Hybrid Mail is a multi-channel communication tool that enables users to send out mission-critical, day-to-day citizen communications by post, e-mail, and SMS to drive operational efficiency, deliver cost-savings, simplify back-office tasks and improve customer experience.
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Following delays, the Procurement Act is set to come into force in February. The Act is aimed at creating a simpler and more flexible system, while at the same time, opening up public procurement to small businesses.
This Buyers’ Guide has been put together with features from top associations working across different areas of the public sector, giving insight into best practice for 2025.
Ordnance Survey share some technology predictions for 2025, the BCS investigate modernising IT systems and IASME look back at 10 years of Cyber Essentials. SFG20 look at building maintenance and BESA write about building safety, while UK100 set out how local authorities can be involved in the switch to clean energy.
The AFP share some tips on transitioning to a greener fleet, while ASPCo and ABPCO provide some insight on recruitment, and conference and event planning respectively.
Polly Jones, editor
Public Sector
226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk
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John Kimmance, chief customer officer at Ordnance Survey (OS) looks ahead at the technology trends of 2025
What do you think is going to be new in 2025?
Economic growth, housing and health are going to be a big focus for the government and wider public sector in 2025 with a greater spotlight on the power of technology to drive growth. Without a doubt, demand for geospatial data and insights will increase as organisations seek to improve their services and efficiencies whilst managing more demanding budgets. Increasingly, global organisations are seeking competitive advantage by using local data to target specific regions in order to protect and support the needs of local communities, such as with Ordnance Survey (OS)’s AddressBase products, which can be linked with other datasets to provide detailed insights. This will have an impact on both public sector and commercial markets. It will also likely increase the quality and number of competitive offerings customers have to choose from, as geospatial companies look to capitalise on the increased demand.
While the development and reach of AI will continue to accelerate, machine learning is becoming a real enabler in the creation of new geospatial data and is playing an increasing role in delivering valuable insights to organisations. Last March was the first time OS productionised the workflow to deliver a national dataset (OS Land) to the market. We will also be employing it in our next release under the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement.
going to stay the same in 2025?
The importance of consistent geospatial data that you can trust is going to remain hugely significant, as will the insights that can be developed from that data. OS is currently working with the Geospatial Commission to further invest in our core data products as part of our future roadmap planning. The need for this data will assume an even greater importance in 2025. Amongst other demands, both private and public sector organisations are under pressure to achieve net zero by 2050 E
Penlink stands at the forefront of digital intelligence, offering comprehensive solutions tailored for law enforcement, national security, defence, and corporate organisations. Our robust product portfolio enables end-to-end digital investigations and threat monitoring, leveraging technologies equipped with a broad spectrum of AI analytical capabilities. These technologies are designed to swiftly and accurately uncover key insights to ensure efficient and informed decision-making.
F and must use trusted and authoritative data to inform better planning and deliver transformation.
Geospatial data is the glue that makes other data interoperable. Organisations can combine geospatial with other sources of data to increase efficiencies and save money. There will be an ongoing drive and ambition to see UPRNs (unique identifiers associated with an address) used more regularly across the broader market
We need greater access and sharing of data to address and solve some of our national issues
and in government. Following key learnings from the pandemic, NHS England has continued its investment in UPRN integration with patient demographics in the NHS SPINE, using the OS Places API to verify patient address information and capture UPRNs through the GP registration process. The Office for National Statistics uses address data and UPRNs as they are integral to running an effective census and creating census geographies; and under Project Gigabit, UPRN sharing with the market is important to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport running Open Market Reviews, as well as being used extensively by Building Digital UK.
As a business, OS already works with more than 5,000 organisations, understanding that when partners work together, they can accomplish far more than on their own. One recent example is the signing of an agreement with Digital Task Force for Planning, which was initially supported by Geovation. In light of the government’s new and ambitious housing targets, this collaboration will drive forward digital planning innovation and promote transformative changes for the benefit of the public, in line with the government’s digital strategy. E
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F What changes will OS be involved in during 2025?
We need greater access and sharing of data to address and solve some of our national issues. The Government’s proposal for a National Data Library aims to improve access to public sector data, in a streamlined, trusted, secure and ethical way. This is an exciting initiative which will help to create the foundation for building a modern digital government. OS has been keen to support and has already contributed to a number of discussions and workstreams to deliver positive outcomes.
Nobody knows the detail of the nation’s landscape above ground better than OS, and now we are taking on the operation of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), working with the Geospatial Commission to incorporate into our public task. It’s an exciting time as NUAR will improve the efficiency and safety of the way utility and telecoms companies install, maintain, and repair the pipes and cables underground. We have a team of experts who will support with the management of this operation, as well as improving collaboration in the sector. This will result in richer, more complete data, and its greater application in
It’s an exciting time as NUAR will improve the efficiency and safety of the way utility and telecoms companies install, maintain, and repair the pipes and cables underground
supporting streetworks and most importantly the modernisation of the sector itself.
NUAR will have a huge impact on economic growth of at least £400 million a year as the efficiency of excavations increases and the disruption for the public and businesses reduces. It will also contribute to the building of the infrastructure needed across the country, such as new roads, rail and houses. We are working hard towards the roll-out to eligible organisations in the spring of 2025 –it’s going to make a huge impact and deliver critical value. M
FURTHER INFORMATION
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Our experienced team of researchers provide the personal touch during your project, at every point, from designing the questionnaire through to presenting the findings and helping you get the insight that you can take action on
Mass-scale, immature innovations spread rapidly due to their accessibility and integration into personal devices within organisations. While presenting opportunities, it introduces risks like bias, inequality, the digital divide, and potential outages. The rapid innovation adoption exceeds institutions’ capacity to evaluate and control these societal and organisational impacts. How can public IT stay resilient against the mass adoption of unregulated technologies asks Antonio Hidalgo Landa, Chair of the BCS Consultancy Specialist Group
Sustaining environmental and welfare demands, including an ageing population, presents increasing public sector challenges. How can these growing demands be addressed without adopting new technologies and modernising public sector IT systems?
Introduction
Emerging technologies such as social media and generative AI are transforming society and workplaces, bringing advantages and opportunities. However, as IT systems overtake nearly every facet of work and life, the lack of a responsible adoption, exposes organisations to failures, bias, and cyber-attacks. The UK’s
Autumn Budget 2024 emphasised these failures, leading to academic damage, disrupted public services, and unjust prosecutions.
The Autumn Budget focus on protecting working people, fixing the NHS, and rebuilding Britain, underscoring the necessity of strategic and accountable IT. Can we use it as a guide for IT procurement in the public sector for a better society? Following, we will discuss how public IT systems can remain resilient against the rapid adoption of unregulated technologies and support growing environmental and societal demands. We address algorithmic bias, cybersecurity, environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and workforce readiness. E
Processing over £9.4 billion of public sector payments each year.
Bias in algorithms can be devastating, ranging from flawed data, embedded societal inequities, algorithmic design, collective in-equilibria, or ethical dilemmas.
280,000 students were affected by algorithms bias in 2020 that standardised A-level results after COVID-19 cancelled exams. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) faced allegations that its fraud detection algorithm targeted disabled individuals. In 2019, an NHS algorithm deprioritised black patients for care management over white patients with identical health statuses. The Home Office’s visa algorithm was scrapped for discriminatory practices based on nationality.
