IFSEC International has invested heavily in its education programme this year.

2012 will see the debut of Centre Stage, a new high profile educational feature designed to focus on the most pressing and topical security issues of the day, to be discussed and debated live at this year’s show by the leading

PD6662: 2010, PSIM, security management training, lone worker protection, CCTV standards, security benchmarking, commercial and criminal investigations and more.

IFSEC International’s event director Charlie Cracknell says Centre Stage is designed to be a focal point for debate on the wider issues affecting the security world. He stated:

IFSEC International has invested heavily in its education programme this year. 2012 will see the debut of Centre Stage, a new high profile educational feature designed to focus on the most pressing and topical security issues of the day. names in the sector. Topics are wide-ranging and include the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, solutions models for security guarding procurement and management, the future of law enforcement, convergence and the future of security, the alarms standard

“Centre Stage will bring thought-provoking discussion on topics of crucial importance to the future of the industry directly to the show floor. This means all visitors will have the opportunity to attend at no cost.

“The session on the future of law E Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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High performance mesh fencing systems for perimeter security & professional sports CREATING SYSTEMs FOR THE ULTIMATE DEFENCE - PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

06.02.2012 11:45:25

SECURITY E enforcement is a particularly enticing prospect, bringing together Don Randall, head of security for the Bank of England, and Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, the organisation which recently published a study suggesting that local councils had ‘wasted’ £515 million on CCTV over the past five years.”

This session will focus on whether or not there’s a role for the private sector in terms of lower level policing duties and, if so, what that role might look like. This is an issue which will remain at the top of the news agenda, as elected Police and Crime Commissioners will be to the fore come November and forces deal with the impact of the Government’s budgetary cuts.

OLYMPIC FOCUS There’ll be a session on preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in terms of essential planning and business continuity, while another session, hosted by the BSIA’s 2012 project director David Evans, is scheduled to address the legacy of the Games from a security perspective.

‘Convergence and The Future of Security’ will examine how convergence – essentially defined as the integration of physical and logical security – could change the

2012 will see the debut of Centre Stage, a new high profile educational feature designed to focus on the most pressing and topical security issues of the day. whole dynamic of security management.

This session, chaired by Chris NorthyBaker, principal security advisor and head of business resilience at the UK Hydrographic Office, will also examine the crucial question as to whether or not purchasing end users are really buying into the convergence and integration agenda.

Educational content in the Tavcom Training Theatre this year includes sessions called ‘How CCTV can be more effective’ and ‘Can modern technology work for my company?’

LONE WORKERS Supporting the theme of employee protection, IFSEC International will also showcase its first ever Lone Worker Protection Product Area this year. Classified as anyone working alone, without close supervision or away from their fixed base, a staggering 40 per cent of the UK population are now recognised as part-time lone workers.

Geoquip - at the forefront of perimeter security Geoquip Worldwide is a leader in secure communications and perimeter detection solutions. Its products and solutions are at the forefront of perimeter security and security management systems worldwide.

Geoquip prides itself on providing every customer with a total perimeter security solution which is tailored to their needs and specific requirements. As part of the ‘wrap-around’ service offered to its clients, Geoquip provides a free security review, system design, installation and project management, on-site support and before and after sales support.

A focus on innovation and cutting edge product development ensures the development of high quality, low false alarm rate products that are simple to install and maintain. Geoquip products are approved at the highest industry level standards and have been

tried and tested in over 50 countries for over 25 years.

The company has considerable experience in the design and development of effective security systems for a whole range of applications within a number of vertical market sectors ranging from military, government and utilities (including oil and gas) to financial (banks and data centres), industrial/ commercial and transport.

Through Geoquip, clients now have the opportunity to provide fully integrated external IP solutions for the management of all security and safety devices across multiple operating sites.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01629 824891 info@geoquip.com www.geoquip.com

IFSEC International

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Many industry names are supporting the feature and experts will be on hand to advise visitors throughout the show.

Patrick Dealtry, Chairman of the BSIA Lone Worker Steering Group and creator of the British Standard for Lone Workers, said: “There is an increased understanding by companies and organisations that it really is important to take care of their employees who may be at risk because of the job their employer asks them to do. Last year, a small company was fined £385,000 for failing to do so. It is therefore highly relevant that IFSEC International includes a Lone Worker product area for the first time.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION For the full speaker line-up, and for further information on free registration, visit www.ifsec.co.uk/preview Twitter: @IFSEC

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT Dycon Ecopower 125x86mm_Layout 1 06/03/2012 16:09 Page –1 www.governmentbusiness.co.uk Project2:Layout 1 23-03-12

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

Fully integrated external IP solutions for the management of all security and safety devices across multiple operating areas

Dycon - British innovator in advanced, green power supply products

Dallmeier - products for network-based video surveillance from Germany

Dycon is a British company best known for its innovations in the field of advanced power, monitoring and communication products. The company is a market leader in designing and manufacturing a full range of inventive, energy-efficient, ‘green’ switched mode power supply units for applications across a large number of differing sectors including security, access control and CCTV. Dycon’s PoE range provides a simple way of powering a wide range of network peripherals, removing the need to provide 230v AC power next to them, making installation simpler and more economical.

Dycon is committed to

Dallmeier, one of the world’s leading providers of products for network-based video surveillance solutions, already has more than 25 years of experience in the development and manufacture of high quality components and complete solutions for the CCTV/IP sector.

Whether it’s cameras, recorders, storage systems, intelligent video analysis, software or video management, to standalone products, Dallmeier offers complete systems with perfectly integrated components for video surveillance from a single source.

Right from the beginning, the company has always focused on its own innovative developments and highest quality and reliability.

This, and extensive experience in the CCTV and IP field, have led it to a top position in the

providing high quality, costeffective products to meet today’s needs and regulations.

Continuous product improvement ensures that its customers have everything needed to power and monitor. The extensive product range reflects Dycon’s wealth of experience in the design and manufacture of security equipment and that name is an assurance of reliability and quality. Using its expertise and vast product knowledge, customers’ needs are at the heart of its operations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01443 471060 info@dyconsecurity.com wwww.dyconsecurity.com

international market for digital video surveillance systems.

At the upcoming IFSEC exhibition, Dallmeier will be showing the award winning innovative multifocal sensor system Panomera, which is perfectly designed to decrease installation points for large area applications whilst delivering highest resolution across an entire scene - quality made in Germany.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0117 303 9303 dallmeieruk@dallmeier.com www.dallmeier.com

Excel from Mayflex provides the perfect IP infrastructure platform

Entelec Control Systems provide a whole estate overview of efficiencies

Excel products will be featured on the Mayflex stand Hall 4, Stand C20 at IFSEC 2012 and provide the perfect infrastructure platform to run security and networking solutions.

Excel is a worldclass end-to-end infrastructure solution which is designed, manufactured, supported and delivered without compromise.

It is driven by a team of industry experts, ensuring the latest manufacturing capabilities are implemented to surpass industry standards for quality, technical compliance and ease of installation/use. The Excel range is independently verified

by Delta and comes with a 25year product and application warranty when installed by an accredited partner.

Mayflex is the manufacturer and distributor for Excel and provides Converged IP Solutions across cabling

Whether it’s about efficiency, connectivity, or a return on investment – everything begins with the definition of a goal. The question is always the same: how do you make your building management, safety and security more efficient?

Entelec Control Systems is a partner of choice for the integration of all estate management technologies. The company develops tailor-made integration solutions to enable the efficient management of buildings, tunnels, airports, railroads, subway stations and transportation or other complex infrastructures.

The Sky-Walker Integration Platform returns real control to organisations, where users can see a whole estate overview and drill down to ensure efficiencies are being deployed and utilised effectively. The intelligent, open operations and

infrastructure, electronic security and networking solutions. The company will be displaying converged products in action, ranging from cameras, lighting and access control, through to switches, cable and power distribution units. These will be demonstrated by a team of professionals who can help with enquiries on IP solutions, whether it’s related to electronic security, networking or cabling infrastructure. For more details visit www.excel-networking.com FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0121 326 7557 sales@mayflex.com www.mayflex.com

IFSEC International

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

systems management platform is easy to use - operators only have to deal with one programme. This reduces the need for training and brings maintenance, misunderstandings and faults to a minimum.

The European Commission, Hasselt Prison, Molenbeek Police Department and national railway company of Belgium are just a few reference projects that make use of the Platform.

Entelec will be exhibiting at IFSEC from 14th to 17th May, and will be conducting live demonstrations of its integration solutions in hall 4, stand F100.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0121 712 8911 info@entelec.org.uk www.entelec.org.uk

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL1AND CENTRAL 17:58 GOVERNMENT KUCEL 86x125mm Advert_Layout 22/02/2012 Page 1 – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Inspiring venues, first class facilities Liverpool Hope’s range of conferencing, events and meeting venues offers you choice and flexibility. Whether you need professional interview rooms, seminar spaces for corporate away days or are organising a gala dinner, we can help. Our experienced Conferencing and Events team will work closely with you and our talented in-house catering and technical teams to ensure delivery of your perfect event.

Flexible Event Spaces KUCEL offers flexible, functional, contemporary event spaces in and around Kingston. Our affordable hire rates include room, external space and day delegate rates. Regular clients include film companies, exhibitions, health classes, faith groups and adult education.

Conferencing & Events | Liverpool Hope University T: 0151 291 2147 E: conferences@hope.ac.uk www.hope.ac.uk/conferences

Quite simply whatever your event KUCEL has the space for you!

Visit www.KUCEL.co.uk or call 020 8417 5519

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ACADEMIC VENUES

Academic Venues

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Places where people matter There can be no doubt that academic institutions across the UK offer a wide choice in conference, accommodation and meetings venues in the events sector, and the quality is about to get even better, writes Kate Axten, commercial events manager at Kingston University.

With students now paying heavily increased fees for their university courses, they have become powerful stakeholders in their institutions, and their expectations for state-of-the-art technologies, buildings and accommodations, have also just gone up a notch. As a result, academic venues will have to ensure top level investments in their buildings and their people to meet this demand. Great news for event organisers across the country.

PEOPLE-WISE Academic venues have always been places where people matter, and their ethos, to educate, nurture and encourage students and staff to reach their full potential, at the heart of the institution is dispersed into every vein of business. As a result, event organisers find that staff at academic venues are truly professional and passionate individuals, who are exceptionally trained and who put people first, with delegates feeling that they own the event.

Detail, discussion, and democracy have always been central elements in academic institutions and these are not isolated to the educational aspects. Events teams across academic venues understand these rudiments and, as a result, events staff at academic venues take time to establish exacting briefs with their clients, creating unique events, in flexible environments with a truly personal touch.

What will really set academic venues apart from their corporate competitors now though is the change in focus for many institutions, who in the past have enjoyed various government funded schemes, and

who now face the challenge of providing enhanced student services with reduced external income. With student and civic engagement at the heart of many university strategies, with institutions striving to enhance their reputations and therefore encourage student enrolment and retention, events services will form a crucial aspect of any academic institution’s business model, with investments in estates taking into greater consideration quality, flexible spaces which can be utilised by both student and non-student customers.

a highly reputable academy for your event, you are forming a symbiotic relationship between venue and event, where the prestige of one is enhanced by the other.

In addition to dedicated events facilities and services, many universities and colleges offer a huge number of bedrooms during the vacation periods. These range from shared study bedrooms to single or double en-suite rooms, situated on or off campus and can provide conference organisers with excellent packages for residential conferences, at a range of rates to suit a variety of budgets.

Academic PLACE-WISE Regardless of budget e m so e v Across the UK, some of the however, the one thing a h s e venu world’s most prestigious all academic venues d e p ip u q institutions house a have in common is a of the best e ture c le fantastically eclectic commitment to best s, m o ro ss la c mix of historical and practice and excellence g n theatres, meeti g contemporary venues, in service provision serving the events sector as their institution’s and entertainin with an unparalleled reputation and that of n o s space choice in event space. academic venues as a Gone are the days of musty collective is very much at offer” old classrooms, chalk and an OHP stake if this is not upheld. sitting in the corner, although I am The Academic Venue Sector sure these still exist, if you really wanted one! employees are building up close working Academic venues have some of the best relationships with one another, sharing ideas, equipped classrooms, lecture theatres, networks, best practice and sometimes joining meeting and entertaining spaces on offer. up in marketing and training activities. This Many have high quality, dedicated conference means that there is a high level of consistency centres, with star rated accommodation to be expected across the range of institutions that continually impress clients who must offering event space. Whilst there is always now acknowledge that Academic Venues healthy competition between venues, and the run highly professional events operations. range of buildings and facilities is vast, there Such operations are valued as highly by is a very real commitment to high quality, the institutions in which they sit as their professional services, and a collective sense academic performance is and, by choosing that academic venues can offer better value E

“

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Academic venues

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Swansea University – one location, unlimited possibilities

OVENU – 18 years of continuous growth and development

Swansea University offers a wide range of conference, meeting and event services tailored to meet all customer needs and budgets.

Onsite facilities include over 1,000 bedrooms and over 100 meeting spaces, accommodating up to 380 delegates. Larger events of up to 1,100 attendees can be catered for at partner facilities less than a five minute coach ride away.

Swansea’s dedicated conference & event team have in-depth knowledge of the facilities and the local area, ensuring that events are planned specifically to suit clients needs and delivered to the highest standard. The in-house media team can ensure all your audio visual and technical requirements are met.

The compact, flat campus is conveniently located on the M4 corridor with excellent rail services from London, the

If you’re looking at making a prudent investment into the lucrative service industry sector, then you’ve probably found just what you’re looking for.

Joining the Ovenu network is an attractive proposition for the practically minded who are seeking flexibility, profitability and a rapid return on investment.

Ovenu’s realistically priced start-up package includes everything you’ll need to start trading straight away producing truly spectacular results for consumers who like doing business regularly with their local area oven valeting expert.

The proven Ovenu business model has grown significantly over the years into the largest global brand within the sector and offers you the opportunity to quickly develop a flourishing, high demand, local business.

A business that offers ISO 9001:2008 initial and ongoing training and support.

North and South. Sandwiched between the beach and parkland and within easy reach of the city centre, Swansea University offers a beautiful location ideal for business or pleasure.

From buffets to banquets, catering services are designed to cover all needs and the dining facilities have views stretching right across the Bristol Channel to Ilfracombe. Whatever your event and budget, Swansea University has something to offer you.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01792 295665 Fax: 01792 295675 conferences@swansea.ac.uk www.swansea.ac.uk/conferences

Trading locally, you’ll benefit from a generous exclusive territory, choice of van and the most effective cleaning system. Add a top ranking, high visibility local, national and international internet presence and you’re off to a flying start.

