Government Business 21.2

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www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 21.2

Business Information for Local and Central Government

FINANCE

SMARTER FORECASTING URBAN REGENERATION

GETTING BACK TO GOOD PLACEMAKING

Avoid costly mistakes with realistic forecasts

Being enabled, empowered and funded to deliver your vision FLOOD MANAGEMENT

CO-ORDINATING FLOOD ACTION

How Boston Borough Council and the community rallied together during severe floods

test The la ogy ol techn p83 news

ice l Serv a t i g i D ion Provis p87

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COMMENT FLEET MANAGEMENT

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

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Business Information for Local and Central Government

Comment

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

IT MAY BE DRY, BUT FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS MUST GO ON Whilst the headlines may have turned there attention elsewhere, the devastation that has been caused by the floods since December is still very real for many affected households and local authorities dealing with the aftermath.

FINANCE

SMARTER FORECASTING URBAN REGENERATION

GETTING BACK TO GOOD PLACEMAKING

Avoid costly mistakes with realistic forecasts

Being enabled, empowered and funded to deliver your vision FLOOD MANAGEMENT

CO-ORDINATING FLOOD ACTION

How Boston Borough Council and the community rallied together during severe floods

est The lat y log techno p83 news

Service Digital ion Provis p87

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW | FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | CUSTOMER SERVICE

Councils have worked tirelessly to help communities cope with the floods, providing sandbags, clearing roads, helping stranded motorists, pumping away floodwater, providing emergency accommodation for evacuated households, and checking in on vulnerable or elderly residents.

Once such council which has stood out for its efforts is Boston Borough Council, whose residents were severely affected by a tidal surge last December that affected almost 600 homes. Whilst Boston is no stranger to flooding, this incident will go down in history as one of the worst in terms of depth of water.

What unfolded was a rallying-together of the councils, fire and rescue services, the police, and the community itself to co-ordinate the recovery effort.

Alan Hardwick, Lincolnshire’s police and crime commissioner, said: “I have been so impressed by the council and all the emergency services. This is one of the best examples of inter-agency co-operation that I have ever seen.”

Boston District Council’s Phil Drury shares the story on page 19.

The issue of public sector website accessibility is in the news again. Reforms which would strengthen accessibility rules on over 700,000 public sector websites across Europe are being ‘blocked’ by EU politicians, according European Blind Union (EBU), which represents blind people across Europe. Despite voting in favour of the reforms, the EU is yet to act. Read more on page 83.

Angela Pisanu

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE TO FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Government Business magazine for £120 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:

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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 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Arthur Walsh PRODUCTION EDITOR Richard Gooding PRODUCTION CONTROL Jacqueline Lawford, Jo Golding WEB PRODUCTION Reiss Malone ADVERTISEMENT SALES Emily Dawson, Steve Day, Nichola Halle, Bernie Miller, David Morgan, Ash Seaman PUBLISHER Kelly Scott ADMINISTRATION Victoria Leftwich, Charlotte Cassar REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

© 2014 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

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

3

Contents

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

CONTENTS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS 21.2 07 GB NEWS

LGA calls to keep £347 million emergency welfare fund; Most of Regional Growth Fund unspent; Birmingham City Council to sell NEC to settle equal pay bill

11 FINANCE: PROCUREMENT

Tom McBride of the National Audit Office explains how government departments can make savings through smarter forecasting

11

15 FINANCE: PROCUREMENT Joanna Bussell from law firm Winckworth Sherwood explains how buying will change following the new Public Sector Procurement Directive

19 FLOOD MANAGEMENT

Phil Drury of Boston Council talks about his community’s response to the flood, which has been praised as a excellent example of inter-agency cooperation

19

23 URBAN REGENERATION

Juliana O’Rourke reflects on the UK’s planning system and asks whether recent changes will enhance or hinder good placemaking

23 41

CIPD Learning and Development Show (previously known as HRD) takes place on 30 April – 1 May, at London Olympia

55 CUSTOMER SERVICE

Katherine Potter shares examples of firms that have benefited from improving their customer experience

57 CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Recent investment in Manchester has improve its conference and event offering

63 EVENT PREVIEW: SUSTAINABILITY LIVE 2014

Learn how energy efficiency can improve profit margins at Sustainability Live 2014