When only one ventilator is available for two COVID-19 patients, it creates a lose-lose scenario, akin to the trolley problem, where harm is unavoidable. This decision imposes a moral burden to any person, but algorithms can prioritise diversity and collective health without hesitation. Ethical design should extend to all critical systems, ensuring unbiased decisionmaking in lose-lose scenarios.
Heavy social media use among teenagers increases depression and facilitates online harassment and cyberbullying. However, social media is widespread among teenagers without enough social awareness and control. A teenager’s brain is not fully developed and
The Post Office scandal reveals the dangers of public sector overreliance on computer-generated evidence
is more to susceptible emotional responses. Social media algorithms recommend the most popular content from similar people. Hence, suggesting highly emotional content to vulnerable teenagers with a high emotional response, fuels mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. IT procurement should consider under which circumstances algorithms may incentivise a worse situation. Over 700 people were wrongfully prosecuted due to errors caused by an IT system (Horizon) at the Post Office between 1999 and 2015. This error ended the careers of many, resulted in imprisonment and even suicides. The Post Office scandal reveals the dangers of public sector overreliance on computer-generated evidence.
The lack of professionalism in managing critical IT systems can jeopardise vital public services. Ethical IT professionals must ensure systems are properly monitored, errors are raised, and outputs critically evaluated. Public sector procurement plays a pivotal E
Can IT systems in the public sector be leveraged to address growing social and environmental demands from society?
F role in enforcing independent standards of professionalism and ethics in the application, development, and deployment of technology.
Employees create workarounds (shadow IT) to bypass deficiencies in authorised systems. Historically, spreadsheets were used for data aggregation, hiding processes and hindering governance. Sensitive patient data were sent to the wrong WhatsApp group by NHS staff, exposing the shadow and unauthorised practice and the challenge of enforcing data-sharing policies in the NHS.
Social media penetrated schools without proper oversight, facilitating harassment and cyberbullying, which has led to instances of threats and suicides. Teenagers can use Generative AI to generate false images and videos of anyone, deepfakes. Classmates’ lives have been devastated by discovering sexually explicit deepfake images of themselves online, with the harm amplified when such content is deliberately targeted to cause damage.
Technologies such as social media, personal email, and generative AI are widely available to employees, students, or patients. While they can address inefficiencies from authorized IT, they can undermine organisational security and operational efficiency.
Can organisations effectively keep such widespread technologies out of the workplace? Apple and Samsung struggle to enforce bans on tools such as ChatGPT due to considerations about privacy . Recent attempts to ban smartphones have made progress in schools.
Data breaches remain a major cyber threat to public sector organisations. In 2024, the bank details of around 5,000 people were compromised by a breach to Transport for London (TfL). Spy.pet scraped over 4 billion Discord messages, highlighting the sophistication of modern data theft tactics. Financial losses due to data breaches in
healthcare, education, and the public sector are large, with public sector average costs increasing by 32 per cent and an average cost of $2,290,000, according to IBM and Ponemon Institute.
The October 2020 ransomware attack on Hackney Council disrupted services like council tax and benefit payments, costing millions to remediate. A 10-day disruption on the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) was caused by a ransomware attack in May 2021. A $22 million ransom demand was suspected of the attack on Change Healthcare on 2024.
The 2020 SolarWinds breach affected 18,000 organisations , including US government departments. In 2021, Chinese state-backed actors attacked Microsoft Exchange servers, compromising over 250,000 servers for largescale espionage.
Organisations implement frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27031:2011 and enhance their resilience by ensuring robust disaster recovery capabilities, achieving zero downtime, and maintaining operational continuity, even in the face of major disruptions. Affecting approximately 8.5 million Windows devices, the global CrowdStrike outage disrupted essential operations in healthcare, aviation, and broadcasting. How can these cascading events cause this massive disruption when there are standards that show reliance and reliability?
56 per cent of organisations prioritised operational efficiency and governance
The biggest difference can be made by recognising more IT systems as critical and ensuring they are overseen by cybersecurity professionals accountable for their operations. Many exploitable systems or those prone to disruptions are not overseen by cybersecurity experts, and many cybersecurity roles lack the requirement for Chartered status. Like doctors and accountants, Chartered professionals ensure accountability and professionalism.
As IT systems are more interdependent, they require more collaboration addressing failures. Moreover, as IT systems expand over the workplace, IT experts should be present on boards ensuring that decisions-makers understand risks and threat.
Can IT systems in the public sector be leveraged to address growing social and environmental demands from society?
Environmental Governments and industries are making ambitious environmental commitments, driving organisational sustainability efforts. Public
procurement has substantial influence over the industries with major greenhouse gases emissions, including transportation, defence and construction.
Renewable-powered data centres and energyefficient IT systems offer scalable solutions to support climate goals like COP28. However, the lack of interoperability of sustainable indicators and visibility is a major deterrent for a greener procurement.
Assistive technology such as Scholarcy and Grammarly summarise formal text into bullet points or question cards, while multimodal materials, such as situational videos, combine text, images, and audio to enhance understanding. These tools adapt content to individual needs, reducing cognitive load and improving engagement. IT solutions emerge as well to reduce biases and increase diversity, including hiring and analytics . However, it is not enough. Only 20 per cent of the tech workforce is female, black women represent 0.7 per cent and disabled individuals face a 50 per cent employment gap
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) demonstrated how technology can democratise education by providing scalable, free, highquality courses (Ng, 2014; Zhu, 2012). Universities such as Oxford and organisations such as BCS exemplify the broader adoption by sharing free academic and CPD resources on YouTube. E
F IBM Watson builds knowledge repositories that users can query in natural language. The Clerk of the Superior Court in Maricopa County automated 70 per cent of citizen interactions without human intervention, saving 100 staff hours in the first month. With advancements in building knowledge repositories, institutions offering accessible curricula, and assistive technologies, can we overcome the challenges of integrating these at scale to significantly reduce global educational inequality?
IT governance systems improve accountability and traceability by ensuring decisions are tracked and communicated effectively. The IT Leaders 2020 Report noted 56 per cent of organisations prioritised operational efficiency and governance, but only 12 per cent felt adequately resourced to achieve these goals. IT procurement in the public sector can enable better governance practices, improving the ability to track and trace emissions and diversity. However, fragmented IT ecosystems hinder the adoption of IT governance. Healthcare information systems often struggle with fragmented integration, relying on a mix of custom-built, homegrown, and off-theshelf tools. This lack of standardisation drives complexity, inefficiency, higher costs, project delays, and operational risks.
A
shortage of 4 million cyber
professionals highlights recruitment difficulties in IT
Implementing industry wide governance standards is a great but challenging task. How great would it be for governments and conscious consumers if they could have accountability of all the CO2 emissions produced by the manufacturing, supply, use and disposal of goods and services? A similar challenge is being resolved in the pharmaceutical sector, the traceability of medicines. The fragmented pharmaceutical supply chain faces challenges like divergent regulations (EU FMD, DSCSA), integration of legacy systems, and inconsistent data sharing across stakeholders. Aggregation complexities and cross-border compliance further hinder traceability. Adopting GS1 standards and interoperable platforms has been crucial to streamline processes, enhance transparency, and ensure regulatory adherence globally.
IT systems require proper preparation and workforce training to deliver results effectively. The Help to Grow scheme has trained over 10,000 SMEs in digital skills, boosting
productivity, but scaling similar efforts in the public sector faces challenges including legacy systems and larger workforce sizes
A global shortage of 4 million cyber security professionals highlights recruitment difficulties in IT.