You’ll find all of Ovenu’s support team to be highly knowledgeable industry specialists and only too happy to help. Likewise, its recruitment process is open, honest and transparent.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact: Ken Rostron Tel: 01325 251455 info@ovenufranchise.co.uk www.ovenufranchise.co.uk

The Business School

for conferences and events spectacular new contemporary venue in the centre of Manchester • at the forefront of environmental design • multiple theatre space and seminar rooms • exhibition space and conference dining • bookings from Easter 2013 We would love to show you round our new venue Contact our friendly and professional team to discuss your event on +44 (0) 161 247 1565 or if you prefer email us at venues@mmu.ac.uk www.mmu.ac.uk/venues Visit us at the Academic Venues Show, Stand 19 in May

We look forward to giving you a warm welcome at MMU.

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ACADEMIC VENUES

E for money than hotels or conference centres. It is also true that many venues have worked hard to ensure that their products are very carefully branded, so that whilst many offer spaces on a spectrum ranging from “meeting room for 10” to “lecture theatre for 1500,” customers can easily identify which venue package will suit their particular event, and events teams will ensure an appropriate business mix, for example: a wedding is not placed next to a business meeting.

This approach has seen a definite and continued increase in customers and agents enjoying university venues. It seems that there is increased confidence in the offering and, as more and more universities expand their event facilities, so too does the market, with major blue chip companies, large and small charity organisations, private individuals and international corporations joining the already growing number of public sector organisations utilising academic venues.

INCREASED ATTENTION Perhaps it is the increased attention being paid to how companies spend their training and events budgets, as well as the increasing focus on corporate and social responsibility that has placed academic venues at the forefront of event organisers’ minds when searching for venues. It is more palatable in an age of austerity measures to spend money in an institution where surplus funds are reinvested for the benefit of all our futures, with students being the main beneficiaries.

And perhaps it is also the fact that it is often students supporting the events teams at academic venues. Their willingness to learn and put their studies to good use, or more simply to enhance their CVs and gain some valuable work experience makes them enthusiastic event staff, who certainly have

an in-depth knowledge of their campuses, facilities and local area to impart. In return our clients are afforded the opportunity of working with some really talented individuals.

INFINITE WISDOM Academic Venues are in the unique and fortunate position of having some the world’s leading experts in an array of fields at their fingertips. For customers wishing to impress or offer something different to their delegates, it is often possible to tap into this resource and link up your event with a specialist to introduce your event, run a session or provide a keynote, adding mutually beneficial value to the host and invitees and creating an event with distinction.

Many events at Kingston University have been opened by Vice-Chancellors past and present who have been proud to be associated with the organisations

Academic Venues

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

using their facilities. This is a real unique selling point and something seldom found at non-academic venues.

It is most definitely the case that by choosing an academic venue, event organisers are really making a difference to both their delegates and to the futures of many. The addition of professionally run, high quality events, however big or small, in a plethora of fantastic facilities around the UK really does make a difference to thriving and successful learning environments, for everyone who uses them. It is with infinite wisdom that academic venues are confident in their offering and continually strive to provide the highest levels of service and excellent value for money. Academic venues are a truly wise investment. L FOR MORE INFORMATION T: 020 8417 5519 www.kucel.co.uk

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A world-class music and conference venue and one of the UK’s most iconic landmark buildings.

For further information or to discuss your requirements: +44 (0) 191 443 4640 conferences@thesagegateshead.org www.thesagegateshead.org/conferences

Photography Š Mark Savage

NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD

THE BUSTLING HEART OF THE NORTH EAST

Conference Destinations

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

‘Friendly’ hit the top spot for words used to describe NewcastleGateshead in a recent delegate survey conducted by NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau

A vibrant city bursting with personality and located at the heart of North East England, the word ‘surprising’ is often used to describe NewcastleGateshead. The destination is a place for both business and play, with rolling countryside and spectacular coastlines just 30 minutes outside of the stunning cityscape.

NewcastleGateshead offers conference organisers the choice of a bustling urban locale, or space to think with a tranquil escape. But, what makes the destination so surprising is the extraordinary personality that resonates from the 2,000 years of history and its warm and welcoming people.

‘Friendly’ hit the top spot for words used to describe NewcastleGateshead in a recent delegate survey conducted

by NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau; the survey also showed delegate satisfaction to be high with 99 per cent rating their conference venue as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Already an established and popular destination for national and international meetings and conferences, NewcastleGateshead continues to grow, with seven hotels either under development or opened within the last 12 months.

With an efficient Metro system linking the city centre to the airport and the coast, NewcastleGateshead is a compact destination where whatever you need is never far away.

CENTRAL NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD Newcastle Central Station is the destination’s transport hub, with national trains coming from the East Coast mainline, Scotland and the North West. Travelling on foot delegates can be at the iconic Quayside, the city’s academic quarter and an exciting range of venues in just 15 short minutes.

South of the River Tyne the twin cities’ flagship venue the Sage Gateshead takes

Centre stands as a monument to Art Deco architecture and provides a spectacular setting accommodating conferences and events for up to 600 delegates.

Home to top-brand hotels, conference organisers won’t be short of accommodation options for delegates or residential meeting venues. Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Copthorne and Malmaison have enviable locations on the banks of the River Tyne

With an efficient Metro system linking the city centre to the airport and the coast, NewcastleGateshead is a compact destination where whatever you need is never far away. in spectacular views across the bustling Quayside and its historic bridges. It can accommodate conferences and exhibitions for up to 1,700 delegates and has hosted all three of England’s major political parties, Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Newcastle University and Northumbria University have both recently undergone multi-million-pound redevelopments, creating stunning public spaces linking world-class conference facilities. Nearby, Newcastle Civic

and meeting facilities with fast access to the Quayside’s bustling heart.

One of the destination’s most recognisable landmarks is Newcastle United Football Club. When it’s not hosting Premier League football, the ‘third cathedral’, as it’s known locally, is one of the UK’s best-equipped sporting venues for conferences.

For a historical twist, The Assembly Rooms is one of Newcastle’s oldest and grandest Georgian buildings, dating back to E

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Unforgettable events at Alnwick Castle

Inspiring events at The Alnwick Garden

Whether you’re planning a conference, meeting or product launch, Alnwick Castle combines one of Britain’s most beautiful and historic landmark buildings with a stunning location and the services of a team to help you find exactly the right package to meet your needs.

Choose from three magnificent spaces to create an event that your guests will never forget.

The Alnwick Garden is a world-class venue, perfect for inspiring events for up to 500 people. Here you can host your conference in the Pavilion, with views of The Garden’s magnificent Grand Cascade.

Or for a more intimate event, venture into the treetops to our breathtaking Treehouse. Whatever your choice, it will truly be an event to remember.

For more information please call 01665 511081 or email mariza.ampaza@alnwickgarden.com www.alnwickcastle.com

For more information please call 01665 511081 or email mariza.ampaza@alnwickgarden.com www.alnwickgarden.com

Alnwick Castle

WHERE HISTORY LIVES

The Britannia Newcastle Airport Hotel The Hotel offers first class Conference Facilities.

There are a wide range of function rooms, ranging from the most spacious room accommodates 400 delegates theatre style and 250 for a dinner dance.

DDR £20PP

24HR £90PP

Rate to Include:

Rate to Include:

•

•

FROM

• • •

• • •

Main Meeting Room Hire Dedicated Conference Coordinator 3 Servings of Tea, Coffee and freshly made Cookies 2 Course Hot and Cold Lunch in the Restaurant or a working Finger Buffet in the Meeting Room Delegate Stationery In-house AV Equipment Water & Cordials.

FROM

• • •

• • • • •

Main Meeting Room Hire Dedicated Conference Coordinator 3 Servings of Tea, Coffee and freshly made Cookies 2 Course Hot and Cold Lunch in the Restaurant or a working Finger Buffet in the Meeting Room Delegate Stationery In-house AV Equipment Water & Cordials Overnight Accommodation with Breakfast 3 Course Evening Meal.

Our dedicated Conference department is waiting to help deal with your enquiry.

Please contact

0191 401 9933 for our best rates and offers.

The Britannia Newcastle Airport Hotel, Ponteland, Woolsington, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE13 8DJ. www.britanniahotels.com

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NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD E 1776. Catering for up to 420 delegates, this sophisticated venue has eight fully adaptable suites offering state-of-the-art technology in a period setting. Nearby, Blackfriars dates back even further, boasting the UK’s oldest dining room; this restaurant was once a monastery and home to Dominican monks.

Recently unveiling its medieval banqueting hall, it’s the ideal place to wow delegates with a traditional hog roast and period feast.

Having undergone a £26m redevelopment, Great North Museum is now the place to learn more about the area’s 2,000-year history. The venue can cater for 12-500 delegates and provide a reception for up to 1,300, making the most of the entire venue including the impressive Roman exhibit featuring a scale model of nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hadrian’s Wall.

And from historical grandeur to forwardthinking scientific developments, Life Conference and Banqueting is a unique and versatile venue situated within the Centre for Life science village. The large Scotswood Suite can accommodate 380 delegates and has 5.5m-high ceilings, perfect for largescale branding of events. Clients can also take advantage of the other world-class facilities on site including the Life Science Centre, a visitor attraction providing a distinctive venue complete with interactive exhibitions and a motion simulator. E

The A1(M) runs through NewcastleGateshead and makes a host of rural and out-of-town venues an easy option for organisers looking to combine city locale with the lure of the wider North East region.

Conference Destinations

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Great North Museum

MAXIMISE YOUR BUSINESS GOALS With a reputation as a market leader in the hospitality industry, Sunderland’s award-winning Stadium of Light is the perfect venue for you and your organisation.

From just £22 for half day delegates and from £29 for full day delegates*- our exclusive public sector rate - we offer the ideal flexible space for conferences, exhibitions, meetings and training exercises.

Plus, receive 15% off our published room hire rate, complimentary parking, LCD projector, 6ft screen and wifi**.

Find out how Sunderland’s Stadium of Light can help you and your business call our dedicated team on 0871 911 1500 or email conf&banq@safc.com *Subject to availability **Minimum of 10 delegates

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Putting the show back into business.

SPECIAL GOVERNMENT DAY DELEGATE RATES AT THE MAL.

Mal life. In these times your business needs an edge. That daring difference that speaks volumes to your client or your competitors. At Malmaison Manchester, we put the show back into business.This is no glitzy display with no real depth, but a collection of glamorous meeting and event spaces, each with a deep-rooted love for style, ultra tasty cuisine, outstanding value and an undying dedication to providing amazing hospitality.Add some show to your business. We dare you. That’s Mal life.

GOV

Terms and conditions apply.

Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 1LZ

0161 278 1090 QUOTE

events.manchester@malmaison.com

visit malmaison.com

SPEC GOVERN IAL ME DELEGAT NT DAY E AVAILABL RATES E NOW.

NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD E COUNTRYSIDE & COAST The A1(M) runs through NewcastleGateshead and makes a host of rural and out-oftown venues an easy option for organisers looking to combine city locale with the lure of the wider North East region.

Northumberland is the ancient home of kings and Romans, and is littered with spectacular rural venues, from castles to historic halls. Its stately homes have a charm and character of their own, spectacularly located in ‘England’s most beautiful, surprising region’ and largely built from locally sourced sandstone with glistening golden exteriors. Amongst them are Matfen Hall, humberland Macdonald Linden Hall “Nort cient home and Longhirst Hall, which is the an omans, offers organisers the of kings and R ith choice of 23 meeting w and is littered l rooms catering for up ra ru to 270 delegates. spectacular stles Sunderland, the city by venues, from ca s” the sea, is accessible from meeting spaces. to historic hall NewcastleGateshead via Further along the the frequent and convenient River Wear is the medieval Metro system. The University of Durham City, home to Sunderland’s Sir Tom Cowie Campus UNESCO World Heritage Site at St Peter’s is situated close to the National Durham Castle and Cathedral. With a choice Glass Centre on the north bank of the River of meeting rooms and function suites to Wear; both venues have panoramic views comfortably accommodate up to 250 guests, of the river and coastline from a range of Durham County Cricket Club is a modern

Sunderland University

Conference Destinations

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

development situated in attractive and mature parkland on the banks of the River Wear.

NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau is on hand with expert local knowledge and advice on everything from venue finding to social programmes and accommodation booking. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.NewcastleGateshead.com/Meet

Stunning location outstanding quality & exceptional value

the perfect package

Visit us at Confex 2012 Stand G612 for the launch of our newest Selfit Badge Software and your chance to Win a FREE Selfit Badge System

Call our conference and events team on 01492 879 771 for further information or conferences@venuecymru.co.uk www.venuecymru.co.uk/conference

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Civic Pride

street furniture or public art? combining poetry, sculpture and landscape.

Benny Hill by Graham Ibeson

DAVID A ANNAND SCULPTOR

Has your local hero or event been commemorated?

www.davidannand.com

Handstand by Ben Greenwood

Have a look on www.artparks.co.uk Britain’s biggest sculpture website to choose a suitable artist or artists or contact Peter de Sausmarez, Artparks International Ltd, Sausmarez Manor, St. Martin, Guernsey, Channel Islands.

www.artparks.co.uk peter@artparks.co.uk Tel: 01481 235571

Lifeboat Men’ Memorial Commemorative Bronze Relief Plaque for the Isle of Wight.

‘Black Dog Halt’ Gate and Railings for Calne, Wiltshire.

The brief for this competition was to show the dangers in the image that lifeboatmen have endured over the years. On the strength of this brief, I won the competition given by the Isle of Wight County Council. The original made in clay for bronze.

Met to the due date.

Fitted on site on a stone plinth March 31st. 2012.

The brief was to design a gate and railings for this footpath for Sustran’s, at the old Black Dog Halt Railway station. It seemed fitting to me to use the name and symbolise it with dogs and train theme for the site ie. train on gate and sleepers. On the strength of this I won the competition. The gates and railings I used a local contractor to fabricate the design in steel, working closely and some hands on to achieve the final result, delivered on scheduled date. Client Wiltshire County Council.

Laura Lian | laura@lauralian.co.uk 07989880149 | www.lauralian.co.uk

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Proudly Manufacturing Quality Street Furniture For 50 Years

TEL/FAX: 01279 432151 Sales@bransonleisure.co.uk www.bransonleisure.co.uk Branson Leisure Ltd, Fosters Croft, Foster Street, Harlow, Essex, CM17 9HS

CONFERENCE DESTINATIONS

A SAGE CHOICE OF VENUE With around 1,500 delegates in attendance, the Liberal Democrats’ Spring Conference delivered a boost of over £1m to the local economy The Liberal Democrat spring conference was secured for the region at the annual global meetings trade show, International Confex, where each year NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau is joined by many of its partners to promote the destination’s iconic conference venues, including the Sage Gateshead where the event took place.