67 FLEET MANAGEMENT

With so many choices for business travel, how can an organisation know what is best for them? The ICFM’s James Langley goes through the options

71 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW 2014

The BIFM’s James Sutton explains how managers are working to change perceptions of this unsung profession

The CV Show is the largest and most comprehensive road freight transport event staged in Britain, catering for every operator’s requirements

33 MAINTEC 2014

77 HUMAN RESOURCES

27 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

We preview Maintec 2014 and its co-located shows – Facilities Management and the Health & Safety Event

41 CARE SERVICES

57

49 EVENT PREVIEW: HRD SHOW

Nadra Ahmed of the National Care Association describes the progress the care industry has made and what its future challenges are

45 CARE HOMES

The Care Bill, which should receive Royal Assent shortly, aims to address the scandal of pensioners selling their homes in distress to pay for care

83 GT NEWS

Spy agencies’ data gathering to be reviewed; £250 million boost for local broadband; Liverpool Council to end joint3venture with BT

Government Business

Louise Tibbert of the Public Sector People Managers’ Association examines the challenges of sustaining a good local government workforce

79 EVENT PREVIEW: INFOSECURITY EUROPE The information security industry gathers at Infosecurity Europe

93 PRODUCTS & SERVICES

ISSU

Turn to E 12.2 p latest gage 83 for th techno overnment e lo and fe gy news atures

85 DIGITAL SERVICES

A survey of over 300 public sector organisations looks at the challenge of switching to digital service provision

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

5

‘‘Our D-Tech equipment means students can self navigate the resources and take ownership of their borrowing. ’’

RFID / SECURITY / RFIQ / PEOPLE COUNTERS / EM / STOCK MANAGEMENT / RF / LAPTOP SECURITY / VENDING / SELF SERVICE

FINANCE

Birmingham City Council to sell NEC to settle equal pay bill

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/mcg4zlv

Birmingham’s NEC Group of exhibition centres has been put up for sale by the city council to help pay an outstanding equal pay settlement of £1.1bn bill.

The settlements are for female staff including home care workers and school cooks who were paid less than men for work of equal value. Some men have also been included in the payouts.

The council has already paid £450m in equal pay settlements, and has raised £76m in the past couple of years through the sale of council houses, land and office buildings.

A schedule of payments has been agreed with trade unions acting for the women – £120m is due in 2014 and a further £154m in 2015, according to council officials.

The group brings in £2bn a year

and supports the equivalent of 29,000 jobs, the council said.

Sir Albert Bore, leader of the Labour-run council, said the key purpose of establishing the NEC Group had been to drive economic development and regeneration. “This has been achieved,” he said. “But now the NEC Group has reached a point in its evolution where it needs to be able to adopt the financial disciplines of a private, rather than a council-owned, company to enable the next stage of strategic development.”

The sale would have gone ahead regardless of the council’s financial issues, he claimed.

The council said it intended to retain “claw-back rights” over potentially valuable land at the NEC site, next to where the HS2 Birmingham interchange could be built.

NEWS IN BRIEF

GB News

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

231 councils intend to freeze council tax New figures show that 231 councils intend to take up the offer of additional central government funding to help freeze Council Tax this year.

The government is providing up to £550 million in extra Whitehall grants to local authorities that freeze their bills from this April.

Since 2010, the government has worked with local authorities to reduce the cost of living by freezing Council Tax. READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/k7t26sw

Over 100,000 helped by home ownership schemes The number of people who have been helped to buy or reserve a house through the Right to Buy and Help to Buy schemes since 2010 stands at 112,000, according to new government figures. This includes around 24,000 social tenants via right to buy and around 40,000 reservations and completed sales through Help to Buy. More than 400,000 homes have been built since 2010, with 23 per cent more new builds in 2013 than the previous year.

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/o2xopo9

FINANCE

LGA calls to keep £347 million emergency welfare fund The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that plans to scrap the Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) fund could “make it increasingly difficult to help vulnerable people facing short-term crises.”

The LWA fund currently allows local authorities to give emergency assistance to people dealing with crisis situations such as homelessness or domestic abuse.

Food vouchers and household essentials are among the services it pays for.

LGA Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell said: “This fund has been used by councils to provide crucial support to people facing personal crises in their lives, from help paying the rent to putting food on the table.

“By helping people at an early stage and targeting support at where it is needed most, we have been able to give essential support in people’s time of need and prevent short-term problems escalating.