The digital divide remains a significant concern. In the UK, 1.7 million households lack internet access, and 10 million adults lack basic digital skills. Addressing this requires prioritising accessibility and inclusivity in procurement decisions to ensure IT solutions bridge this gap.
The institutional literature, including contributions from the UK government, Parliament, WEF, and BCS, provides a guidance on emerging technology, including operations, management, security, acquisition, and more. However, addressing its full breadth would require a dedicated and detailed study. The increasingly devastating incidents contribute to the continued expansion of this literature. However, this growth is not solely driven by
More of these systems should be deemed critical and overseen by accountable professionals
failures but also by the complexity and rapid evolution of emerging technologies and their rapid integration into society and institutions. This is not a call to slow innovation; malicious actors and cybercriminals will not pause their activities. Instead, it underscores the need for institutions to respond promptly by developing digital capabilities, adopting relevant technologies, and equipping both the workforce and consumers with appropriate skills to safeguard and empower organisations and households.
Technology and algorithms have the potential to accelerate bias; however, they can also be instrumental in identifying and addressing it to develop a fairer society. While a significant portion of the population remains marginalised by the digital divide, assistive technology offers a powerful means to foster inclusion. As ICT systems increasingly embed themselves in more aspects of our lives, more of these systems should be deemed critical and overseen by accountable professionals (e.g. Chartered) to ensure their reliability and integrity.
Emerging technologies offer significant potential to enhance governance by improving traceability, interoperability, and monitoring systems. These advancements can support compliance, streamline processes, and reduce inefficiencies. While they are not a panacea, they represent a valuable tool for sustaining critical public services such as education and healthcare and addressing environmental goals. A major challenge to improving governance and interoperability is the fragmentation across business value chains. However, examples such as the traceability of medicines demonstrate how meaningful change can be achieved globally and across industries. Key to this success has been the adoption of robust standardisation efforts, such as those driven by GS1 in the pharmaceutical sector. Ensuring these efforts are empowered and backed by strong industry collaboration will be essential for scaling these benefits effectively.
Technological advancements bring opportunities but require careful and thoughtful integration. Collaboration, equipping individuals with the right skills, and ensuring inclusivity and standardisation are practical steps towards building more resilient technological ecosystems. This highlights the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility, and a clear focus on practical benefits for society. L
Last year, the UK Government’s Cyber Essentials (CE) scheme celebrated its tenth anniversary, marking a decade of growth. The scheme is centred around five technical controls and is proven to protect organisations of all sizes from the most common cyber attacks
As technology advances and cyber threats evolve, the Cyber Essentials scheme continually adapts to stay effective. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Cyber Essentials Delivery Partner, IASME conduct a comprehensive review and update process of the scheme each year. During this process, feedback from customers and Assessors is considered, as well as changes in the IT landscape. The goal through this annual review is to ensure that Cyber Essentials remains relevant and effective as well as an accessible and user-friendly scheme. Research from insurers shows that organisations implementing the Cyber Essentials controls are 92 per cent less likely to make a claim on their cyber insurance than those which don’t have Cyber Essentials.
In their 2024 Annual Review, the National Cyber Security Centre described the current cyber threat landscape as ‘diffuse and dangerous’ where there is an increase in both the number of cyber incidents and the impact of those incidents. The majority of cyber attacks rely on techniques and vulnerabilities that are well known to us and we have the knowledge and the capability to defend against them. Despite this, the NCSC believe that the severity of the threat facing the UK is underestimated by organisations in all sectors and locations and basic cyber security practices are often ignored. The Cyber Essentials technical controls can stop the vast majority of commodity cyber attacks and is the minimum standard of security recommended by the NCSC. Mass adoption of Cyber Essentials will significantly help improve the cyber resilience of the UK at scale. E
Organisations who require their suppliers or other third parties to have Cyber Essentials are proven to reduce the number of cyber incidents across their network
F Cyber Essentials as a supply chain assurance tool
Cyber security in supply chains has long been a significant challenge. Traditionally, large organisations have imposed their enterprise security requirements on small suppliers, often overwhelming them with complex and varied security questionnaires. Small companies working with multiple enterprise clients face the timeconsuming burden of completing these forms.
Recently, larger organisations have started to recognise the Cyber Essentials scheme as a straightforward way to establish a baseline level of cyber security within the supply chain. Certification provides a tangible way for organisations of all sizes to gain confidence that their suppliers, or other third parties, have effectively implemented fundamental technical controls.
Organisations who require their suppliers or other third parties to have Cyber Essentials are proven to reduce the number of cyber incidents across their network. Compelling evidence of the scheme’s efficacy as a supplier security tool comes from the wealth management firm St. James’s Place (SJP).
In 2023, SJP began mandating *Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification across their network of partner organisations.
Matthew Smith, divisional director of cyber s ecurity, SJP said: “Security incident numbers have significantly reduced within the Partnership since 2023, evidencing the value and effectiveness of having the core controls in place.
To put into numbers, we have seen around an 80 per cent reduction in cybersecurity incidents, which directly correlates to controls and best practices implemented through CE+.”
The tool gives confidence that a supplier has technical controls in place.
Through certification, an organisation can have their adherence to a set of criteria or standards independently verified. This enables them to provide a form of evidence, to anybody that asks for it, that a certain standard has been met. It is affordable and achievable for all organisations.
Though there is a cost attached to achieving Cyber Essentials, it is comparatively inexpensive. The cost of the certificate is £320-600 for basic Cyber Essentials and the
approximate cost of CE+ will be from £2K depending on the size and complexity of the applicant’s network. Other certification schemes may be more costly, making them unattainable for many organisations. It can also help to consolidate the lengthy security review process.
Organisations using Cyber Essentials within their supply chain risk management processes report increased efficiency and cost savings in the due diligence process. Requiring evidence of standardised minimum expectations reduces the time spent assessing suppliers. It is also helpful for the suppliers themselves, especially SMEs, who benefit from clear, tangible expectations rather than responding to long and complex or duplicate questionnaires.
Those using the tool can verify Cyber Essentials certifications across the supply chain.
Organisations can use the Cyber Essentials Certificate Search on the IASME website to verify the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification of individual supplier organisations.
For organisations with large supply chains, it is possible to drop a large list of suppliers into the Cyber Essentials Supplier Check Tool to find out which suppliers are certified to either
Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus. These search functions make it significantly easier for organisations to verify if their suppliers are Cyber Essentials certified.
*Cyber Essentials Plus is based on the same technical requirements as Cyber Essentials but also includes a technical audit of the IT systems to verify that the controls are in place.
Review the cyber security of your organisation against the five controls of Cyber Essentials with the free online Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool The process of working through the questions will inform you about your organisation’s level of cyber security and what aspects you need to improve. Based on your answers, you will be directed towards relevant guidance and a tailored action plan for your next steps towards certification.
Few people in fleet can claim a career as diverse as Martin Edgecox. From working with manufacturers, central government, trade unions and navigating the automotive supply chain, he has, in his own words, “been around the block”
As fleet manager for National Highways, he leads a team of nine people delivering highly demanding services 24/7/365, heads up the organisation’s fleet strategy, chairs the government’s Office for Zero Emissions (OZEV) working group for special vehicles, and is also a board member of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
For the last few years, all this experience has been channelled to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges – aligning a diverse public sector fleet with the goal of a net zero future.