In attracting the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, NewcastleGateshead has hosted all three of the major political parties in England after hosting the Labour Party in 2005 and Conservatives in 2008. Adrian Evans, senior business tourism manager at NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, said: “To achieve a political party hat-trick is something we’re very proud of and has really reinforced the strength of NewcastleGateshead as one of England’s leading conference cities.”

The Liberal Democrats selected NewcastleGateshead for its first-class conference facilities and venues, varied choice of hotels, restaurants and attractions and stimulating mix of contemporary cutting edge architecture and rich history and heritage. Accessibility was another key factor with excellent transport links, from Newcastle International Airport and Central Station, for the many members and delegates due to attend.

Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: “I am really pleased that the Liberal Democrats visited NewcastleGateshead for our Spring Conference in 2012. The world-class facilities of The Sage Gateshead, topquality hotels and the famous friendliness of the local people are obvious attractions to coming to North East England.”

Accompanying major speeches, debates and plenary sessions, the conference featured various fringe events throughout NewcastleGateshead, driving even greater visitor numbers to the destination and wider region. With around 1,500 delegates in attendance, the Liberal Democrats’ Spring Conference delivered a boost of over £1m to the local economy.

facilities that include two outstanding auditoria, two large multi-purpose rooms, a spectacular glazed concourse, café, bars, brasserie restaurant and foyers with stunning river views.

The building’s spectacular open public spaces and glazed front offer superb sweeping views. Its halls have world-class acoustics and state-of-the-art technical facilities. The Sage Gateshead is also ‘wired to the world’ for all kinds of traditional broadcasting and distribution via the web.

The dedicated hospitality suite, The

Conference Destinations

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Barbour Room, is a versatile, superblyappointed space for events ranging from banquets to corporate functions. Hall One is designed to the highest international standards, seating up to 1,700 delegates comfortably. For an intimate, more informal environment, choose Hall Two, the unique ten-sided auditorium with seating for up to 370. Also available are a variety of breakout spaces and reception areas. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.thesagegateshead.org

The world-class facilities of the Sage Gateshead, top-quality hotels and the famous friendliness of the people are obvious attractions to coming to North East England - Nick Clegg, Deputy PM

THE VENUE The Sage Gateshead is the magnificent £70-million Sir Norman Foster building situated in the heart of the Quayside.

This international centre for music is also a fully-equipped conference venue, with

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Visit us at the Service Desk & IT Show, 24-25 April, Earls Court, Stand 800

business

If only all Service Management decisions were this easy to make

Cherwell makes it easy.

Empower your users and customers.

Streamline and automate common service requests. Cherwell’s newest offering is a selfservice portal as you’ve never seen before!

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High ROI with lower TCO. Reduce management overheads, increase productivity, better use of resources, focus on what matters, streamline efficiencies, enhance your business value.

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Anytime, anywhere access. Out in-the-field or away from your desk? Use the iCherwell app to keep track of calls and add notes to activities. Love the GUI! Social IT. Be where your customers are.

Use social media tools to prevent an influx of calls to the service desk. Then, you can focus on getting the job done.

Cherwell offers a fully integrated ITSM solution for internal IT and external customer support. 11 ITIL v3 PinkVERIFIED processes right out-of-the-box in one integrated platform. Choose as many, or as few, processes as you like without incurring additional license fees.

Find out why Cherwell says ‘yes’ to better business. Contact us on

+44 (0)1793 858181 www.cherwell.com

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The Service Catalogue Management, Change Management and Request Fulfilment modules within the Cherwell Service Management™ solution enjoy endorsement from the Official ITIL Accreditor.

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OPEN DATA

NEWS IN BRIEF

Maude continues to push at open data as UK begins OGP co-chair role Francis Maude told an international gathering in Brazil how he wants to collaborate with other governments to drive the ‘Open Data’ agenda internationally.

The UK has began an 18 month co-chair role of the international Open Government Partnership (OGP) - a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. It is overseen by a steering committee of governments and civil society organisations, and was formally launched in September last year.

To become a member of OGP, participating countries must embrace a high-level Open Government Declaration; deliver a country action plan developed with public consultation; and commit to independent reporting on their progress going forward.

Speaking at the group’s first annual meeting in Brazil, Maude told government officials: “An open world is forcing governments out of their comfort zone, allowing citizens to hold us to account on a day-to-day basis, not just at election time. I believe transparency will come to be the defining characteristic of future public policy. In the past, governments tended to leave large tracts of public sector information unanalysed and under-used due to resource constraints and a cultural unwillingness to make it available. Today, we are breaking down those barriers.

Maude continued: “We are already

HARDWARE First Raspberry Pi models hit Leeds schools Schoolchildren in Leeds are the first to get their hands on production models of the bare-bones Raspberry Pi computer.

Since the Raspberry Pi project began, the plan has garnered huge interest from developers, hobbyists and others keen to get their hands on a cheap, easy-to-use computer.

Delivery of the first batch of production machines has been delayed twice once because the wrong component was soldered on to circuit boards and a second time thanks to confusion about electromagnetic testing.

The Pi is built around the Arm chip that is used in the vast majority of mobile phones. It runs various flavours of the Linux operating system and uses SD cards as its storage medium.

The machine comes in two varieties - with and without a networking connector. www.raspberrypi.org

GT News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

NESTA now a charity The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) became an independent charity on April 1 after it was abolished as a non-departmental public body.

It will continue to carrying out research into innovation. Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “Nesta has played, and will continue to play, a key role in contributing to the innovation and growth agenda in the UK”

aware of 47 independent app developers working in the UK giving information to rail passengers through their smart-phones – in a market that has for the most part only opened up in a few major cities so far.”

Maude also mentioned that the number of data sets available at data. gov.uk grew from 2,500 in January 2010 to 7,865 in December 2011.

However, a recent National Audit Office report has critised some parts of the Government’s approach. The Implementing Transpareny report, released on April 18, suggests that government needs a better understanding of costs, benefits and use to assess whether transparency is meeting its objectives of increasing accountability.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office said: “Opening up access to public information has the potential to improve accountability and support public service improvement and economic growth. What the Government is lacking at the moment is a firm grasp of whether that potential is being realised. If transparency initiatives are to be more than aspirations, then Government needs to measure and monitor both their costs and benefits. This is vital for tracking success and learning what works.”

BCS Together campaign promotes IT professionalism BCS has launched a new campaign to promote professionalism within IT. Part of the Institute’s campaign aims to encourage more employers to understand the value of professional standards when recruiting.

A video interview with Paul Martynenko, vice president and technical executive, IBM Europe can be seen at www.bcs.org/together

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...

NAO REPORT - tinyurl.com/83gw3za OGP - www.opengovpartnership.org

Amazon launches AWS Marketplace Amazon has launched the AWS Markeplce following the launch of its cloud service. AWS Marketplace will allow users to purchase applications such as software infrastructure stacks, network infrastructure, security and ecommerce software. Developers featured in the store include Canonical, IBM, Microsoft and Zend.

Open source providers such as Drupal and Wordpress are also included.

PwC report: UK slow to react to emerging threats Findings from the latest Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS) report from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) show UK businesses have been slow to react to the security risks created by the use of emerging technologies like smartphones, tablets and social networking.

According to the report, which will be presented at the Infosecurity 2012 conference in London, more employees use their own mobile devices to access corporate IT systems, yet few companies have implemented policies and controls to protect the data stored on employee-owned devices. Also, few companies are monitoring how social networking sites are being used by their staff. This has resulted in a high incidence of security breaches In the ISBS 2012 report, 82 per cent of large companies (those with over 500 employees) indicated they had suffered a security breach caused by one of their employees

GHCQ releases Turing papers Government intelligence agency GCHQ has released two 70-year-old papers by Alan Turing on the theory of code breaking.

Turing is best known for being the father of modern computer science and his work at Bletchley Park on the Turing-Welchman Bombe to mechanise the process of breaking the German Enigma cipher.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT...

tinyurl.com/7vjtf2j

tinyurl.com/6uyf94p

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CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PROJECTS

eWorking not working at Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts (RCJ) of Justice’s £12.5m eWorking system, which was supposed to improve the flow of information from court users across the RCJ by enabling them to submit files electronically, has been axed after months of poor implementation and low user uptake.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) had been working with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an electronic working system to the RCJ since 2008. But in September last year, industry website Computer Weekly revealed that only 11 documents had been electronically submitted to the RCJ in the second quarter of 2011. A spokesperson told

Compter Weekly: “Over the last 12-18 months significant problems with the system began to emerge. The seriousness of those problems has now become apparent, as has the likely cost of remediation.”

“HMCTS and MoJ ICT remain fully committed to delivering, at the earliest opportunity, an electronic filing, document management and listing system to support the jurisdictions of the Rolls Building. Planning for that is now underway and a new project will be initiated through the standard government procurement and Cabinet Office approvals processes.” tinyurl.com/7uajubf

CLOUD COMPUTING BIS announces cloud business funding of £40m A new Enterprise Capital Fund that will invest at least £40m in cloudbased high-growth potential small and medium sized businesses in the UK has been launched. Initially the fund is set at £40 million but this is expected to rise to rise to £94 million over the next few months.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the £40m raised includes ‘substantial commitments’ from private investors, the government and the European Investment Fund (EIF).

“It is absolutely vital that ambitious small firms can access the finance they need to expand and gr businesses,” said business minister Mark Prisk.

NEWS IN BRIEF

GT News

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Swindon BC first local authority to deploy borough-wide 4G Swindon Council has begun deploying a borough-wide 4G Long term Evolution (LTE) network in a bid to encourage mobile working amongst its councillors, who intend to spend less time working at their desks and more time in the community.

The council has selected UK Broadband and Capita to implement the technology, and over the lifetime of the five-year deal expects to save approximately £480,000.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT - tinyurl.com/7au33mf

Successful PSN Framework bidders announced The Cabinet Office has announced the successful bidders for the Public Services Network (PSN) connectivity framework.

17 vendors were invited to bid for a place on the framework.

Of the 16, 12 were successful: BT, Cable & Wireless, Capita Business Services, Eircom, Fujitsu, Kcom, Level 3, Logicalis, MDNX, Thales, Updata and Virgin Media Business.

According to the original tender document, the framework will be worth between £500m and £3bn.

TO READ MORE PLEASE VISIT - tinyurl.com/8xuemqm

Bookeeping apps help small firms After consultation with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), a variety of mobile apps to help with simple record keeping are becoming available. The apps complement existing HMRC record-keeping guidance and tools. HMRC worked with the Business Application Software Developer Association (BASDA) and independent developers to facilitate the development of the record-keeping apps.

SEE THE LIST OF APPS - tinyurl.com/clsuqmf

FLEXIBLE WORKING

O2 flexible working pilot saves hours of commuting A flexible-working pilot by O2, which saw most of the headquarters’ staff stay away from the office, has been branded an ‘astonishing success’ by the company.

Around 2,500 employees of the telecommunication firm at its Slough headquarters participated in the pilot, working away from the office on one day in February, with only 125 staff working in the building. Workers saved a total of 2,000 hours of commuting time, with just over half of that spent working instead.

Of the staff that took part in the pilot, 88 per cent said they were at least as productive as on a normal day at the office, while 36 per cent claimed they were more productive. Electricity consumption at the 18,580 square metres (200,000 square feet)

office fell by 12 per cent, water use by 53 per cent and around 12.2 tonnes of CO2 was saved, with only 109 cars in the car park, compared to 1,100 on an average day. O2 business director Ben Dowd said: “Line managers are used to managing people they can see. Managing them remotely is a completely different thing. We can do a lot more to support line managers in charge of remote teams, but we know it’s not going to happen overnight.

We’re educating people about the whole future of work here and there’s still work to be done.”

O2 started communicating about the pilot weeks in advance and upgraded its Virtual Private Network beforehand.

TO READ MORE... tinyurl.com/859bd2a

Ministers get a computer games industry buzz Business Minister Mark Prisk and Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey met with interactive entertainment leaders in March to highlight the creative excellence that exists in the UK’s games industry. The pair viewed games from companies including Mind Candy, Codemasters, Mediatonic and Frontier Developments, and saw for themselves examples of the latest software available to the public. Held in association with the UK Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIE), the showcase celebrated the design and innovation of video games in the UK. READ MORE......ukie.info

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INFORMATION ASSURANCE

INFORMATION ASSURANCE WITHIN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Information Assurance

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has been working with Information Assurance (IA) specialists from across government to pilot its new BCS CESG Certified Professional scheme. When it goes live later this year, the full scheme will focus on developing and delivering an IA specialist certification scheme for anyone working in any government department or those working on government contracts Over recent years, government organisations and their handling of information has been highly scrutinised by the media and the public. The public sector is accountable to parliament for protecting a vast array of sensitive data supporting many public services.

The sophistication of the threats to that data, the complexity of the information systems and the high potential business impacts of data loss, leave the public sector increasingly dependent on Information Assurance (IA) specialists to manage information risks.

Whilst there is substantial overlap between public sector IA requirements and those of other sectors, the combination of threats, business impacts and public expectations make the public sector distinct from them. The public sector needs to articulate the competencies required of the IA specialists working within it, to formally recognise the IA skills of those who have them and to encourage their continuous professional development.

DATA LOSSES In a recent BCS video debate, Chris Ensor, Head of Profession for Information Assurance, CESG (the information assurance arm of the government communications headquarters and the UK’s national technical authority for information assurance), pointed out that: “Recent public sector data losses and the increasing numbers of attacks we see against government systems prompted a step change in the way we look at professionalisation of information assurance within the public sector”.

Being funded by tax-payers, everyone looks to the public sector for best practice when it comes to things like IA. In November 2011, the government published the UK Cyber Security Strategy. The publication sets out how the UK will support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public’s way of life by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment.

In September 2011 it was announced that BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, was one of three organisations awarded a contract to provide an IA certification scheme to CESG to certify the competency of IA specialists to E

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INFORMATION ASSURANCE Security and beyond

E perform common public sector IA roles. The aim is to improve the matching between public sector requirements for IA expertise and the competence of those recruited or contracted to provide that expertise. The BCS CESG certified professional scheme will provide an independent assessment and verification process for those working in IA, along with a clearly defined career development path.

The Institute already has experience in promoting the benefits and importance of cyber security, data protection and information assurance and is able to build on its proven expertise in certification and the assessment of IT excellence and experience.