LWA fund allows local authorities to help people in domestic abuse situations

“It is extremely disappointing that Government has removed the funding for this safety net without first honouring its promise to discuss with councils what the consequence of such a READ MORE: move tinyurl.com/osoaxpt might be.”

Additional funds released for flood relief With council response teams currently operating at their limits, the government has pledged further financial support for communities affected by recent floods.

The announcement revealed that businesses who have been affected will be granted 100 per cent rate relief, while homeowners will be eligible for council tax relief and repair grants.

Robert Light, deputy chair of the Environment Agency, said: “The recovery part is going to go on for months and possibly longer.”

E Coordinating action during a flooding crisis, page 19

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/q424tml

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

7

PAY

FINANCE

Low Pay Commission makes new minimum wage recommendations The Low Pay Commission has commented on its 2014 report, advising ministers that minimum wage should be raised by 3 per cent from £6.31 to £6.50 an hour. The Commission says that while the minimum wage has risen faster than other wages during the economic downturn its real value has fallen due to inflation.

LPC chair David Norgrove said: “We have had to balance the risk of recommending more than business and the economy can afford, bearing in mind the pressures on low‑paying sectors and small firms, against the risk of doing too little to start to restore the real value of the earnings of the lowest paid. We do believe however that the economic recovery should this year allow an increase in the real value of the minimum wage, the first increase for at least five years.”

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/kar3zhd

Council management costs rising, finds watchdog The Audit Commission has said that the cost of managing local authorities has risen by a tenth in the last decade, and that a lack of monitoring is preventing savings from being made. Spending in areas like human resources, IT and property was assessed as part of its report.

While spending fell by 11 per cent over 2009/10 to 2011/12, spending in March 2012 was £577 million higher than in 2003/04.

Commission chair Jeremy Newman said that their findings were incomplete as only 233 councils had complete spending records. He said: “The councils with missing data or unusually high year‑on‑year variation will find it difficult to get a clear picture of their spending in order to identify possible savings.

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/nvqahu3

“These councils need to focus on consistent and reliable recording of their spending to improve financial management and strengthen accountability to local taxpayers.’”

FINANCE

Most of Regional Growth Fund unspent A report issued by the National Audit Office (NAO) states that less than a quarter – £492 million of a total £2.6 billion – of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to boost regional economies has been spent since it was set up in 2012.

NAO found that while the number of jobs created or maintained through the fund had risen to 44,400, the average cost of creating these jobs had risen to £37,400 – an increase of 13% since the fund started.

Critics argue that the RGF process is too slow, with £425 million in allocated funds

currently held in intermediaries before reaching bidders. But the NAO found that cash is starting to reach businesses more quickly.

Shadow minister for small business, Toby Perkins, said: “This report highlights ongoing concerns over bureaucracy and delays in money getting out of the door to the businesses which need it. The RGF was set up to boost private sector growth in deprived areas but instead we are seeing areas READ MORE: and regions tinyurl.com/k9eumyc held back.”

HOMELESSNESS

JOB CUTS

Rise in the number of rough sleepers

Doncaster Council to scrap 1,200 jobs

Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government show that the number of people sleeping rough in England has risen by almost 40 per cent since 2010. Local councils reported 2,414 rough sleepers in 2013, up from 1,768 in 2010 and 2,309 in 2012.

Research has pointed to a lack of affordable housing and cuts to housing benefits and homelessness services as contributing to the problem. Rates of homelessness are rising fastest in the East Midlands and south east,

GB News

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

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ky7ws3h

with increases of 96 and 275 per cent in Derby and Slough respectively.

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of Crisis, said: “This continued rise in rough sleeping is unacceptable – behind these statistics are more and more real lives being devastated by the traumatic experience of homelessness.

“The government must take real steps to address the chronic lack of affordable housing and urgently consider the impact its cuts are having, particularly to housing benefit and local homelessness services.”

With £109 million in savings to be made, Doncaster mayor Ros Jones has announced that her borough is to make at least 1,200 public sector workers redundant over the next three years. The cuts will also impact day care and leisure services, and will see council tax rise by just under two per cent every year.

Jones protested against the required cuts in a letter to the Prime Minister, saying they “have disproportionally impacted upon places like Doncaster, compared to areas of relatively less need.”