National Highways manages and maintains England’s strategic road network, covering 4,300 miles of motorways and major A roads. Its fleet is diverse, including incident response, inspection and amber light vehicles. In line
with Department for Transport (DfT) targets, it is required to arrive at any incident within 10 minutes and clear 95 per cent within an hour, leaving minimal margin for error.
Before 2019, National Highways was part of the civil service with general contract managers looking after vehicle management, but as its needs evolved, so did its fleet requirements. Once the necessity for a dedicated function was realised, Edgecox was asked to build and lead the new team.
Transitioning the fleet to zero emissions has been a key part of this task. The initial target was to move 25 per cent of the car fleet from internal combustion engines (ICE) to E
F ultra-low emissions plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) by 2022. This goal was exceeded by 66 per cent and today, the fleet is 83 per cent PHEV and 17 per cent electric. Now, the aim is to become zero-emission by 2027.
This goal is particularly challenging for National Highways due to the demanding nature of its operations. The amber light fleet especially plays a critical role in supporting and protecting the public during incidents, breakdowns, and collisions on the strategic road network. Of the 1,300 vehicles on the fleet, 355 of them are dedicated to this purpose, operating all year around. They can be in use for up to 10 hours during an incident, carrying around 400 kg of essential equipment such as road signs, cones, and safety gear, as well as a dual traffic officer crew.
He said: “Currently, there are limited numbers of electric vehicles that can fulfil these operational needs, making the shift to zeroemissions vehicles more challenging. In fact, for our traffic officer vehicles, we’ve asked OZEV if we can move the zero emissions deadline to 2030 rather than 2027. Simply, there isn’t a fully electric heavy-duty, all-wheel-drive SUV yet available capable of meeting our requirements.”
For this reason, the fleet is forced to adapt and make the most of what’s currently available for the general car fleet to stay on track with government targets. “Utilisation is key, and the team here is constantly reviewing this issue. It’s a major undertaking to ensure we’re maximising efficiency and return on investment because ultimately, we’re working with taxpayers’ money.
“The PHEV option currently suits us as we always have the resilience of the petrol engine as well as the short-range battery. However, we’re constantly thinking about how to develop that and drip-feed electric vehicles into use. It’s a key challenge for us.”
Getting drivers on board has been very much part of the process of electrification and Edgecox says it has been an evolving journey. The heavy-duty traffic officer fleet of vehicles used traditional 4x4 diesel vehicles like Mitsubishi Shoguns and Land Rover Discoveries until 2019. Transitioning to PHEVs was a significant shift and came with challenges.
“There was some initial resistance, but we engaged with the 1,200 traffic officers early on, holding several workshops to explain the reasons behind the decision. It’s a big culture
change. For 20 years, they’ve been used to refuelling vehicles with diesel and suddenly, I’m asking them to plug in and walk away. It’s a major adjustment for them but it was ultimately embraced.
“It helped that our fleet team worked closely with drivers to ensure their input shaped the design of the PHEVs adopted, making sure they had a stake in building and refining the fleet.”
The Volvo XC90 is a good example of how the fleet team engaged with its driver community. Initially, one unit was trialled and the specification developed based on their input. Now, National Highways operates 230 and the build is the industry benchmark for blue and amber light fleets.
“Our collaborative approach ensured that we understood driver needs, as they can spend up to 10 hours a day in these vehicles, and we’re proud that police fleets now replicate my design specification. Having drivers involved and consulted will also make it easier to guide them toward the next step, which is transitioning to electric vehicles.”
Having drivers involved and consulted will also make it easier to guide them toward the next step
Collaboration and employee engagement are the keys to moving forward in this space, Edgecox believes and despite the dearth of current zero emission options, the team is tackling this complex shift head-on with a procurement policy driven by his leadership and expertise.
“We purchase around 200-300 units a year, which isn’t a significant volume for manufacturers, and we understand they’re
unlikely to adjust the specifications of a 4x4 just for us. However, I take a very proactive approach to working with them. It’s an area where relationships are key and the best way E
Collaboration and employee engagement are the keys to moving forward in this space
“Historically, the public sector hasn’t received much focus in fleet”
F to initiate meaningful dialogue. Especially, pilots are critical for us – they allow us to innovate, get involved early, and assess whether a vehicle will meet our needs.
“Right now, we’re in active conversations with several manufacturers and are passionate about driving progress, particularly in the van space.
For us, it’s not just about hitting targets – it
means ensuring long-term sustainability and fostering positive behaviour changes to help us become not only carbon-neutral but also carbonefficient, including exploring hydrogen options.”
The National Highways team is also proactively collaborating with other fleet operators and organisations, leveraging collective bargaining to strengthen their purchasing power, and this is where Edgecox’s role as a board member at the AFP is valuable. He serves on the main board of 13 directors and is leader of its new public sector fleet group.
Public sector fleets can make significant progress and stay ahead of the curve by being agile
“Historically, the public sector hasn’t received much focus in fleet, so I saw an opportunity to widen the scope and bring new members into the fold. My role is to amplify the voice of public sector fleets, including central government, local authorities, councils, and major utilities. Our mission is to support these fleet managers, ensuring they have a platform to be heard. The AFP board are an outstanding team of fleet specialists, and I’m privileged to be part of the group.”
He says that the approach is really about collectivism. “At National Highways, we work closely with OZEV and the DfT, and through my position on the AFP board, we’re actively promoting the industry and helping members articulate the challenges of electrification. I’m in something of a dual role — I support operational challenges on one side and contribute to policy on the other – but that twin perspective is invaluable, and I genuinely enjoy it.”
Public sector fleets can make significant progress and stay ahead of the curve by being agile, but it all comes down to building
The new Association of Fleet Professionals Public Sector Group launched in January 2025 and has been created in response to the need for a setting where detailed discussions can take place that cover the specific needs of these vehicle operators. Martin Edgecox explained: “Everyone working in public sector fleets faces quite specific challenges and having somewhere to share best practice and raise issues among our peers promises to be very valuable.” The group plans to meet several times a year and any member of the AFP involved with a public sector fleet can attend on request. More details about this and joining the AFP, with membership starting at just £99, are available from administration@theafp.co.uk or at Member Benefits – Fleet Operators - AFP
these constructive relationships, he says. “I’m fortunate to have an outstanding fleet team at National Highways that allows me to focus on creating links within the industry and seeking out new opportunities, which is crucial for our continued success.
“While fleet management has evolved technologically over the years, the core of the work we do remains rooted in personal and face-to-face dialogue. The sector is quite traditional in that sense and that’s a good thing, I believe. Strong relationships are the key to developing expertise and building capacity, and I hope that approach continues for a long time.” M
The Association of Fleet Professionals brings together over 1,500 fleet professionals to form the recognised industry body for car and light commercial fleet management. A notfor-profit organisation, it provides everything from training and campaigning through to white papers and events, as well as creating a wide range of committees and forums for the discussion of current issues and best practice. More details can be found at www.theafp.co.uk
Christopher Hammond, UK100’s chief executive looks at how local authorities can play a key role in cleaning up energy
As we enter 2025, Britain’s energy landscape stands at a crossroads. The government’s ambitious agenda to deliver growth, decarbonise the energy grid, and build 1.5 million new homes presents an unprecedented opportunity.