The BCS CESG Certified Professional scheme will focus on developing and delivering an IA specialist certification scheme for anyone working in any government department or those working on government contracts. The scheme reflects some of the government’s priorities in their UK Cyber Security Strategy, specifically: “building the UK’s crosscutting knowledge, skills and capability to underpin all cyber security objectives”. The strategy states that one of the key actions is to improve levels of professionalism in information assurance and cyber defence across the public and private sector which

the skills and understanding they need to help keep them and their business secure”.

IT professionals appear to share the interest in developing this professionalism; since the pilot scheme was launched in November 2011 the institute has seen over 300 people register their interest in preparation for the full launch later this year.

When the full scheme is launched, it will be offered at three levels of certification: practitioner, senior practitioner and lead practitioner, and currently covers six roles identified by CESG within IA including: security and information risk advisor, security architect, accreditor, IA auditor, IT security officer (ITSO) and communications security officer (ComSO).

The BCS CESG certified professional scheme will be based upon written submissions, examinations and expert interviews to ensure only those with the right skill set achieve certification. It will also support those who are currently working in the profession.

However, the institute is equally concerned about the skills shortage across the IT sector, with IA and security divisions struggling to get the right people into the profession.

“You have to look at the pipeline right from school – even from GCSEs, A levels, degrees

Cyber security is as much about protecting and even accelerating our economic growth as it is arm wrestling in cyberspace which is reflected in the strategy. The emphasis on cross-cutting knowledge, skills and capability needed to underpin all our cyber security objectives is particularly important. includes “establishing a scheme for certifying the competence of information assurance and cyber security professionals”.

Adam Thilthorpe, Director of Professionalism for the Institute, explains: “Cyber security is as much about protecting and even accelerating our economic growth as it is arm wrestling in cyberspace which is reflected in the strategy. The emphasis on cross-cutting knowledge, skills and capability needed to underpin all our cyber security objectives is particularly important. We need to ensure that individuals and business leaders have

– that pipeline may not be working as well as it might,” says Chris Ensor. “ICT doesn’t seem to have the sexiness it had 10 or 15 years ago. Since Y2K there has been a drop-off in numbers joining the profession. You need people who understand IA at all levels in the organisation, right up to the board. The board are very good at making business decisions, but information is far more intangible.”

All of this means that not only do we need to develop the skills of those already in the IT profession but we also need to encourage youngsters into the profession and help

Information Assurance

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Information Assurance is the confidence that systems will protect the information they handle and that information assets are accurate, secure and available when required. Although closely linked with information security, IA has a broader remit and includes strategic risk management and reliability. The scheme currently covers six roles identified within IA by CESG including: Security and information risk advisor Security architect Accreditor IA auditor IT security officer (ITSO) Communications security officer (ComSO) For each role, certification is available at three levels: practitioner, senior practitioner and lead practitioner.

individuals to understand their own role in personal cyber security. Thilthorpe explains: “It’s vital that we continue to encourage a cadre of cyber security professionals.

This strategy needs to be underpinned by significant improvement in the teaching of mathematics, and in particular computer science in schools. While we’ve seen some commitment to this recently, we need to ensure it does come to fruition so that there is a pool of young people in the UK – both to draw into the profession and to ensure, in the long term, that the overall understanding of basic cyber security by the public is such that everyone can safely access government services and conduct business online.”

“With so much information now being digital, it is vital that we ensure that those working in Information Assurance have achieved the high standards members of the public would expect for such a sensitive role,” Thilthorpe says. “As the Chartered Institute we are constantly working to exceed those expectations and ensure our qualifications are suitably rigorous. Working with CESG to launch and implement the BCS CESG Certified Professional scheme is a real and positive step in the right direction for information assurance.” L FOR MORE INFORMATION Further information about the BCS CESG Certified Professional scheme, including details of how to register your interest, can be found at www.bcs.org/IA

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Demountable staging...

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

BACK PAIN: WHY CAN’T SOMETHING BE DONE ABOUT IT? Why do so many office workers complain about back pain? They go home in pain, stay away from work, and sometimes need to have spinal operations at huge expense and many take months or years to recover. Why do we get back pain? And why isn’t something done about it?

A very few postural ergonomists have been telling us, warning us and showing us why for over 60 years. It was recognised in Sweden 60-70 years ago that we all sat too low at our desks and that both chairs and desks needed to be both higher and adjustable to suit individual stature.

Strange that the Swedish Police forces were the first to have been issued with correct chairs and desks. These were grown men, but like many officers under stress, they often sat at desks for very long hours, originally sitting in uncomfortable postures determined by bad chairs and desks. Furniture designed to look good and to last, but not to provide a good sitting position. This was before most of us even began to spend our leisure slouched in front of the TV and exercise less.

Furniture designers in the 1950s and 60s often used dimensional data provided by the American Henry Dreyfuss. All correct statistically, but illustrated in a manner which indicated an upright and flawed posture.

Nobody noticed that the 90/90 posture, which appeared alongside the dimensions, bears no relation to how our bodies actually work.

What about the angles? No understanding of how the ischia (bum bones) and hips interact to give either lordosis, the balanced curvature of the spine or kyphosis which is the slouched curvature of many. Most did not nor still understand that the hip joint only allows a curvature of 60 degrees, leaving the remaining 30 to be achieved by frontal compression of the lower three discs. The vital interaction between the Ischia and seat affects posture. Most office chairs are both of the wrong profile and too soggy.

UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE Well two notable persons did understand.

Dr Chresten Mandal a surgeon suffering himself from back pain, from Klampenborg, Copenhagen and Professor Dr Nigel Corlett from Nottingham University worked, lectured and wrote tirelessly from all parts of the world for over 50 years.

Meanwhile, designers and manufacturers understood less than half the message. They began to call new products ‘ergonomic’ without the faintest idea of what that

Incorrect posture

meant. Worse still, the Society of Ergonomics spawned ‘professors’ whose profession and training had covered many man/workplace relationships but infrequently that of posture. Several obtaining grants for often inconclusive short term research. Industrialists must begin to use universities with more understanding, and not be swayed by jargon.

OK, but most desks and chairs do comply with international standards, which are revised periodically. Most recently FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association) recognised that because people were now on average taller than thirty years ago, the height of desks should be raised so that everyone could actually get their knees underneath.

In itself this recognition was thirty years too late and provided no recognition for the need to match the desk/chair relationship.

CHAIR/DESK RELATIONSHIP Those companies supplying the better and frequently very expensive chairs do spend time setting them up for customers, but often the very adjustments are so complex that staff are

Correct posture

perplexed and frequently fail to understand the range of adjustments and how they affect long term outcomes. So we adjust the chairs, but what about desks? In Scandinavia one very rarely sees fixed height desks and many with electric lifts enable users to either stand or to sit at work, a choice facilitating variation according to the task. Many also prefer use of height adjustable saddle stools which by encouraging an ‘open’ posture and a balanced stance, which also alleviate neck pain when used with computer screens set at eye level.

Some 40-60% of workplace absenteeism results from back pain, much of it results from sitting badly, often from an early age. Rotten school chairs have led to increasing distress in children as young as six or seven years. When the country needs money, we all need to have a balanced view and not waste it in hospital. L FOR MORE INFORMATION T: 07768 931016 or 07800 912426 E: info@ah07.com W: www.ah07.com

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

FEATURE SUB SECTION

A BIGGER MOBILE PICTURE As well as delivering efficiency savings, flexible working has the potential to deliver a better work life balance for local government workers. GT magazine talks to Neil Prior, head of Local Government Futures Forum at O2, about sharing its own flexible working experiences, and about its recent research, which examined the wider role of IT as an enabler for change.

The rise of the smartphone means people are becoming more comfortable with the everyday use of mobile data, which presents both opportunities and challenges for local government.

According to research, there are around 1.1 million local government employees that are planning to ‘go mobile’ in the next couple of years, and by 2015, it is expected that 65 per cent will have ability to work flexibly.

O2’s Joined Up People offering, part of the Joined up Business vision,aims to prepare and equip local government in the use of ICT to enable and capitalise on the positive potential flexible working can provide. With Joined up People, O2 now provides organisations with the infrastructure, consulting and services to enable all types of workforces to increase productivity, reduce costs and maximize

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competitiveness through flexible working.

Neil Prior, Head of Local Government Futures Forum, explains: “Joined Up People is about building on the mobile heritage that O2 has, and adding more relevance to our customers. Flexible working can really help local authorities, allowing part time and mobile workforces to be more productive, as well as delivering efficiency savings, our own experiences are enabling employees to achieve a better worklife balance.”

FUTURES FORUM In order to make it work, a fundamental shift in attitudes is required, and the working practices needed to support it.

Last year, O2’s Local Government Futures Forum carried out focus groups with local authorities across the UK. It racked up nearly

500 hours insight, from over 150 senior local government leaders and professionals, understanding aspirations for IT to deliver better services and enable transformation.

Prior talks about how the research came about, and some of its conclusions: “By starting with the insight, you can then work out what the questions, and indeed some of the answers, are.

“The research concluded that IT departments have to take centre stage in this transformation. They have to become centres of excellence within their organisation.”

ICT can really evolve local government into the 21st century making them more agile and focused. The Futures Forum research uncovered the extent of flexible working practices currently in use. Prior states: “ We have learned that local authorities are using flexible working practices, but not to the scale that chief executives would like to see.”

“There is a desire to roll these out organisation-wide, but the reality is that it they only exist in small pockets.

Individual departments have tended to do their own thing, in many cases independent of the IT function.”

Another obstacle to overcome in

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

adopting flexible working practices is an underlying mistrust and fear of letting people work from home, from employees at all levels. Prior points out: “There are ingrained working practices to overcome. Employees that have worked at a local authority for 25 years have always worked in a certain way and could be resistant to change. Also, with the current cutbacks, there is individual fear. People are probably thinking “What does this mean for me? Do I need to be seen to keep and protect my job?”.

The focus on flexible working raises wider questions for local government and how ICT can not only transform systems and process but also radically change the role inside the organisation and the way it is used by its customers. An example of how O2’s engagement with local government that goes far beyond technology is in its consultancy work with a Borough Council’s IT management team. It has been appointed to help them develop a more effective voice internally.

Prior explains: “In this instance, it isn’t about mobile phones, or broadband. It’s about turning functional managers into business leaders.”

LEADERSHIP According to Prior, this comes down to viewing areas like flexible working through new eyes: “New leadership principles should be about empowering people to do their work, and not having to see them physically to know they are doing a good job.

Measuring performance is one key to this.”

Prior, who is a homeworker himself, spends approximately two days a week at the HQ in Slough. His role is based on meeting a number of Key Performance Indicators.

work/life balance had been achieved” As for efficiencies, the benefits of a flexible working strategy are more easily quantified. Prior states: “We have essentially taken three offices at Slough, reducing desk space by 550 desks, and reducing costs by £3m a year. We have devised that an average team of eight people can save £30,000 per year, just by using things like group conference, Office Communicator (desktop sharing software). These savings are coming from travel, sustenance etc.”

SERVICE EXPERIENCE Experience sharing and consultation is key to O2’s approach in helping local government improve customer service. It runs a series of meet the expert events, where local government directors and heads of service get the opportunity to discuss how O2’s own world-class customer service experiences could be applied the local government sector.

Social networking is just one example of where local government could learn from O2’s approach. As an organisation, O2 offers customer support through its social media channels and is encouraging councils to learn from its experiences.

Prior elaborates: “It’s great that councils are developing a social media presence through Twitter and Facebook, but interaction with customers is a two way street. It’s important that councils learn what is being said about them. Are customers complaining about the service they receive?

“If someone says, on Twitter, for instance, “I can’t get my iPhone to work”, or “there’s no coverage”, we are able to respond - “Have you contacted x?” or “Have you checked the coverage maps?”.

By giving people the tools they need to work flexibly or remotely, you give them the opportunity to create a better work life balance. Our mobile and flexible workers report mentioned that a 100 per cent better work/life balance had been achieved.

He says: “I’m clear in what my role is, I’m clear in how I report back, and crucially, I am trusted to get on and do the job.”

It is widely recognised that when an employee achieves a work-life balance that suits them, they work more efficiently, become more committed to their organisation and are less likely to fall ill as a result of stress.

Prior makes the point: “By giving people the tools they need to work flexibly or remotely, you give them the opportunity to create a better work life balance.

Our mobile and flexible workers report mentioned that a 100 per cent better

Another example of collaboration and knowledge sharing is the Enterprise Leaders Programme (ELP), which aligns local government directors with the top 50 leaders within O2 in order to discuss key challenges.

Prior explains how this works with another Borough Council: “The assistant chief executive, is leading the council’s transformation programme. His goal is to build a world class organisation. We have aligned him with Ben Dowd, our business director, who himself has vast experience in building a world class sales organisation.”

“They have the opportunity to network

Neil Prior

at C level and he will get access to some thinking and new ideas that he might not have had previously. The challenges that local government are facing are highlighted to Ben, so its a two-way process.”

This two-way process is outlined by the fact that O2now has representation on another Council’s Forward Board - a monthly meeting that comprises senior people from the council, fire service, NHS and other local stakeholders about contributing towards the regions long term strategy.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IT VISION O2’s relationship with local government is based on sharing expertise in order to bring value. Prior states: “We are really starting to understand what the vision for ICT in local government is. We are trying to provide flexible partnerships that are not necessarily based on the way it’s always been, ie big outsourced contracts.”

Although outsourcing is seen by some as the quick way to achieve efficiencies, recent IT project failures have made some local authoritiesskeptical about long term contracts where savings are delivered in the first year, and incrementally, the service charges increase.

Prior was quick to point out O2’s thinking. “ We are looking at a fresh model for ICT that is co-designed and co-produced as a partnership. Of course, we can provide outsourcing services, and that’s now part of O2’s business, but our Local Government Futures Forum is all about co-design and co-production. It’s about working with local government to make sure they get the flexibility they want with solutions that are relevant, and designed with them in mind.”

He concluded: “This is a big year. We have a large network now in local government. We are known as an organisation that cares about local government, and it is a priority for us.” L

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SERVICE DESK & IT SUPPORT SHOW

Getting to grips with support

Government Technology

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

This year’s Service Desk & IT Support Show on 24th & 25th April will feature the industry’s leading suppliers demonstrating over 250 products. The event enables visitors to get to grips with the latest technology, meet with suppliers and benchmark and acquire new services to revolutionise your business, plus network – all under one roof.

Organiser Diversified Business Communications has announced some exciting new additions to its exhibitor list. xMatters – a market leader in IT alerting and mobility apps, specialist IT consultancy Epaccsys, IT managed services supplier Selection, independent training provider EXIN, Munich-based technology company Celonis, leading software developer panintelligence, award-winning IT managed services software specialists GFI MAX, and The Open University are just a few of the latest companies to have confirmed their presence.