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

9

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PROCUREMENT

Finance

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

Written by Tom McBride, National Audit Office

MAKING SAVINGS THROUGH SMART FORECASTING

Government departments should follow stricter guidelines in their budget forecasts, argues Tom McBride of the National Audit Office (NAO) in an analysis of a recent report Poor quality forecasting by government departments is an entrenched problem leading to poor value for money and additional costs falling on taxpayers. Over 70 of our reports over the last three years have raised concerns about forecasting, prompting us to produce our first ‘holistic review’ of the topic. This examines how departments produce and use forecasts at both a project and aggregate level, and the role of the centre of government in incentivising good forecasting. The report focuses on Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) spending which at around £360 billion makes up about half of government expenditure and is generally considered to be under departments’ control.

We have drawn on our extensive back catalogue of high-profile failures to illustrate our concerns. Examples include the Ministry of Defence’s decision to procure the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, which had to be reversed, at a cost of £74 million, after it became clear the forecast costs were based on immature information and assumptions.

at the Treasury, subsequently commissioned a review of the quality assurance arrangements for business critical models across government. This identified 484 such models and made a series of recommendations for ASSESSING PRACTICE departments to improve quality assurance The problem of poor forecasting is also and governance arrangements and to ensure illustrated by the Department for Communities quality assurance is part of their culture. and Local Government’s New Homes Bonus scheme which was underpinned by a The Treasury is due to review model containing an arithmetical departments’ progress against error. This led to the these recommendations department overestimating later this year. by about 32,000 the Alongside our review number of new homes the of our back catalogue scheme would produce. of reports, we surveyed Another prominent analysts and finance example is provided directors, held focus by the collapse of the groups with senior Intercity West Coast analysts and reviewed Morse, Amyas franchise procurement the Ministry of Justice’s it d l Au in October 2012 as a forecasting of the prison Nationa result of a technical error population. The evidence Office in the assessment of bidders’ gathered was used to assess financial models. This high-profile government’s capability against its error resulted in £54 million of unforeseen framework for good practice in modelling. costs for the Department for Transport.

What we found was that there are issues with Sir Nick Macpherson, Permanent Secretary the way forecasts E

“High quality is ting forecas ensable p an indisof planning t elemen lementation” and imp

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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PROCUREMENT  are produced and how they are used by departments in the decision-making process.

PRODUCTION Our report highlighted concerns about how government departments produce their forecasts. One area of particular concern was the quality of data – more than half the analysts we spoke to identified a lack of good quality data as a barrier to good forecasting.

Our report also questions the way in which the results of forecasts are presented, too often using point estimates rather than providing ranges which would reflect the uncertainty in the outputs. The NAO’s 2013 report on High Speed 2, for example, highlighted the fact that uncertainty at the early stages meant it was unwise of the department to present a point estimate of £16.3 billion, rather than the range of £15.4 billion to £17.3 billion.

the uncertainty across approximately 600 budget lines to create a picture of where the department’s finances were, and to illustrate the probability of under or overspending.

DEPARTMENTAL ENVIRONMENT While departments need to create an environment which improves the quality of forecasting, analysts told us that time pressure is a barrier to good quality forecasting, whilst senior analysts suggested policy colleagues were ‘blind to uncertainty’.

Another major concern raised by both analysts and finance directors was optimism bias, and the desire of decision-makers for analysis that supported their viewpoint and intentions. Analysts have expressed concern that they are under pressure to provide supportive rather than realistic forecasts.

One area of particular concern was data – more than half the analysts we spoke to identified a lack of good quality data as a barrier to good forecasting HOW FORECASTS ARE USED Forecasts are used by policy, finance and operational staff to inform the running of existing projects and the initiation of new ones. These groups need to work closely with analysts to integrate forecasts in the decision-making process. More than a quarter of analysts, however, told us there was a lack of understanding by senior management of what forecasts mean. In addition, only 39 per cent thought senior managers used forecasts effectively.

While departments almost always balance budgets at a macro level, there is considerable volatility at a programme level, with forecast spending varying considerably throughout the year. In the space of 10 months, for example, the Department for Communities and Local Government moved 40 per cent of its resources between programmes.

The majority of finance directors agreed that better forecasting could help reduce volatility and the risks to value.