The recent Autumn Budget, Devolution White Paper and Great British Energy plans mark welcome shifts in funding approaches, energy policy and recognising the importance of decentralising powers in Britain, particularly around ending the “begging bowl culture” of competitive funding. Yet while progress is being made on energy and devolution, these agendas must be better integrated to unlock their full potential.
The evidence for local leadership is compelling. Local leaders in Town and City halls
across the country have influence over more than 80 per cent of the UK’s emissions.
They are perfectly placed to bolster and leverage a net zero economy that grew by 9 per cent in 2023 and was worth £74 billion - against a backdrop of wider economic stagnation. For every £1 million in value added by net zero businesses, nearly £2 million more was generated through spillover effects. This opportunity is within reach for all regions – but only if we empower local leaders to seize it.
At UK100’s recent Local Leaders: Clean Energy Superpower Summit , which brought together over 100 local government, industry and policy leaders at London’s County Hall, we launched our member-led research report Local Net
Zero 2.0 highlighting how local clean energy projects and locally-led approaches to net zero could save £140 billion compared to top-down national schemes. E
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F The summit also showcased some of the pioneering authorities already at the forefront of the clean energy transition, delivering transformative change through innovative partnerships and place-based solutions. From pioneering heat networks in Southampton to community solar schemes in Oxford, local authorities are proving they can deliver clean energy solutions that work for their communities.
The creation of Great British Energy, and its Local Power Plan, backed with a £8.3 billion investment provides unprecedented opportunities to scale up successful municipal and community energy projects nationally – with the government setting out a clear ambition that communities must feel the benefit of the energy transition.
The challenge of decarbonising Britain’s buildings remains tough. The UK has some of the oldest and leakiest housing stock in Western Europe, with buildings accounting for around 17 per cent of emissions . But, as with all problems, the first step is usually to stop making the situation worse. The government’s commitment to build 1.5 million new homes presents both an opportunity and a risk - these homes must be built to zero carbon standards to avoid costly retrofitting later.
An ambitious Future Homes Standard has the potential to demonstrate significant progress, particularly if it mandates low-carbon heating, improves fabric efficiency and turns homes
The government’s commitment to build 1.5 million new homes presents both an opportunity and a risk
into energy producers and storers. Currently, the government is between two options, “option 1” which does all of the above, and “option 2”, which is limited to low carbon heating. The increased cost of the ambitious option is far outstripped by the energy savings homeowners will reap . These future-proof homes will also avoid a retrofit bill of ten of thousands pounds in ten years’ time.
If the government isn’t willing to go all the way, it should allow local authorities to set higher standards. Currently, local authorities that want to future-proof homes in their area still face challenges from restrictive national policy. The 2023 Written Ministerial Statement restricting councils from setting standards beyond building regulations exemplifies this tension between local ambition and national frameworks.
Yet innovative councils are finding ways forward. Bath and North East Somerset have adopted a local planning policy exceeding national standards to ensure new homes are built to net zero standards. Their policy includes ambitious energy consumption targets and requires on-site renewable development across all developments – residential and commercial alike. E
Local
(LAEPs) provide the foundation for coordinated
Retrofitting existing buildings presents an even greater challenge. By 2050, 29 million homes will need retrofitting , at a cost of up to £35,000 per property . The government’s £3.4 billion Warm Homes Plan shows welcome ambition, but the current process for supporting social housing decarbonisation through competitive funding rounds remains both inefficient and insufficient.
Greater Manchester shows what’s possible with proper planning and scale – they’re targeting 61,000 retrofits annually by 2030 Their comprehensive approach includes a retrofit skills hub, supply chain development, and innovative financing models. Meanwhile, Leeds’ Priority Neighbourhood programme demonstrates the wider benefits of retrofit, with internal temperatures rising from 12 to 18 degrees in treated homes.
Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs) provide the foundation for coordinated action. These data-driven, evidence-based plans define optimal decarbonisation pathways for specific areas. These plans can be integrated into the investment activities and expansion undertaken by energy companies/Distribution Network Operators. Analysis shows they could reduce
costs by over two-thirds while almost doubling bill savings compared to national approaches.
From Greater Manchester to Glasgow, authorities are proving LAEPs’ value in optimising infrastructure investment and maximising community benefits. Cornwall’s innovative approach involves resident panels directly shaping their LAEP, ensuring community voices guide infrastructure decisions. The Welsh Government’s commitment to fund LAEPs for all regions provides a model for the rest of Britain. Yet currently, only one in six councils have developed LAEPs. Without a standardised framework and dedicated funding, we risk missing this transformative opportunity and a vital local foundation for GB Energy’s ambition. The government’s commitment to regional devolution through the English Devolution Bill presents an opportunity to embed LAEPs in local decision-making. Combined with reforms to planning and the introduction of mandatory housing targets, we have a unique moment to align local energy planning with wider economic and social objectives. The experience of Wales shows how national frameworks can support local delivery while ensuring consistency and quality.
Success requires strong partnerships across the public sector. Our recently launched Influencing Strategy Toolkit provides practical guidance for local authorities to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels. The toolkit, developed through our Local Power in Action programme, and built on Calderdale’s award-winning success , helps authorities build the coalitions
needed to overcome barriers and accelerate delivery. Public money alone won’t fund the Net Zero transition. It’s why we are working with energy companies like UKPN DSO, Thrive Renewables and Co2Sense to share knowledge and create opportunities for partnership and investment.
Bristol’s City Leap programme shows what’s possible, channelling £500 million of publicprivate investment into community-backed projects. Meanwhile, Barnsley’s community energy company is cutting bills by 30 per cent while supporting the area’s transition from its mining heritage. These successes demonstrate the power of combining public sector leadership with private investment and community ownership.
The path forward
Looking ahead to 2025, local public sector leaders should check their plans on three areas. First, develop robust local energy plans that integrate with regional energy strategic plans, spatial planning and economic strategies. This means working closely with Distribution System Operators, who can provide crucial data and technical support, while ensuring plans align with wider public sector estate strategies. Second, build effective partnerships across sectors. The most successful local energy initiatives combine public sector leadership with private sector investment and community ownership. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan should provide a framework for this collaboration. But there are also tools like UK100’s Influencing Strategy Toolkit to build powerful coalitions for change. Success requires working effectively across local and national
The creation of Great British Energy, planning reforms, and the Clean Energy Mission demonstrate the government’s commitment to transformation
stakeholders, from community groups to government departments.
Finally, focus on skills and supply chain development. PWC estimates we’ll need up to 66,000 new skilled workers annually to deliver retrofit programmes alone. Public sector bodies must work together with education providers and industry to develop training programmes that create good green jobs, but Skills England and the Office for Clean Energy Jobs must work with local authorities to do this.
These priorities must be underpinned by genuine collaboration between local and national government. The trailblazer devolution deals with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authorities show how enhanced local powers can accelerate clean energy deployment, but they must become the norm not the exception. Similar approaches could be rolled out across the country, with energy planning and delivery becoming a core component of future devolution agreements.
With local government reform moving at pace, mandatory housing targets returning and ambitious clean energy goals set for 2030, the moment for integrated action has arrived. The creation of Great British Energy, planning reforms, and the Clean Energy Mission demonstrate the government’s commitment to transformation. But maximising the impact of these initiatives requires recognising that energy and devolution are two sides of the same coin.