Featuring the ITSM industry’s leading specialist vendors, integrators, consultancies and service providers demonstrating the latest products and services, SDITS is the UK’s leading IT Service Management and IT support event. For 2012, the event’s focus remains firmly one of promoting the

Conference highlights include the unveiling of an exclusive, new industry white paper – ‘Empowering people on the move: how embracing mobile can help transform the delivery of business services’ integral role that ITSM plays in enabling employees within every organisation – whatever their role – to work efficiently and effectively. Whilst this is concept is hardly new to the ITSM community, the rapid growth of user-owned devices now operating in the workplace, coupled with revolutionary emerging mobile technologies, are reshaping core functions at the heart of the IT service management industry.

FIRST TIMERS The event’s breadth of appeal is demonstrated by the incredible range of first-time exhibitors, which will be christening their debut at the show with a host of new launches. These include N-able Technologies – showcasing its latest release of N-central (a remote monitoring and management automation platform); SimpliSys – introducing its new Citrus Service Desk service management E

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SERVICE DESK & IT SUPPORT SHOW E software application, which has been designed using input from real end users and developed by an ITIL trained team; cloud based software provider ISL Online – demonstrating its enhanced online collaboration tools, which now include remote desktops for Apple and Android mobile devices plus live online video recording on its web conferencing software; and VirtuaCon – launching Sysmosis - its reactive software for proactive support onto the European market that enables users to manage, configure, fix and control remote Windows devices.

NEW KEYNOTE THEATRE The Service Desk & IT Support Show 2012 debuts a new Keynote Theatre, in association with Ovum. Taking place upstairs in the comfortable surroundings of the Conference Centre, the theatre will play host to an exciting series of keynote addresses and panel discussions across the two days.

Conference highlights include the unveiling of an exclusive, new industry white paper – ‘Empowering people on the move: how embracing mobile can help transform the delivery of business services’ – at the first of the show’s two early morning executive ‘Breakfast Briefings’ (sponsored by The Service Desk Institute and Cherwell Software), in the Keynote Theatre at 8.30am on Tuesday, 24 April. Faced with the increasing trend of individuals using their own mobile devices in the workplace, the session will offer practical advice on implementing support and protecting corporate applications and data, and explore how mobile can drive business forward. Alternatively, early risers attending day two of the show will find Wednesday’s Breakfast Briefing (sponsored

papers being authored in association with Servicedesk360.com. Each worth £250, the papers will be previewed on the website preshow and will be available to collect from the Keynote Theatre and from the Ovum stand.

ESSENTIAL EDUCATION 40 seminars, in-depth roundtable discussions, breakfast briefings and essential keynotes complete this year’s unmissable education programme.

The importance of maintaining and improving good customer service practices has always been a hotly discussed topic at the show. This year is no different, with Nick Woodruff, problem manager from AVIVA IT Operations, Howard Kendall, founding director and chairman of The Service Desk Institute (SDI), and IT service management best practices specialist Jo Johns, each bringing their own perspective to the fore in three unmissable sessions – ‘Using problem management to improve IT services’ (11.40am, 24 April), The SDI fitness workout – will your IT service be fit for 2015’ (11.10am, 25 April), and ‘Who’s going to keep you employed?’ (10.30am, 25 April) respectively.

This year’s seminar agenda is hosted across three dedicated, increased-capacity theatres, sponsored by Serena Software.

Topics include Service Catalogue, Lean IT, ITIL 2011, Metrics, SaaS, the impact of emerging technologies, shared services, managing and motivating staff, plus many more.

For those wanting a more interactive experience, the Hot Topic Roundtable Discussions, sponsored by TechExcel, will give the opportunity to share successes and failures with like-minded visitors.

These small group discussions are lead by

or those wanting a more interactive experience, the Hot Topic Roundtable discussions, sponsored

by TechExcel, will give the opportunity to share successes and failures with like-minded visitors.

by FrontRange Solutions) shifts the spotlight to optimising the end-to-end service delivery process in ‘Stop thinking like an IT Department: Start delivering services like a business’ (starting at 8.30am).

Later on in the day the Keynote Theatre will offer a strategic outlook on current developments from key industry players, including sessions by Richard Edwards and Roy Illsley – both principal analysts at Ovum, Jennifer Macniven, and Noel Bruton, plus two engaging panel discussions – ‘The great SaaS debate – SaaS, On-Premise or Hybrid: What’s right for your service desk?’ (1.30pm, 24 April) and ‘ITIL 2011: How to really make it work for your organisation’ (1.30pm, 25 April).

Further insight from Ovum’s team of analysts will be available in four Ovum taster

professional facilitators ensuring whatever your objective you’ll leave with practical solutions and ideas to put into practice.

ITSMF UK AND SDI itSMF will be running the official show bookshop on stand 826 where all titles will be offered at discounts of at least 20%. They will be stocking a broad range of publications for ITSM and service desk professionals, including the latest ITIL 2011 and ISO/IEC 20000 titles along with numerous books on IT management, project management, cloud computing, social media and more.

They will also be leading a number of seminars at the show – on Tuesday 24th, join the debate as they discuss the relevance of ITIL and on Wednesday 25th find out

Show Highlights Exhibition

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Explore over 250 products and services from leading industry suppliers

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how to successfully demonstrate the cost of delivering your IT services to ensure you prove the value of what you do.

The Service Desk Institute will be using the Service Desk & IT Support Show to help service desks become the best they can be.

With signs of radical change in the future they will be giving organisations a route map to a permanent state of transformation.

Attendees can visit SDI Knowledge Centre to learn everything they need to know to become a 5* service desk in 2012 – from leadership and culture to performance, results and customer engagement. SDI will be helping visitors embark on their own service improvement journey with a range of presentations over the two days, free reports and a conference survival kit for the first 200 visitors each day. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.servicedeskshow.com

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YOU SPEND TOO MUCH ON SOFTWARE. IT’S A FACT. Most organizations over-spend on software by around 20%. They buy too much, purchase through the wrong agreements, fail to re-harvest existing licenses and that's without even considering the cost of compliance issues.

License Manager from License Dashboard is the key to reducing software spend and risk simultaneously. Track all software installations and license entitlements in a single interface, and create Effective Licensing Position (ELP) statements on-demand.

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Š Copyright 2012 License Dashboard Limited. License Dashboard Limited - Blenheim House - York Road - Pocklington - York - YO42 1NS - UK t: +44 845 265 1217 (UK/International) - t: 1-855-773-3404 (US & Canada) e: info@licensedashboard.com - w: www.licensedashboard.com License Dashboard Limited is a trading subsidiary of the Blenheim Group. License Dashboard Limited is a company registered in England and Wales, with company number 06599902 and VAT number GB 755 3490 15.

SOFTWARE LICENSING

KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR SOFTWARE LICENSING

Software Licensing

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Last year license management and software asset management solutions developer License Dashboard presented the Cabinet Office with a proposal to save £50 million across UK Government through better software management. It’s an impressive figure, but what’s behind it and how can organisations in the public sector really make substantial savings on their software expenditure?

Public sector organisations are rightly concerned with the issue of software license compliance – ensuring that the organisation is not using more software than it is legally entitled to. It goes without saying that government bodies are expected to lead the way in practising good IT governance and meeting legal obligations surrounding software installations and licensing.

But focusing purely on compliance risks not addressing several areas of proactive license management where money can actually be saved, thus helping organisations achieve targeted budget cuts or freeing up funds to be invested in other projects.

So where do these savings come from?

According to research conducted by License Dashboard (which has conducted hundreds of software license reviews), the average organisation typically overspends on software by 20 per cent each year. This overspend is a result of a variety of missed opportunities, including failing to re-harvest unused applications on the network; buying outside of best-deal volume licensing agreements, unauthorised purchasing outside of central procurement, failing to review support agreements prior to renewal.

BIG SAVINGS Analyst firms agree: Gartner states that an organisation investing in an IT Asset Management system (of which software license management is a critical component) can expect to save up to 35 per cent of its overall IT spend in the first 12 months.

In terms of proactive license management, the main cause for the failures outlined above is simple: lack of visibility. If you don’t know there are applications sat on PCs but not being used; how can you reclaim them?

If you don’t know what volume licensing agreements are in place or on offer, how can you take advantage of them? If you don’t know what your current usage of a particular application is, how can you be sure next year’s support and maintenance contract is accurate? You get the picture.

Answering the questions above requires the combination of two data sets. First is an accurate inventory of all the software in use across the network. There is no shortage of inventory (sometimes called ‘discovery’)

solutions on the market, but some are better than others. Ideally, an inventory solution should be capable of monitoring software usage as well as installation information, as the usage information can be put to good use when it comes to re-harvesting licenses or identifying where applications should be uninstalled. It is not uncommon to need more than one inventory solution – using one solution for the Windows estate and another specialist tool for other platforms or to track high-value complex environments, such as Oracle and IBM. The second data set is a comprehensive and accurate repository of all the software licenses held by the organisation. Ideally, this should not be a ‘dumb’ database, but an intelligent license management application

TIP OF THE ICEBERG Creating an ELP is vital; but for organisations that really want to reap the benefits of full Software Asset Management (SAM), it’s the first step.

In any organisation, there is typically a disconnect between those that want access to software, those that control the deployment of applications, and those that procure/pay for software licenses.

This inevitably leads to cost-inefficiencies and over-spend, as departments fail to redeploy the software entitlements they already have, to substantiate a legitimate need for the software being requested and getting the best price once it has actually been decided that a new software license is indeed required.

Creating an Effective Licensing Platform is vital; but for organisations that really want to reap the benefits of full Software Asset Management, it’s the first step. that supports all different license metrics, automatically validates licenses against a catalogue of vendor products, automatically applies upgrade and downgrade rights, and more. Solutions like License Manager 5 from License Dashboard are designed to automate up to 80 per cent of license management tasks, not only dramatically speeding up the process but also minimising the risks of human error while simultaneously optimising the value of each and every license.

These two data sets then need to be reconciled to establish an Effective Licensing Position (ELP), which shows exactly where the organisation has risk (i.e. might be underlicensed) and where it has opportunities to save money as outlined in the examples above. Normally this kind of number-crunching might take a skilled license auditor days or weeks to achieve. With solutions like License Manager 5 from License Dashboard, this can be done in a matter of hours, reducing the cost of creating the ELP and further increasing the return on investment realised through better software license management.

To address these issues, License Dashboard created SAM Portal, a new concept that gives all the stakeholders involved in managing the software lifecycle a single platform to work from.

Users can request software deployments, software managers can approve or deny the requests, desktop support can initiate the deployment of applications and procurement can be sure that they are not buying new software licenses when existing ones can be re-harvested.

Analysts Gartner suggests that the majority of organisations are over-subscribed on as much as 60 per cent of their software portfolio. Add to that the McKinsey research that states that organisations now spend over 30 per cent of their total IT budget on software and it’s not difficult to see where the License Dashboard proposed saving of £50m for improved license management comes from. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.licensedashboard.com

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NEW POSSIBILITIES. SIMPLIFIED GOVERNMENT. FOUND IN THE CLOUD. Government leaders, just like enterprise CIOs, know that when it comes to running organisations, driving efficiencies and performance gains is easier in the cloud. With the right platform for cloud-based applications, you’re more agile, you gain more control over capital and operating costs, and you can do more with less. A recognised leader with expertise across the cloud continuum, we offer solutions to meet your exact requirements—whether that’s a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment. Learn more at verizon.com/enterprise/uk ©2012 Verizon. All Rights Reserved.

G-CLOUD

IS THE CLOUD GETTING BIGGER OR SMALLER?

Cloud Computing

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

As Denise McDonagh takes over from Chris Chant as head of the Government’s G-Cloud programme and suppliers get ready for the second incarnation of the G-Cloud Framework, McDonagh warns business the Government isn’t going to be making any ‘big bets’ on the cloud straight away.

The month of May saw Home Office IT director Denise McDonagh take over the reins of the government’s G-Cloud programme after previous chief Chris Chant retired. McDonagh will combine the two roles, ready for the next release of the CloudStore online cloud services catalogue launched in February.

Chant has been a vocal reformer among government IT chiefs, repeatedly calling for major changes to the way the public sector purchases and manages technology.

In a valedictory blog post, he accused some government CIOs and IT suppliers of “hiding behind a comfort blanket” to avoid change.

McDonagh is seen as another of the reformers in Whitehall IT and is likely to pursue a similar drive as her predecessor. In an interview with Computer Weekly last year, she said: “We’ve got to the point where things have to change. We can’t continue to deliver IT in the way we do. I have many examples of frustrated customers, as they can’t get IT quickly enough and at a price they can afford.”

BIG SUPPLIER EXPERIENCE McDonagh has worked in government IT for over 30 years, beginning her career at one of the most junior levels to eventually take one of the top Whitehall IT roles. During the last 10 years she has been focused on dealing with big suppliers - one of her key roles was director of outsourcing at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, before moving to the Home Office.

McDonagh implemented an “extend and blend programme” in 2009 for the Home Office, which broke up supplier duplication on a number of systems management contracts within the department, including desktops, hosting, and networks. That activity rationalised and improved hosting capabilities and took out more than £100m in costs over the life of the contracts. The experience positioned the department to become one of the government’s Foundation

Delivery Partners for its G-Cloud strategy.

In her first blog post, McDonagh heaped praise on Chris Chant and his efforts to get the G-Cloud programme off the ground and raise its profile, but, despite the positive words from McDonagh, it is clear that outgoing Chant is unhappy with some issues, after he launched a scathing attack last week on the government for its “unacceptable” quality of IT in his final blog post.

Chant stated: “It’s 30 years or more since government first developed IT systems inhouse, 20 years since outsourcing became a major trend and 7 years since we should have been 100% online, or digital by default as we now say. Sure we’ve come a long way in each of those periods but, honestly, we haven’t come nearly far enough. Unacceptable IT is pervasive.

He went on: “Real progress has been

blocked by many things including an absence of capability in both departments and their suppliers, by a strong resistance to change, by the perverse incentives of contracts that mean it’s cheaper to pay service credits than to fix the problem and by an unwillingness to embrace the potential of newer and smaller players to offer status quo-busting ideas.

CIOs across government, including me in various roles at the centre of government, have been guilty for too long of taking the easy path. We have done the unacceptable and thought we were doing a great job.”

A PIELINE OF SERVICE NEEDS McDonagh has made it clear that she intends to drive forward further iterations of the G-Cloud framework, and ensure it has a flexible way to procure cloud services. She also stated that her team will be “working to E

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G-CLOUD E build a pipeline of service needs from customers across the whole of the public sector so that industry has awareness of what it is that government wants and so that government entities can see what everyone else is doing.”

FRAMEWORK CHALLENGES McDonagh also promised to work with customers and suppliers to ensure everyone gets a chance to present a view and so that she understands the opportunities and challenges the framework faces. But McDonagh also made it clear in her blog post that the government is not currently ready for the mass adoption of the cloud. This follows on from the warning in March by the CIO at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Phil Pavitt, who said that large government departments may struggle to meet targets on cloud computing.

McDonagh said: “Government isn’t immediately ready to make big bets on cloud – but it would be foolish not to make a series of investments and understand how it will all work together, and then learn the lessons to allow us to increase the investment we make.

“The overriding aim is to increase choice – for too long the public sector has been locked into suppliers and products for extended periods without having the ability to take advantage of the capabilities of new entrants to the market, people with smart ideas, products that can make things simpler and easier.”

“By increasing choice – and making it easier for government to make those choices – our aims are to reduce costs, increase the speed with which we can deliver new services, improve the services that we already offer and take advantage of new capabilities.”

McDonagh concluded: “Cloud solutions are, I am convinced, a way to offer that choice far faster than we would otherwise be able to do so. Not every question should be answered with “we need another big SI to prime our contract”.

CLOUDSTORE 1 AND 2 Back in February Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude announced the launch of CloudStore, the online appstore for cloud-based ICT services.

CloudStore offers the public sector a transparent way to procure the cloud services they need, including email, word processing, system hosting, enterprise resource planning, electronic records management, customer relationship management or office productivity applications.

It is hoped the G-Cloud framework will revolutionise the purchasing, management and delivery of public sector IT services and the way suppliers work with government.

Government bodies will be able to purchase off-the-shelf IT services from CloudStore on a pay-as-you-go basis rather than having to develop their own systems. This model means the government can use what it wants, when

Cloud solutions are, I am convinced, a way to offer that choice far faster than we would otherwise be able to do so. Not every question should be answered with ‘we need another big SI to prime our contract’ - McDonagh it wants it, and will save money by avoiding duplication of services that cannot be shared.

Maude said: “The launch of CloudStore is an important milestone. CloudStore offers public sector bodies a range of the best industry IT services and solutions off the shelf. It provides the flexibility to change service provider easily without lengthy procurement and implementation cycles or being locked in to long contracts; and the freedom to quickly adopt solutions that are better value and more up to date.

For the first tranche of the G-Cloud service catalogue, the Government received bids from nearly 300 suppliers, offering a total of around 1,700 services. Service details and pricing information are open to all on CloudStore, allowing buyers to compare services and suppliers. Contracts should be no longer than a year.

For suppliers not yet on the G-Cloud, it was planned to re-open the framework to applications at the beginning of May. However, according to McDonagh, the date for G-Cloud 2 might slip. She warned during a webcast on UKAuthority.com that while it’s due at the beginning of May, she meant that “in a civil service” way.

BIG NAMES LIKELY TO JOIN Amazon and Salesforce are likely to join the G-Cloud, according to reports on The Register website.

The duo passed on G-Cloud 1.0 over concerns about their legal obligations and responsibilities on things such as data audits. Government officials driving the programme have apparently reassured the firms’ legal departments on their obligations under the G-Cloud’s terms and conditions.

Asked whether Amazon and Salesforce will be on the next version of G-Cloud, which currently gives hefty representation to existing suppliers of government IT like Microsoft, IBM and BT who have followed these two into cloud, McDonagh stopped short of saying she’d be disappointed if they didn’t sign up, but continued: “I fully expect them to be on G-Cloud 2.”

Commenting on the reason they opted not to join up in February, she said: “There were some challenges. There was some language that gave their legal people a headache on the right to audit data. Since then we have spoken to the people at Amazon and Salesforce to explain the practicalities... therefore they are much more at ease with what we are asking them to do.”

Cloud Computing

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Amazon and Salesforce are pioneers in cloud computing. Amazon EC2 and S3 deliver hosted computing and storage, and since late 2006, Amazon has become the leader, with rapid expansion in the last 12 months.

Salesforce began in 1999 with a simple hosted customer relationship management (CRM) service. Through a combination of marketing, strategic development and acquisition, the company now counts among its offerings: a database-as-aservice, hosted websites, Amazon-style application hosting and crowd-sourcing and social networking apps for mobile and other devices. These are used by Dell, Starbucks and many other big businesses.

DEDICATED DATA HOSTING Both companies have created dedicated practices for the hosting of US government data and apps. This has come about because US government rules set a high bar on the physical location of servers hosting the nation’s official data, and on who is allowed to come into contact with it.

The UK policy is different and has an escalating level of rules based on sensitivity of the data and whether it falls under European data privacy rules or national law.

McDonagh believes the need to clarify the language of G-Cloud was among the lessons the government has learned building the next iteration of G-Cloud and CloudStore. It had been necessary to simplify the wording and to reduce the number of acronyms to attract new suppliers and to explain the services, and to also cut the T&Cs from hundreds of pages to just 20.

Google, another huge name synonymous with cloud, had no difficulty with the language of G-Cloud. As McDonagh pointed out, Google is already listed on the G-Cloud CloudStore, right along with Microsoft and the others. Five of Google’s products, APIs and services are listed including Apps for Business that feature Gmail and calendar, Maps API Premier, and Chrome OS. Like so many vendors’ services on G-Cloud, these are waiting to be “assured” while Google has not bothered to provide descriptions of what they actually are or do in all cases.

The government also plans more ‘buycamps’ to explain G-Cloud and CloudStore to its people and try to shift the culture of civil service IT procurement. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk

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IT SECURITY

GANGING UP ON CYBER TERRORISM

Infosecurity Europe

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

The thirst for new and innovative solutions to combat IT security threats will be quenched at this years Infosecurity Europe, when more than 12,500 information security professionals and 300 international solution providers come together over three days at London’s Earls Court, April 24th -26th It looks to be a challenging year for the IT security industry. The proposed new European Union (EU) data privacy laws include a common set of privacy standards to be applied to organisations across the entire EU for the first time. With potential fines of two percent of revenue for a data breach, the impact on organisations that fail to comply will be significant.

With Europe still in recession, IT departments are under increasing pressure to deliver more with less. However, it appears that for cyber criminals business is still booming – and the rate at which it is growing is alarming. Costing the UK economy billions every year and with no sign of this cost decreasing, the fear of cyber criminals is one that makes everyone take note.

TECH SAVVY The way people work is changing. There is more collaboration amongst organisations and the general workforce is tech savvy with the consumerisation of IT. Virtualisation and mobile working are increasingly the norm with virtualisation increasing the enterprises’ ability to scale and manage resources, and the introduction of phones that have the processing power of a desktop PC with all their attendant problems. Cloud based applications and internet accessibility mean business is no longer confined to within four walls. However, this is not all good news, as the criminal and terrorist communities are also taking advantage of these new technologies.

The outsider threat has always been a big worry for organisations; more recently the industry has seen a disturbing rise in the number of inside hacks. This poses the question – does crime increase in a recession? Are some of us more likely to become cyber criminals since we think we are ‘anonymous’ and the rewards seem worth the risk? Combine the insider threat with the reality that cyber criminals are increasingly organised and we’ve got a recipe for disaster.

For those IT professionals charged with securing their organisations there is a tough battle ahead, and they need to act fast to tackle the threat. A visit to Infosecurity Europe will give those securing their organisations the opportunity to find out how to defend against the latest threats, the newest technology

The Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame 2012 will also take place on day two, as internationally recognised inductees will be sharing their expertise on the history of computing and information security. being wielded by the criminals and an insight into how companies can comply with legal requirements and best practice. Along with hundreds of exhibitors showcasing innovative products and services in the ever-changing IT security arena, there will be a wealth of educational as well as informative sessions all of which are entirely free of charge. If you’ve got an infosecurity problem, you’ll find the solution at Infosecurity Europe.

EXPERT SPEAKERS Central to this will be a programme of expert speakers in the Keynote Theatre, supplemented by parallel sessions in the Business Strategy Theatre and the Technical Theatre. This year’s Keynote Theatre will be alive with end users experiences of the security issues, the pressures faced and the solutions deployed in an increasingly mobile and global working environment. Presentations can be heard E

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IT SECURITY E on how to deal with the headache of rogue employees, cybercriminals and hacktivists. Leading experts will be on hand to give their analysis, strategic advice and predictions. The agenda will cover the key challenges facing the public sector, including the triumvirate of; security governance, risk and compliance, including - The Rising Role of the CISO, AET & APT: Is it Really the Next Generation of Attack, The Insider Threat, Cloud Based Solutions, Smart Devices, Payment Security, Hacktivism, Cyber Criminal Gangs and The Dark Side of Social Networks.

The first day will kick off with a keynote address from Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission and the Digital Agenda Commissioner. This will be followed by the Security Governance Keynote, which will look at the relevance of the role of the CISO, how it is evolving in 2012 and what priorities they should be enacting. Daya Prakash, CIO of LG Electronics and Phil Cracknell, director at Yell Group, will present the session.

THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS Can there ever be such a thing as a trusted third party provider? Third Party Providers by their very nature are a risk, but how can these risks be outsourced without bankrupting the business? Tracy Andrew, information security and compliance officer at Field Fisher Waterhouse will examine the risks and what organisations can do to manage them.

The keynotes create an exciting meeting of minds, with a host of business leaders, end-users and international policy makers strutting the boards and providing their experience to help visitors gain invaluable insights into security strategies for 2012.

These include over 100 senior officials such as Chris Swan, CTO Security at UBS; Boris Goncharov, CISO at G4S Secure Solutions; Jon Donaldson, head of security operations & compliance of Visa Europe; Matt Palmer, group information security officer at Skipton Building Society and Sean Quinn, head of UK IT security at BNP Paribas Securities Services.

The Business Strategy Theatre will focus on the challenges and issues facing management, CEOs and other board level directors. Sponsored by Deloitte, there will be seminars from Barclays on understanding and addressing data governance in large scale enterprises from Paul Clarke, head of strategy at Barclays Global and Dietrich Benjes, UK & Ireland country manager at Varonis.

The Technical Theatre, sponsored by SecurEnvoy, covers information security issues and technical advances. Security in a Virtualised Environment: An ethical hacker’s view will be presented by Peter Wood, CEO of First Base Technologies and London Chapter ISACA Security Advisory Group. Seminars on cyber criminal gangs, the dark side of social networks, how Oxford University Press eliminates malware threats will also feature in the Technical Theatre. Philip Lieberman, President and CEO of Lieberman Software E

Can there ever be such a thing as a trusted third party provider? Third Party Providers by their very nature are a risk, but how can these risks be outsourced without bankrupting the business?

Infosecurity Europe

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Keynote Theatre - Tuesday 24 April 10:00 - 10:15

Keynote video address Ms. Neelie Kroes, Vice President Of The European Commission & European Digital Agenda Commissioner, European Commission

10:30 - 11:30

SECURITY GOVERNANCE I: The Rising Role Of The CISO Bob Tarzey, Analyst & Director, Quocirca Daya Prakash, CIO, LG Electronics Phil Cracknell, Head of Global Security & Compliance, Yell Group

11:50 - 12:05

Keynote Address Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities & Science

12:05 - 13:00

The 2012 Cyber Security Breaches Survey official launch

13:15 - 14:15

SECURITY GOVERNANCE II: Can there ever be such a thing as a ‘Trusted’ third party provider?

Andrew Rose, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research James McKinlay, Group IS Security & Audit Manager, Manchester Airport Group Tracy Andrew, Information Security & Compliance Officer, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP

14:30 - 15:30

RISK: Defining ‘Risk Management’ & what it means in the context of Information Security Boris Goncharov, Chief Information Security Officer, G4S Secure Solutions Matt Palmer, Group Information Security Officer, Skipton Building Society Matthew Lord, Chief Information Security Officer - UK, Steria UK

16:00 - 17:00

COMPLIANCE: The 10 key steps for any organisation to be compliant Graham Edwards, Head of Group Information Risk, Centrica plc Tim Wilson, Associate Dir. Information Communication Tech, NHS City and Hackney

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3 Lower costs and business disruption by reducing time spent travelling 3 Enable staff to work from home, the office and to connect with mobile or remote employees 3 Help the environment by reducing travel CO2 emissions 3 Increased productivity by achieving more in less time 3 Gain competitive advantage through improved decision making and speed-to-market 3 Rapid and measurable return on investment 3 Interactive distance training and teaching 3 Offer a range of products to suit various budgets and organisation sizes

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IT SECURITY E Corporation, will present a thoughtprovoking session entitled ‘Five security secrets your IT Administrators don’t want you to know’.

Making its first apperance for this year, the New Exhibitor Zone is designed to showcase the latest products and services in the ever-changing IT security arena, and promises a wealth of informative, educational sessions, all of which are entirely free of charge to attend.

Most security professionals just don’t have the time or budget to obtain the education they want, which is why Infosecurity Europe has established a reputation for offering an effective - and free - IT security education programme. It uses inspirational people from the world of information security who cover the important issues, with content created each year based on the latest research with business end-users. The 2012 programme covers a huge range of topics.

HALL OF FAME The Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame 2012 will also take place on day two, as internationally recognised inductees will be sharing their expertise on the history of computing and information security. The speakers on the Hall of Fame are voted for by the IT security industry, and must have provided intellectual or practical input that has shifted the advancement of information technology, and must also be a leader in information technology.

There are three inductees into the 2012 Hall of Fame. Raj Samani is cureently VP, chief technical officer for McAfee EMEA, having previously worked as the chief information security officer for a large public sector organisation in the UK. Raj volunteers as the Cloud Security Alliance EMEA Strategy Advisor, is on the advisory councils for Infosecurity Europe, and Infosecurity Magazine. In addition, Raj was previously the vice president for communications in the ISSA UK Chapter, having presided over the award for Chapter communications programme of the years 2008 and 2009. He has had numerous security papers published, and appeared on television (ITV and More4), as well as providing assistance in the 2006 RSA Wireless Security Survey and part of the consultation committee for the RIPA Bill (Part 3).

He can be found on twitter @Raj_Samani John Colley, CISSP, is the managing director for EMEA & co-chair of the European Advisory Board for (ISC)2, a non-profit professional consortium which has certified about 80,000 members worldwide. He was one of the first non-US professionals to sit on the (ISC)2 Board of Directors where he served for eight years including two as chairman. John has 20 years experience in information security.