The evidence from UK100’s Local Leaders Summit and our latest research is clear –empowering local leadership delivers better outcomes at lower cost. By bringing together the government’s devolution and clean energy agendas, we can create a more prosperous, sustainable Britain powered by local innovation and ambition – and clean energy! M
Paul Bullard, product director at SFG20, the industry standard for building maintenance specification, shares his insights on how effective contract management can save public sector businesses significant time and money, and how to overcome the most common obstacles.
Managing maintenance contracts in the public sector is a challenging, but ultimately, necessary task. The consequences of poor contract management go beyond inefficiency; they directly impact safety, compliance, and financial performance. By adopting effective strategies, public sector organisations can save significant time and get the best value for money, while ensuring that buildings are wellmaintained and legally compliant.
Common challenges the facilities management industry is facing Facilities management professionals, building owners and public sector workers face
numerous challenges that can easily derail efficient operations. From dealing with complex building legislation, to navigating the tendering process and maintaining a golden thread of information, these challenges require careful planning and execution.
The legislative landscape in the facilities management industry is constantly evolving. Staying up-to-date with building regulations requires time, expertise, and the ability to quickly integrate new legislation into existing maintenance plans. For public sector organisations, failing to comply can result in significant legal and financial consequences. Allocating resources to ensure compliance is E
Vita Play Limited are one of the UKs most innovative playground design, install and maintenance providers, working hard to develop and create accessible, challenging and safe environments to play.
We market an extensive range of children’s playground equipment that caters for all ages and abilities.
Design Groundworks Drainage Tarmac
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Outdoor play is a natural way for children of all ages and abilities to have fun through physical activity. Its good for children’s health and well-being to be physically active whilst playing, being active burns energy.
F not optional, but a central part of effective and responsible maintenance management. Tendering for maintenance services can be a frustrating experience for both clients and service providers. For facility managers, creating a precise specification of works is challenging and service providers may be unsure if their proposal can be compared like-for-like with competitors’ tender submissions. At the same time, service providers may remain unsure if their proposal matches up to competitors’ work. This imbalance and uncertainty can lead to inefficiencies and undesired outcomes that don’t fully meet a building’s needs. When changing maintenance providers, critical building information is often lost. Without a proper building handover process, new providers may need to map out the estate as if it were completely new, wasting valuable time and resources. This inefficiency is further compounded by the “golden thread” requirement outlined in the Building Safety Act 2022, which makes comprehensive, up-to-date records of building information mandatory. Ensuring continuity of data during transitions is now not just efficient, but a legal necessity.
Effective contract management begins with identifying and mitigating risks. Public sector companies must make sure that statutory tasks are completed before addressing any nonessential maintenance work. Taking advantage of tools like colour-coded task prioritisation systems, can help facilities managers distinguish between statutory, business critical, and discretionary tasks, enabling them to allocate resources effectively.
Risk assessments are also essential for minimising potential disruptions. For nonstatutory tasks, organisations should focus on assets critical to operations, while deprioritising those with limited impact in case of failure. This approach not only reduces risks but also ensures that resources are used where they are needed most.
When running a tender for the provision of FM services, it can be a challenging time for clients to ensure they get what they need and what they are paying for. The key is being able to clearly articulate your requirement via a scope of work or a performance specification. When a contracting party communicates this in readily accepted, industry-standard language, it can prevent misinterpretation and reduce the risk of not receiving the expected benefits from the project. This creates a more efficient process by removing time a service provider spends on creating their own maintenance regimes and ensures a clear comparison between what is being offered.
The golden thread of information is critical for building safety and compliance, now outlined in the Building Safety Act 2022. Daily checks and routine maintenance must be documented meticulously to ensure accountability. Mobile solutions can simplify this process by enabling real-time recording of completed tasks. For example, daily checks on equipment like forklifts or HGVs can be logged directly into an FM system, creating a reliable audit trail. E
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F For less frequent tasks, such as scaffolding inspections or machinery checks, digital tools can help ensure compliance with prescribed intervals. By maintaining detailed records, organisations can demonstrate adherence to safety standards and minimise legal risks. On top of maintaining an in-depth log of all maintenance tasks completed and scheduled, FM professionals must ensure that this information flows efficiently between all stakeholders. Integrating FM systems further enhances overall efficiency and reduces delays by providing a central source for information on maintenance tasks.
A successful handover relies on the smooth transfer of building information. Typically, construction teams provide asset registers and operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals, which form the foundation for maintenance regimes. At the end of a contract, retaining detailed records – including audit trails, and maintenance history – prevents duplication of work and ensures a smooth transition. This continuity not only saves time and money but also supports compliance with the golden thread requirements. For public sector organisations, maintaining this digital record ensures a smooth handover and continued operational efficiency.
Conclusion
Managing maintenance contracts effectively is no small feat, but the rewards for a business are significant. Tedious tendering processes, vague contracts and the loss of building maintenance
information upon completion can all cause significant disruption and confusion for both Building Owners and Service Providers. Taking advantage of SFG20’s software, Facilities-iQ, FM professionals can create precise maintenance regimes, ensure statutory compliance, and significantly simplify the tendering process.
Through its unique Maintenance Regime feature, Facilities-iQ enables both parties to draw up and access a precise specification to base a tender on, including clear KPIs. Users are automatically notified of updates to the standard and can choose when to apply them to their maintenance regime, providing the flexibility to quickly and easily adjust specifications to align with evolving legislation. With each schedule update, users can compare changes side by side and decide when to implement them. These updates then seamlessly integrate into FM systems via the freely available API, saving significant time. M
About SFG20:
Launched in 1990 by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), SFG20 is recognised as the industry standard for building maintenance specification. With access to a library of over 2000 maintenance schedules that are updated dynamically to reflect changes in legislation and regulations, you can create customised maintenance schedules that are designed to keep you compliant while also saving you time, effort and money.
www.sfg20.co.uk/e-guides/how-to-savetime-and-money
Two pieces of news in the first week of 2025 illustrated perfectly the glacial pace of change in implementing long overdue safety measures in buildings, writes Rachel Davidson, director of specialist knowledge at the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)
The Metropolitan Police announced that it didn’t have enough money to meet its planned deadline of March 2026 to conclude a criminal investigation into the Grenfell fire. “Lack of investment” in the resources needed to pursue charges against those found responsible means that any prosecutions will not begin until at least 2027 – a full decade after the fire.
The victims’ families said they felt “betrayed”.
A day earlier, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) condemned as “shocking” a decision to cut the height of a proposed multi-storey residential building in south London by 30 centimetres. This was so it would be just under 18 metres and, therefore, not defined as a high-risk building (HRB) under the Building Safety Act –avoiding the need for (and expense of) a second staircase.
This, according to the London Fire Brigade, was not “deferring to the spirit” of fire safety
guidance. And, as the FBU’s general secretary Matt Wrack pointed out, the safety risks would be “almost identical” to any similar building that was just 30cm taller.
The developers of the 230-home scheme argue that they are not doing anything “wrong” as the building will comply with “all relevant legislation”, but that completely misses the point. The occupants of this large social housing block will be facing, effectively, the same safety risks as neighbouring towers that are just a few centimetres higher – and everyone involved in the construction and operation of the building is responsible for keeping those people safe throughout its operating life.