He has formerly held posts as head of risk services at Barclays Group, group head of information security (CISO) at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and director of information

Keynote Theatre - Wednesday 25 April 10:00 - 11:00

The Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame 2012 Colonel (Ret’d) John Doody, Director, Interlocutor Services Limited John Colley, Managing Director EMEA, (ISC)2 Raj Samani, McAfee VP CTO EMEA, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Neira Jones, Head of Payment Security, Barclaycard

11:15 - 12:15

Security v. Corporate Comms: How do you make a social media strategy work?

Graham McKay, Chief Information Security Officer, D C Thomson & Co Ltd. Marcus Alldrick, CISO, Lloyd’s Sean Quinn, Head of UK IT Security, BNP Paribas Securities Services

12:30 - 13:30

BYO Policies - Just who’s in control?

Chris Swan, CTO Security, UBS John Stubley, PSN Cyber Programme Director, Cabinet Office Nick McQuire, Research Director, Mobile Enterprise Strategies EMEA, IDC Vlatka Toukalek, Head of IT Infrastructure & Support Services, World Meteorological Organisation

13:45 - 14:45

Smart Devices - Are we providing smart enough security?

Nigel Stanley, Practice Leader Security, Bloor Research Paul Hyland, Group Information Security Officer, Ardagh Group Robert Cockerill, IT Manager, Thames River Capital LLP Tony Doyle, Head of ICT Services, Blackpool Council

15:00 - 16:00

Keynote address Christopher Graham, UK Information Commissioner

Infosecurity Europe

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Thursday 26 April 10:00 - 11:00

AET & APT: Is it really the next generation of attack?

Andrew Kellett, Ovum, Senior Analyst Jon Donaldson, Head of Security Operations & Compliance, Visa Europe Michael Juvin, Group Information Security Officer, LaFarge Spencer Mott, CISO - Security & Risk Management, Electronic Arts

11:15 - 12:15

Hactivism: Making things personal John Kindervag, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research

12:30 - 13:30

Insider Threat - How much can you really trust your workforce?

Ionut Ionescu, Head of Threat Management, Group Security, Betfair James McKinlay, Group IS Security & Audit Manager, Manchester Airport Group Julian Jeffrey, Head of Policy & Corporate Reporting - Fraud & Security, Telefonica UK

13:45 - 14:45

Cloud-Based Solutions - Do you really know what you have signed up to?

Des Ward , President,, Cloud Security Alliance - UK & Ireland Chapter Mark Adams-Wright, CIO, Suffolk County Council

security at Atomic Tangerine. John is a member of the ISSA UK chapter advisory board, sits on the Infosecurity magazine editorial advisory board, and is chairman of the UK Government Information Assurance Professional Bodies Advisory Group.

John Doody is director of Interlocutor Services, a company established in 2003 to promote Information Assurance and Cyber Security issues both nationally and internationally. Prior to this, John served at CESG/GCHQ for 10 years in the appointment of Head of Information Assurance Customer Services. In this appointment he was a major contributor to CESG’s move to a commercial business footing and promoted a strong external customer relationship and marketing effort. He holds the unique role

of having been an Information Assurance Customer (MOD), a member of the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance (CESG) and now a supplier of cyber and information assurance services.

Rounding off the list of attractions at the event will be the launch of the 2012 Cyber Security Breaches Survey, details of which will be revealed on the first day of the show at 12.05pm. L FURTHER INFORMATION Infosecurity Europe runs from the 24th – 26th April 2012, at Earls Court, London. For a complete seminar and workshop programme and to register to attend the event free of charge, visit www.infosec.co.uk

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Is your most valuable asset going to waste?

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DATA SOLUTIONS

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF DATA DESTRUCTION Russell Harris, chairman of the Information Destruction Section of the British Security Industry Association, explains how simple improvements to data destruction can make all the difference With the public sector facing the deepest budget cuts in 25 years, security is often one area of expenditure where organisations look to make immediate savings. However, with large quantities of personal data to protect and the information commissioner imposing increasing fines for data loss, information security is one area where local government can’t afford to cut back.

Generally speaking, public sector organisations hold large quantities of confidential data, making them vulnerable to data breaches. By taking simple steps internally, organisations can reduce the risk of data breaches occurring. Measures include ensuring all unwanted documents, CDs and DVDs are being properly shredded, wiping clean the information held on old computers

before disposing of them and regularly changing network as well as PC passwords.

However, leaving shredding to individuals can compromise security as the document is not always thoroughly destroyed and can often be pieced together. Therefore, employing a professional data destruction company will ensure legal compliance and the highest standard of service, giving organisations the peace of mind that the interests of their clients, staff or patients are protected.

PUBLIC SECTOR FRAUD Identify fraud is an issue that has become increasingly prevalent in recent years and can have a huge effect on businesses. The volume of crime that occurs in this way is unknown,

Employing a professional data destruction company will ensure legal compliance and the highest standard of service, giving organisations the peace of mind that the interests of their clients, staff or patients are protected.

Data Solutions

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

although by some estimates up to 99 per cent of fraud in the public sector goes undetected and the same may be true of offences resulting from the improper disposal of data.

If confidential information is stolen from a business, the personal details of customers and suppliers can also be put at risk.

Furthermore, businesses are running the risk of significant losses, not to mention the loss of reputation and client confidence if they are not taking preventative measures to protect their business’ confidential information during the disposal process.

Almost any kind of personal information is valuable to criminals whether it be residents’ records, financial reports, payroll information and personnel data. The unlawful use of such information has contributed to an explosion of identity theft crimes, which allows criminals to obtain goods, credit or services in someone else’s name. Offenders target both public and private sector providers, including the use of stolen identities to fraudulently obtain prescription medicines and state benefits.

INFORMATION SECURITY AND THE LAW The law, under the Data Protection Act, imposes legal obligations on any organisation that processes personal information, whether this relates to employees, customers or members of the public. The Data Protection Act essentially does two things. It tells organisations what types of information they may hold and how it must be safeguarded.

It does this through key principles for data protection, including the need for data to be processed and kept securely. The data must be accurate, updated where necessary and kept no longer than needed. These principles also include the use of effective means to prevent misuse by destroying personal information at the point of disposal.

Many infringements of the Act relate to the way in which data is disposed. The problem can only be overcome by treating all personal information in the same way as sensitive financial or medical records, by employing a professional information destruction service. Despite the stark realities behind identify theft and misuse of information, only a small fraction of the annual tonnage of paper waste and data processing products such as hard drives, CDs, memory sticks and DVDs, is destroyed by professional information destruction companies. By far the majority of such material continues to be disposed of via municipal refuse collection or waste paper reprocessing.

FINES The law governing the destruction of confidential information is becoming tougher.

Changes to the law in 2010 gave additional enforcement powers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which can now issue penalty fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of the Data Protection Act, meaning that all organisations in E

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BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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70% of Public Sector organisations have social media as part of their Communication Strategy BUT Do you have it as part of your IT Strategy?

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With the help of Sunrise Software’s web based Service Management platform, we can provide you with the tools to log feedback, complaints & support calls to your Service Desks, in a more efficient way, saving on your administration costs, whilst improving overall customer satisfaction by integrating the use of Social Media as a valid communication tool for both internal and external customers.

To learn more please visit www.sunrisesoftware.co.uk email enquiries@sunrisesoftware.co.uk or call us on 020 8391 9000 *Statistics provided by Public Sector Digital Communications and Social Media Survey by Madeleine Sugden on behalf of Goss Interactive. November 2011.

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DATA SOLUTIONS

Data Solutions

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

vetting of all staff members, and the security of collection vehicles and on-site data destruction vehicles and machinery.

E both public and private sectors should be looking towards the services of a professional information destruction company more often to avoid such incidents.

The law sets clear rules for the destruction of personal information, and there are hefty fines in place for companies in breach of these rules. In January this year, the Information Commissioner’s Office released a warning to local councils, confirming that councillors who handle personal data must check whether they need to register as a data controller or risk a fine of up to £5,000. Following this warning, the ICO wrote to councillors across the country to urge them to check if they are fulfilling their legal requirements under the Data Protection Act. Over 6,000 councillors are currently registered with the ICO, but a further 13,000 are potentially not fulfilling their obligations.

THE RISKS OF POOR DATA MANAGEMENT In recent years, financial institutions in particular have been criticised for the careless way in which they were disposing of sensitive personal information, but such criticism has also extended to public sector organisations, including those dealing with health, child welfare and pensions.

This type of data breach can not only have a negative impact on consumer confidence, but also have serious financial implications. Each individual record lost cost UK organisations an average of £64 in 2009, according to the third annual UK study sponsored by data protection firm PGP Corporation. According to an annual study by the Ponemon Institute, the cost of UK data breaches increased by 7 per cent between 2008 and 2009, and has risen by a staggering 36 per cent in the past two years. Furthermore, an experiment carried out by IT consultancy Navigant Consulting revealed that secondhand PCs contain enough personal data to be a security threat to the previous owner.

Data found on second-hand PCs included names, addresses and photos, staff budgets and payroll schedules including names and salary details, bank account standing order payments and receipts. Consumers, as well as businesses, face hefty financial consequences when their personal data security is breached, each facing the expensive and time-consuming process of safeguarding or restoring their finances and credit ratings.

It has also been known for fraud to be committed as an inside job by staff or ex-employee, so confidential waste must therefore be placed in a lockable bin with a paper slot or a tamper-proof coded sack.

An information destruction supplier should be able to provide sacks that cannot be tampered with and bins to match your office furniture that can only be accessed by key.

To provide further protection, each collection and sack should contain a unique code so that customers can access a full audit trail of their paper once it has left the building.

THE ROLE OF EUROPEAN STANDARDS To avoid making such costly mistakes, public sector organisations should choose a trusted information destruction supplier who will dispose of their data correctly and in accordance with current laws. Compliance to European standards such as EN15713 is a basic thing to look for in prospective information destruction providers. Only by using an information destruction company that complies to EN15713 will customers be able to rest assured that their confidential material is in safe hands. The BSIA was at the forefront of developing this standard, and BSIA members were among the first to work to it.

The EN15713 standard requires that each material is destroyed to specific shred sizes, that providers should install a monitored intruder alarm and CCTV systems to protect the data while on their premises, security

A NEW ERA OF DATA DESTRUCTION When selecting a data destruction provider, procurers should also ensure that suppliers have procedures in place to safeguard data throughout its whole life cycle.

Despite the economic downturn, environmental issues and corporate social responsibility remain high on the national business agenda, while cost savings within the public sector are of particular importance. Recycling plays a huge part in delivering both of these priorities, and plays an essential part in demonstrating an organisation’s green credentials.

A new scheme, pioneered by a BSIA member, ensures compliance with data protection regulation while implementing sustainable waste management services that can result in multiple business benefits, not least significant cost savings. The scheme, known as ‘closed loop recycling’, ensures ultimate data security by returning recycled paper back to the client after processing.

Closed loop recycling works like this: the information destruction company collects confidential waste paper from the client, shreds it and bails it. Next, the paper is sent to a collaborating paper mill, where it is recycled and turned into ‘new’ office paper. This is then sold back to the client company at a competitive rate.

The success of the scheme is largely due to the positive cooperation between all parties, and to date 325 tonnes of paper have been shredded and recycled, saving 5,514 trees and helping 729m3 of waste avoid landfill. Moreover, the client company is granted peace of mind, knowing that its waste is being handled in line with European and UK regulation, and is benefiting from considerable return on investment due to the savings made by buying back the original paper once it has been recycled.

More than half of the paper used by the client firm’s 2,500 partners and staff in its London office is now in fact recycled paper acquired through this scheme.

CHOOSING A QUALITY PROVIDER Using a professional information destruction company is a safe and effective method of disposing confidential data, which is compulsory for public sector organisations in order to protect their staff, customers and reputation. Members of the BSIA’s Information Destruction section adhere to strict quality standards, such as EN15713, and are inspected to ISO:9001.

To locate a supplier in your area, visit the BSIA’s Company Finder on our website. L FOR MORE INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk/companyfinder www.bsia.co.uk/shredding

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CONSULTANTS

Consultants

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

PUTTING THE TRUST BACK INTO CONSULTANCY

The sharpest drop in spending on consultants was in local government which fell by 35 per cent. However, there was an 11 per cent spending cut on consultants in central government and also in other areas such as defence, which reduced spending by 11 per cent. The NHS, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies did so by 13 per cent. During the recent intense period of government spending cuts there was a significant amount of negative press and criticism levied at consultants in the sector for being ‘over used and over paid’.

Yet today, with the unprecedented amount of change and transformation needed in the public sector, arguably it is experienced consultants with commercial knowledge who are able to lead and implement the change.

However, the tough economic climate has meant that procurement in the sector has changed significantly. Those responsible for hiring consultants are under even tighter scrutiny and will not only have to justify their recruitment choices, but demonstrate the value consultants will add and show a clear return on investment. But how can public sector organisations ensure they recruit the more talented consultants without it costing eye watering fees? How can they hire credible consultants who will deliver on their promises?

BUYER BEWARE – GET SOME GUIDELINES There are some key considerations when hiring consultants that can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful project.

The Institute of Consulting (IC) has developed a guide to buying consultancy services, checklists for hiring good consultants, as well as best practice behaviours that organisations should expect from the consultants they engage. The documents are a good starting point for any business looking to procure consultancy services. We can’t stress enough that an organisation’s due diligence needs to be thorough when hiring a consultant – planning needs to be akin to a military operation. Part of this process should involve examining the business case and questioning whether the organisation really needs a consultant at all - as well as obviously double checking that the resource doesn’t exist within another department already.

The next tip is to scope out project requirements and resourcing implications

in detail, including how the project and consultant will be managed, the anticipated costs and timelines. A successful consultancy project is one that is supported by all the key stakeholders, so getting their support from the start is essential. It will also ensure the consultant is working to a clear and tightly defined brief which is aligned to the key objectives from day one.

SHOP AROUND Price is obviously an important factor and we advice all our clients to shop around. Talk to several different consultants to get quotes, tenders or even formal proposals. In doing so, they will have a better understanding of the market, greater insight into what the services should cost and the benefits they can expect. Our message is very clear, consultants must not be appointed on a whim.

Organisations must beware of not being lulled into the false sense of security of basing their recruitment decisions based on well known firms – there is a danger here that they could be paying mainly for the big brand name bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.