What does all this say about the ‘culture’ of building safety we are supposed to be adopting in this country? There have been a lot of E
Levels of awareness vary according to company size with larger organisations, both in terms of turnover and number of employees, shown to be more up-to-speed
F fine words spoken about improving the UK’s building safety standards, particularly since the publication of the Grenfell Tower inquiry report, but action (or lack of) speaks louder.
At the start of the year, BESA also released the findings of a series of building safety ‘focus groups’ held as part of our regular round of regional meetings with members in the second half of last year. We have been tracking implementation of the Act since it was first introduced, so knew industry reform is slow, but even we were shocked to find that not a single client had asked any of the companies attending those meetings about the legislation or how to comply with it.
And, far from finding evidence of any significant culture change, BESA members said the pressure to deliver projects faster and more cheaply was actually increasing at the expense of quality and safety. This is particularly the case with owners and developers whose buildings were not classified as ‘higher risk’ (HRBs) which confirmed our suspicion that most clients believe the Act only applies to this type of building.
The meetings followed in-depth research BESA commissioned last year which revealed that, while awareness of the legislation is relatively high, contractors and clients are confused about their roles and responsibilities and there is little discernible change taking place.
The industry-wide survey, carried out by AMA Research on behalf of the Association, reported that 88 per cent of respondents showed some awareness of the Act with almost a third claiming to be “fully aware”. There were higher levels of awareness among BESA members than the industry as a whole, but detailed understanding of roles and responsibilities was mixed and varied by building and project type.
Compliance and legal understanding of the legislation, which came into force in 2022, are proving to be the biggest challenges for organisations who told researchers they needed more training and a closer working relationship with the office of the Building Safety Regulator to embed the changes required to improve building safety.
Also, levels of awareness vary according to company size with larger organisations, both in terms of turnover and number of employees, shown to be more up-to-speed, but without client engagement, the legislation will simply fail in its primary objective of ensuring building occupants are safe.
The two stories quoted at the start of this article demonstrate, plainly, that despite all the warm words, cost remains king.
The industry needs clearer and simpler guidance to help contractors apply the legislation measures
Most contractors told our researchers that the Act had only had a minimal impact on their businesses so far. 65 per cent of respondents said it had been “neither a positive nor a negative factor” to date. 27 per cent said it had been positive and 9 per cent complained of negative consequences.
Tellingly, just 9 per cent reported making “significant changes” to help them comply with the legislation.
The reasons are not hard to find, as our follow-up meetings confirmed. Clients are not engaged. They are either blissfully unaware or wilfully ignoring their responsibilities. As a result, tenders are still being won on lowest price and value engineered throughout the project on nonHRB works. Several contractors who insisted on applying more rigorous safety measures said they had been priced out of projects.
The BESA meetings also confirmed that most clients erroneously considered the legislation to be a ‘Construction’ Safety Act i.e. aimed exclusively at the construction industry and did not, therefore, apply to those owning, managing and operating buildings throughout their lifecycle.
Our aim in commissioning the research was to get a clearer picture of the level of industry awareness, understanding and readiness so BESA can adapt the services and specialist knowledge it provides to support the industry through this challenging and rapidly changing period.
We were also very keen that the report could help the Regulator gain a better understanding of the sector’s position and the challenges it faces, as we think it can do more to help the industry deliver compliant projects.
We were pleased to see that the level of awareness of the Act is highest among BESA members, but detailed understanding is patchy at best and varies considerably by building and project type. However, there is a general perception that the legislation could have positive impact by driving culture change – and we still believe that change will come in time.
The industry needs clearer and simpler guidance to help contractors apply the
legislation measures to their own businesses and explain it to their clients. We also need a closer and more productive relationship with the Regulator involving open channels of communication and a greater willingness to offer advice on how to comply with Act.
However, we need to be realistic and acknowledge that the pace of change is too slow and there is still a lot of work to be done to shift the industry’s focus from speed and cost to putting quality first.
But ultimately, if the government is serious about improving standards of safety and performance alongside its ambitious plans for construction growth, it will have to properly resource the Regulator and ensure that this potentially game changing legislation is fully enforced. There need to be consequences for those who are either ignorant of their responsibilities or determined to evade them.
Too many clients still think the Act does not apply to them – or that they can get away with ignoring both the spirit and the letter of the law. They must be the target of a major awareness programme driven by the Regulator and government. It cannot be left to individual contractors to try and educate their clients, particularly if they aren’t listening.
BESA’s report can be downloaded here and for detailed information about the Building Safety Act go to the BESA Hub . M
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process, or a living breathing
thing,
Pauline Beattie, ABPCO’s newly appointed co-chair, and a director of Conference Care, talks about Best Practice and its value as part of the event delivery process
ABPCO’s role is one of direction and education because a lot of what this association does is about providing advice and useful content on all aspects of event delivery, particularly in times of crisis and changes in legislation.
We like to think of ABPCO as a repository of industry knowledge, supported by incredibly experienced experts, and a dynamic, comprehensive education programme that encourages members to share literally decades worth of award-winning experience. This means ABPCO’s membership can learn and benefit –enhancing their performance, mitigating risk, saving them time and money.
Best practice
At the heart of this educational core is ‘Best Practice’ – which is so important when it comes to event delivery. I say this because generally event
delivery of any size or complexity is a high-risk proposition – and until an event is delivered, it’s predominantly an idea or concept, often with many variables and multiple stakeholders (who often don’t agree with each other).
So, what is Best Practice? I’m sure you know, but just for the record:
It is a tried and tested framework of processes, policies and approved recommendations, that draws upon the knowledge, experience and the successful track records of those that have gone before you – in a particular industry, or area of specialisation etc.
These processes and policies have been actively, robustly tested in real time – often by your peers –and provide a series of ‘checks & balances’ that in this case would allow us to land an event safely, to the highest standards, on budget, on schedule and to deliver an exceptional delegate experience. E
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Excellent customer service, unique venues, sustainable practices and innovative menus. www.caths.cam.ac.uk/conferences conference@caths.cam.ac.uk 01223 336433
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layout
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layout
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
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On the River Thames, view one of London's iconic structures from our grounds. Visit our Information Centre, where you can learn how the Thames Barrier was designed , buit and works.
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts Meeting, eventhire for upto
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
Unique meetingroomswith views of the River
andspaciousand o er variousroom layouts
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F The framework may include anything from predesigned briefing forms, budgets and schedules, standard contracts or policies that can be customised, a list of preferred suppliers, the latest legislation, or innovative ideas on how to deliver a sustainable event, or how to integrate DEI more creatively and effectively.
Some people do flinch when you mention Best Practice, because it does sound a bit restrictive and rather dull, but I can honestly say that over the years, I’ve found it to be the ultimate tool in our Event Toolbox. I view it as the foundation upon which my team can build an event – using those solid bricks of ratified information that we know we can trust, giving us the gift of time for more innovation and creativity. A good Best Practice Framework can also help us become more aware of risk, where to look for it and how to manage it - so mistakes can be contained from the start.
There are plenty of ‘how to create a Best Practice Policy’ guides on the internet, so I wanted to share my thoughts on the many complex and surprising areas of event delivery where Best Practice can influence, guide and support the event organiser. When you really start to think about it – it’s surprising!
Events are often high-value investments, with multiple stakeholders, complex communication channels and approvals procedures, with ‘blended’ budget responsibilities. Expectations are always high, and often clients/stakeholders come to the table with very different perspectives on what ‘their’ event should look like.
A Best Practice framework can help you to manage this type of complex scenario because it can focus all concerned on a logical pathway, with indicative processes and useful guidelines –particularly for those clients or stakeholders who are not experienced in event delivery.
Sometimes our clients or stakeholders have their own Best Practice Framework – which we are asked to adopt – and that can determine a different way of working. This may mean you have to work within the two versions, which may be quite challenging, but consider it an opportunity to learn new ways of thinking and doing – with the choice to incorporate some potentially new ideas into your own Best Practice Framework.
At ABPCO, our learning programme is a vibrant Best Practice Framework ‘in action’; where on a continuous basis throughout the year, our Executive Team, Members, Partners, Sponsors and Suppliers deliver and share their own ‘hands-on’ expertise in event delivery. This can be through
scheduled online seminars or talks, F2F sessions, a monthly members’ forum – which all members can attend and ask each other advice. ABPCO’s incredible educational flagship event – The Festival of Learning – is dedicated to promoting Best Practice across our sector. Attendees benefit from presentations, interactive sessions, 121 mentoring on core subjects and disciplines, plus an innovation hub to showcase what’s new and exciting in the world of event tech. This summer ABPCO will begin to build a ‘Best Practice Knowledge Vault’, which will be accessible to all members.
From my perspective, far from being put off by the idea of using a Best Practice Framework, I see it as a superb investment for any organisation. It can be an incredible tool for event delivery; a living breathing evolving thing, that benefits from on-going input, sharing and curating, that is enriched as it grows – and from which everyone can benefit. M
ABPCO is the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, an organisation that supports all those delivering events in-house, and in agencies, for Associations, Not-For-Profits, Unions, Charities, Societies and a wide range of membership Organisations.
Pauline Beattie is ABPCO’s newly appointed cochair, and a director of Conference Care – a long established and respected event company. Here she talks about Best Practice and its value as part of the event delivery process.
For other questions on Best Practice or becoming a member of ABPCO, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Heather Lishman, Association Director on +44 (0)1386 858886 or visit www.abpco.org
With employment laws changing, APSCo sets out how best to manage recruitment in 2025
The last year saw drastic shifts in the political landscape that have already impacted public sector recruitment and this will only continue throughout 2025. The Labour Government has set out plans to change hiring as we know it, introducing greater protections for workers and changing the way employers engage talent. The measures outlined in the Employment Rights Bill and the Budget will create some challenges for hiring teams (at the time of writing at least), particularly those in sectors such as healthcare and education where agency workers are a staple part of recruitment plans. So, what lies in store and how can public sector businesses best tackle recruitment in the year ahead?
Agency worker usage
Agency workers play a critical role in filling gaps across health & social care and education, however reliance on this segment of the workforce has long been criticised. Indeed, towards the end of 2024, we saw new rules come into force which curbed the use of agency social workers in children’s services.
In the latter quarter of the year, we also saw health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, announce plans to ban the use of agencies to cover resourcing gaps in the NHS. There may be some scope to reduce agency reliance on lower skilled staffing solutions, but this simply can’t be replicated across all temporary resources. Genuine agency workers still need
to be protected to support the needs of the healthcare sector. Niche, highly skilled clinical and non-clinical roles such as IT and digital, will all be required to reform the NHS. But these are often only available through agency workers.
While there does need to be a longer-term strategy in place to reduce the reliance on agency workers as a result of skills shortages, they will always be a core part of resourcing plans. In the current landscape – where there are simply not enough people to fill the demand – they will remain a stop gap for employers and
There’s also a growing desire from workers themselves to operate in a more flexible manner
it is critical that Government policy makers are mindful of this as they continue to push ahead with regulatory changes and restrictions on the use these workers.
Once there is a more sustainable talent pool for these sectors, then agency staff should be utilised in the way that they are meant to: namely filling unexpected shortages due to illness, for example.
Again, though, the ability to do this is potentially being limited as a result of proposals by the Labour Government. While at the time of writing, a variety of consultations around zero hours and other elements of the Employment Rights Bill are still open, some of the suggestions will hinder access to true and authentic temporary workers. Access to day one rights and the provision of guaranteed hours go against the fundamentals of agency worker engagement. It is impossible for a headteacher, for example, to know in advance how many shifts they will need supply staff for in order to cover unplanned absences. Under current plans, the onus to offer guaranteed hours would fall to staffing businesses themselves which simply isn’t viable for the vast majority of these firms. In fact, many of our members have already voiced their concerns that this would leave them unable to supply agency staff on an on-going basis, which would only be detrimental to public sector employers. E
There is a critical need to increase diversity in recruitment in order to expand talent pool access
As with agency workers, temporary resources are also key for the public sector, particularly at a time when budgets are being stretched and employers remain cautious around committing to permanent headcount increases. There’s also a growing desire from workers themselves to operate in a more flexible manner, which has driven more to actively choose to move into temporary rather than permanent roles. However, this is also at risk under current proposals. The Government has revealed plans to ban those in permanent jobs from resigning and moving into temporary work in the heath & social care sector. Given that this is often a personal choice rather than one driven by employers or staffing businesses, this has the potential to inadvertently reduce the number of people recruiters can put forward for work. If this option is removed, it risks further damaging recruitment and retention in the sector, and also doesn’t account for the number of permanent professionals that are already supplementing their income through additional temporary work.
While staffing business and trade bodies like APSCo are raising concerns around this approach and how the Government will be able to fill new gaps that emerge, it is also important the employers across the public sector highlight the potential impact this could have on their talent pools.
With a number of remits in the public sector facing significant staff shortages, there is – and arguably has always been – a critical need to increase diversity in recruitment in order to expand talent pool access. Indeed, the publication of the Government’s Get Britain Working whitepaper towards the end of last year focused on encouraging those who are economically inactive back into work to address both staff shortages and low productivity rates. For employers in the public sector, this will necessitate a review of current hiring and onboarding practices. There may be additional adjustments needed in recruitment to ensure processes are both appealing and fully accessible to everyone. That also means ensuring that any staffing partners, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Recruitment Process Outsourcers (RPOs) that are on Preferred Supplier Lists (PSLs) are themselves taking steps to be more inclusive in their hiring practices.
From an onboarding perspective, additional support may be required, particularly for those
that have been out of employment on long term sick who may require continued medical assistance, greater flexibility around working hours or location, and potential additional training and development to bring them up to speed quickly.
What APSCo and APSCo OutSource members are also seeing is a greater interest in Statement of Work (SOW) engagements, particularly as businesses face increasing costs of employment for full-time workers and more complexity
It is crucial that public sector businesses are working closely with their staffing partners
around engaging temporary staff. However, there are risks associated with this approach unless this is genuine SOW engagement.
There have already been examples within Government departments where they have faced fines for misclassification of SOW. It is crucial that employers across the public sector ensure that any Statement of Work engagements are genuine and not disguised contingent or temporary recruitment. That will require closer collaboration between HR, legal, procurement and suppliers to pinpoint areas of potential risk.
As proposals to reshape employment legislation and agency worker access in the UK continues to be mapped out, it is crucial that public sector businesses are working closely with their staffing partners to understand the exact impact that reforms will have on their recruitment plans. Perhaps more importantly, though, employers need to make their voices heard as the Government continues to consult on its proposals. Unless we collaborate, the sector could see a detrimental impact on its workforce that will be hard to reverse any time soon. M
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