According to analysts IDC, there are four key qualities of a ‘good’ consultant – integrity,

Written by Huw Hilditch-Roberts, director in charge, Institute of Consultingw

According to the Management Consultancies Association, spending on consultants in the public sector fell by 15 per cent in 2010 as a result of government spending cuts. Huw Hilditch-Roberts, director in charge, Institute of Consulting, points out it is consultants with commercial knowledge and experience who are able to lead and implement this period of change

an analytical mind, clarity of expression and empathy. We support this view and expect our consultants to be ambassadors of professionalism and show a commitment to raising consultancy standards.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS To ensure professional standards, we have established a ‘Code of Conduct’ which all of our 5500 consultants have to sign in order to become an Institute member. In signing up to the Code, the consultants are committing to promoting standards of excellence and professionalism at all times, to put their client’s interests first and to improve their own professional development continually. Employing a consultant who abides through membership of the Institute of Consulting with the Code of Conduct reduces the risk of employing a consultant. If there are any concerns about the professionalism of the consultant, the client can refer to the professional body.

The point about the importance of a consultant’s professional development is very important. A sign of a good consultant is their commitment to professional development and willingness to improve E

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CONSULTANTS E their knowledge continually to ensure they give their clients informed and up to date strategic advice and best practices.

Training and accreditation denote standards For this reason, we offer our consultants the opportunity to undertake our intense training programmes (including courses on procuring consultancy) and work towards gaining CMC certification, which is a globally recognised kite mark for professionalism in consulting and we would advise anyone looking to hire a consultant to look for this. To make it easier for client organisations to be confident they are hiring certified professional consultants we are shortly launching a national register of consultants. In order for public sector organisations to put their faith in consultants again, they need to hire the right ones.

Providing they follow the right procurement processes and make sure the consultants they hire are certified, qualified and have the experience to match they won’t go far wrong.

FURTHER INFORMATION The Institute of Consulting is working hard to raise standards of professionalism in consulting and have developed a guide to buying consultancy services and best practice behaviours that organisations should expect from consultants. They can be found at www.iconsulting.org.uk. L

Consultants

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Top tips on hiring consultants PLAN, PLAN AND THEN REPLAN - firstly, they need to plan meticulously – every aspect of the project needs to be scoped out, with expected outcomes before the interview stage.

SHOP AROUND - testing the market is key to getting the consultant at the right price.

INTERVIEW CHECKLIST - make sure the consultant demonstrates a full understanding of the business issues based on the brief and can deliver to meet the deadlines.

THE COSTS - there should be no ‘surprises’ when it comes to costs. Be clear from the start what the consultant will charge and what they will deliver for this money and make sure you understand if the fee includes expenses or not.

BEWARE OF ‘CONSULTANT SPEAK’ - steer clear of consultants overusing jargon and clichés. Anyone who wants to tackle the ‘low hanging fruit’ and ensure ‘we are all singing from the same hymn sheet’ should be avoided.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND ACCREDITATION - competence-based accreditation by professional bodies is a useful indicator of a consultant’s ability to deliver.

WILL THEY FIT IN? - a good consultant will be deft at building relationships quickly with all employees - get their feedback before making a hiring decision.

APPOINT A PROJECT MANAGER - a good consultancy project is one which is managed well. Appoint a project manager responsible for the consultant who can work with the consultant to ensure the project stays on track.

DON’T LET SCOPE CREEP IN - agree project boundaries and limits and an exit plan.

If the project needs to be extended then it should be as part of a formal contract.

Reliable data erasure with the Tabernus range Tabernus is a global provider of certified data erasure software, hardware, and service solutions that completely remove all data from hard drive storage devices.

Since 2002, the company has provided solutions for storage in the form of software and hardware for hard drive data erasure and testing. With an emphasis on enterprise level data erasure delivered onsite in the office or in the data center, Tabernus sets the benchmark for software and hardware development focused on certified end of life data elimination.

The CommunicationsElectronics Security Group (CESG) which is part of the UK government communications headquarters, has certified the latest version of Tabernus’ data erasure software, Enterprise Erase v5.3.

Certification is awarded when software has met all of the criteria for secure erasure of magnetic media in accordance with HMG Infosec standards.

After independent testing carried out by QinetiQ, a British global defence technology company under contract to CESG, the latest version of Tabernus has been formally certified for government use, to securely erase protectivelymarked data and added to the CESG Directory of Infosec Assured Products.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 689 1350 uksales@tabernus.com www.tabernusuk.co.uk

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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[ Tough

quesTion #18 ] NETWORK SECURITY

SECURE REMOTE ACCESS

WEB AND E-MAIL SECURITY

BACKUP AND RECOVERY

POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

Who Makes The highesT PerforMance LoW LaTency nexT-gen fireWaLL?

SONICWALL

SECURES THE

ENTERPRISE.

SonicWALL® enables IT to get back in control and more easily and efficiently stay ahead of today’s constantly evolving threats and application-related issues. An advanced security platform consolidates core Next-Gen Firewall application intelligence, control and visualization, gateway protection, and inspection for SSL encrypted sessions for enterprises along with WAN acceleration for distributed offices. SonicWALL’s low latency platform scans and secures every packet of every protocol, efficiently securing the network, controlling Web 2.0 apps, and optimizing bandwidth.

Secure network optimization that minimizes complexity and latency is now within reach. Learn about our SuperMassive™ E10000 Series and the rest of our network security line-up at sonicwall.com/optimize

© 2011 SonicWALL, Inc. SonicWALL and the SonicWALL logo are registered trademarks of SonicWALL, Inc.

DYNAMIC SECURITY FOR THE GLOBAL NETWORK

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Transform your business by moving to the cloud By utilising cloud based technologies, organisations can increase efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint, and ultimately save money. Through consolidation of multiple physical servers to virtual servers hosted in the cloud, you can save on running costs, backup and disaster recovery overheads and security concerns.

Affinity IT is a Microsoft and Dell partner providing computer and network support services to small and mid-sized businesses.

The company specialises in delivering cloud solutions such as, Hosted Exchange, Hosted SharePoint, CRM Online, Cloud based Backup, and of course, Server and Desktop Virtualisation in either a public or private cloud. Also offered are desktop and server support, network infrastructure and remote maintenance services.

Affinity has a strong background in the financial services sector, specifically consumer debt recovery. Having

designed, developed and supported several debt recovery systems and a data warehouse for a leading national debt collection organisation, the directors are experts in debt recovery systems, data mining, reporting and business process.

In addition to technical and development skills, Affinity offers PRINCE2 based Project Management and Business Analysis consultancy.

The company can help with transforming IT to the cloud, and improve the way organisations do business.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 08455 280038 info@affinity-it.co.uk www.affinity-it.co.uk

Be inspired by energy saving ideas at Brighton’s Eco Technology Show The Eco Technology Show 2012 will showcase the latest technologies which perform a crucial role in protecting the environment and making our daily business lives more efficient.

Technology integrates into every facet of modern life from buildings, energy and design to transport and lifestyle.

Utilising eco technology has the additional benefits of minimising waste, saving energy, reducing environmental impact and not to mention saving your business money.

The event brings together a unique blend of business, decision makers, subject specialists, policy makers and buyers from both business and the general public.

This take place at Brighton’s new American Express Community Stadium in June 2012.

Visitors to the event will

be inspired by new ideas and technologies, and ways to grow knowledge, connect with industry experts and learn new practical skills.

In conjunction with the Eco Technology show is the Smart Business conference for private and public sector leaders. This will showcase opportunities to create business value in a resource constrained environment, and highlight how the integration of technology into cities enables sustainability, well-being and economic development.

Running alongside the Eco Technology Show, the conference will be chaired

by Jo Confino, editor of Guardian Sustainable Business (smartbusinessconference.co.uk).

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk

Bring Your Own Device – business advantage or mobile anarchy? asks Sonicwall The consumerisation of IT has forced IT professionals to adapt to new technologies they do not control. No longer do technology innovations come first to corporations, where IT was firmly in charge.

This consumerization of IT (as well as the budgetary incentive of offsetting inventory costs) has led companies to establish “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies that enable employees to select their own personal mobile devices for use at work.

Think of BYOD as the second wave of the consumerisation of IT. The first wave came when businesses began to embrace social media and created corporate pages on Facebook, marketing tweets on Twitter and recruiting on LinkedIn. Other factors driving the BYOD policy trend are the vast attraction of consumers to mobile devices, younger workers who want to work with familiar devices, and claims that BYOD may boost productivity. Anyone who hopes BYOD is just a fad will likely be disappointed. Organisations may encourage employees to use personal devices for work because it reduces the

number of devices they must purchase.

IT managers and corporate executives alike have to look both ways before crossing the mobile security street. Otherwise, they risk being hit by either the hard costs associated with cyber-attacks or the soft costs of lost productivity and efficiency when mobile security is TOO tight. The costs are real on both sides of the equation.

How then, can businesses cope with the new wave of BYOD mentality, without exposing the company to massive or catastrophic risk?

The issue, according to SonicWALL, is not one of control but of vulnerability. Too often, the existing security solutions that businesses deploy focus on control and blocking access.

This is ill-suited to the world of mobile

devices that are used both inside and outside the firewall… like using a sledgehammer to drive a small nail. Too much control creates a sluggish, underperforming network and slows business. What’s worse – it creates an army of angry employees all demanding immediate access to the applications and data they need.

By deploying new technology that provides 360-degree insight into who and what is accessing a network – on a comprehensive, real-time scale – IT managers can avoid anarchy. Instead, they can allow their business to assess, react and make access decisions based on vulnerability. These emerging security and access technologies can now accelerate business agility and performance.

So, the average Joe and Jane will still have access to the network from their favorite device …but any malware, unwanted data or application will not. And everybody wins.

FOR MORE INFORMATION www.sonicwall.com

Volume 19.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Advertisers Index

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service 4Imprint Aalborg Adtec Software Affinity IT Solutions AJF Waste Management Alnwick Castle AMPTeam Amtech Group Aqua Pointe Systems Artparks International BAFE BKSB Bolle Safety Bradbury Equipment Branson Leisure Britannia Hotel Newcastle Airport Butler & Young Lift Consultants Calmet Laboratory Services Campbell Scientific Cardiac Science Cenpart Cherwell Software Chevron Shop.com Churches Fire City of Bristol College City Sprint CLD Fencing Cloth Court Communications Concateno Consilium Dallmeier David Annand Sculptor Dilax Diskeeper Corporation Diversified Business Communications DWF Consulting Dycon E Drive Solutions Earthscan Eco Technology Show Ejendals AB Electronic Temperature Instruments Energenie Enersys Motive Power

11 96, 97 12 125 32 82 31 30 36 86 33 11 64 59 86 82 35 50 51 73 46 88 56 38 56, 60 IFC 72 22 64, 69 61, 114 72 86 46 90 102 48 74 56, 60 40, 43 125 64, 69 39 21 50

Entelec Control Systems Esprit Windscreen Systems ESTA Eurocell Profiles Fathom Gaia GeoQuip GID – Quantor Global Heat Source Global Real Estate Granberg Hamilton Rentals Hawkgrove Software Systems Design Hornbill iCore Imserve Europe Ingimex Intellitec MV Isis Papyrus UK John Jordan Kawasaki Kingston University Lauren Lian Artist Sculptor Lewis Group License Dashboard Linton Fuel Oils Lion Laboratories Liverpool Hope University London Metropolitan University Maften Hall Magnet Kitchens Malmaison Hotel Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University Marwood Mason Hayes & Curran Mayflex MIC Hotel & Conference Misco UK Mizaru Media MLPS Morrco Design Munro Consultants Music North Nedap Security Management

74, 75 50 20 42, 43 14 36 74 114 40, 41 32 64, 69 118 47 92 100 18 58, 61 61 IBC 59 26 76 86 16 104, 105 50 66 76 76 83 6 84 78 66, 67 17 8 76 94, 112 114 38 38 51 80 70

Netsupport Omnicom Opus Vision Ovenu Panasonic Phoenix Datacom Pivotal Performance Promax Access Qualitas Reliance FM Renson RL Automotive Roberts Limbrick Rotary Lift Royal British Legion Safety Priorities Scafftag Scottish Passive House Sonicwall Specsavers Stourbridge Sunderland Football Club Sunrise Software Surrey Energy Ratings Swansea University Tabernus UK TCS Products Telefonica UK Telemetry Systems Temple Group The Rezidor TNT UK Tracker Network Transoft Transsol TRG Group Venue Cymru Verizon UK Versalift Distributors Wensley Group Western Training Services Wilo UK Wood for Good Yeoman Shield

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE

http://www.governmentbusiness.co.uk 126

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 19.2

108 110 20 78 10 112 62 68 114 24 58 59 17 56, 60 36 69 66, 67 42 124, 125 OBC 66, 67 83 118 36 78 123 58, 61 98, 99 39 44 4 38 52 116 49 54 85 106 20 34 58 40, 43 42 28

The Papyrus Communications and Process Platform Papyrus Adaptive Case Management for Government Business.

Papyrus is ideal for document-centric applications in the public sector, such as Immigration, Customs, Tax, Child Allowances, HR, Student Loans, Healthcare and Social Security, closing the loop between inbound and outbound communications to consolidate ECM,

BPM and CRM.

There is no process without content.

Once Papyrus captures and classifies an incoming document, e-mail or message (social networks), it will automatically trigger the process/case handling and goal assignments based on rules, pattern matching or participant selection to add the goals. Alternatively, management defines the goals and business actors define the tasks.

Powerful document design and formatting capabilities.

Enable the knowledge worker to create and manage content, templates and documents for batch and online document production, as well as for interactive, ad-hoc reporting, contracts and correspondence used by the business front office.

Key Platform Features Communication Hub Closed-loop Business Communication Adaptive BPM - real-time, event-based Collaborative Case Management Integrated Security / Auditing Adapters - loosely coupling data Portal, Desktop, Mobile

www.isis-papyrus.com

info@isis-papyrus.com

it! s s i ’t m n o D

Global Open House and User Conference | Vienna/Austria | May 6–8, 2012 UK Open House and User Conference | Kingsclere/UK | June 21, 2012

AT LAST, A SPENDING CUT THAT YOUR STAFF WILL BENEFIT FROM. VDU GLASSES + EYE TEST ONLY £17

Cutting your company’s spending doesn’t have to mean cutting back on the quality of staff eyecare. At Specsavers, providing staff eyecare will cost less than you might think, so you’ll be able to make valuable savings across your business – while ensuring that your employees receive excellent service and fantastic choice.

For just £17, Specsavers offers a professional eye examination and, if needed, VDU glasses worth up to £45. This includes any required retinal screening, and staff can also save £20 on their own glasses purchases. What’s more, we’ll meet all your legislative requirements too.

To find out more, call Specsavers Corporate Eyecare on 0115 933 0800, fax 0115 986 1983, email corporateeyecare@uk.specsavers.com or visit us at specsavers.co.uk/corporate

SKU 25177725. ©2011 Specsavers. All rights reserved.