Senior analysts also raised concerns about how forecasts are used at an aggregate level within departments. They told us about a ‘disconnect’ between the analytical and finance functions and described the finance function as a ‘black box’, with a lack of clarity about how forecasts inform allocation. The Ministry of Justice, however, has nominated analysts who work closely with its finance directorate and key change programmes in order to ‘bridge’ the functions.

We looked at how the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ finance directorate has worked with analysts to develop a new approach to forecast aggregate spending. The approach used

CENTRE OF GOVERNMENT The centre of government has an important role to play in improving the quality of forecasting. Although we acknowledge the positive steps taken, such as the publication of the review of financial management capability in December 2013, we suggest that the pressure not to exceed annual budgets crowds out forecasting and encourages short-term decision-making and volatile spending profiles and, ultimately, provides poor value for money. The Treasury’s spending teams also need to do more, as the National Audit Office expects ‘the pattern of broadly accurate aggregate forecasts, but

Finance

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

poor quality programme-level forecasts, to continue’ without more ‘informed challenge.’

FORECASTING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR We also worked with Deloitte to produce a summary of leading practice in forecasting, based on their experience of working with high-performing private sector clients.

The report, published alongside the NAO review, states that forecasting is ‘considered essential within the corporate performance management cycle of leading practice organisations’. In spite of the finding that 85 per cent of private sector managers considered forecasts to be important, only 52 per cent considered their own organisations’ forecasts to be high quality. Deloitte identified several characteristics common to organisations that lead good practice in forecasting, including collaboration across all business areas; balanced investment in systems and inputs; and the ability to adapt to change.

CONCLUSIONS We concluded that forecasting is ‘not taken sufficiently seriously and is often hampered by poor quality data and unrealistic assumptions driven by policy agendas’.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “Departments generally treat forecasting of future spending as little more than a technical activity, of limited relevance to financial management. In fact, high quality forecasting is an indispensable element of project planning and implementation.

“We have seen many examples over recent years of government projects where weaknesses in forecasting have led to poor value for money.

A first step towards improving the quality of forecasting would be increased transparency and scrutiny of forecasting and more concerted action at the centre of government.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nao.org.uk

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

13

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Visit o2maketherightconnection.co.uk or call our Public Sector team on 0800 955 5590.

PROCUREMENT

Finance

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

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROCUREMENT INNOVATION

The new Directive for the procurement of public sector goods and services was approved by the European Commission on 15 January 2014. It establishes a new procurement framework which is modern, flexible and streamlined and which facilitates new entrants to tender for public sector contracts.

Each member state, including the UK, has two years to implement the new directive.

However, recognising the significance of the new regime and, in particular, the freedom and flexibility it offers, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has committed to implementing the Directive quickly.

The Directive is a result of 18 months lobbying by the Cabinet Office. It includes a number of significant wins for the Coalition Government and, in particular, its commitment to encourage social enterprises, co-operatives and charities to tender for and deliver public sector services.

Commenting on the new regime, Francis Maude stated that “Some of the most innovative young companies have been excluded from the process.

Under the new system, start ups will be able to tender for contracts.”

There are a number of key changes in the new regime which facilitate new entrants to bid for public sector contracts as well as streamlining the procurement process for all bidders. These key changes are summarised below.

Written by Joanna Bussell, Winckworth Sherwood

The EU has given the green light to its new Public Sector Procurement Directive, making it much easier for charities, social enterprises and public sector mutuals to deliver public services.

Joanna Bussell, a partner in the local government projects team at law firm Winckworth Sherwood, reports on the framework

The e Directives a h establisurement c new pro rk which is o framew, flexible and modern lined. It also A LIGHT TOUCH REGIME stream tates new Public sector services were i l i fac previously categorised as s t entran Part A or Part B services. Part B

services were exempt from the full rigours of public procurement regime, including the requirement to advertise, as these types of services were considered not to be of cross border interest within the EU. This distinction has, however, now been abolished which means that all public sector services must be advertised.

However, Articles 74 to 76 of the Directive set out two critical concessions for certain types of services which gives rise to an opportunity for new entrants to bid for these types of services, namely a ‘light touch regime’ and a significantly higher de minimis threshold of (EURO)750,000.

The types of services which benefit from this new light touch regime includes health, community care, social services, prison related E

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

PROCUREMENT  services, public security and rescue services.

It also includes leisure, arts and culture.

Interestingly, these are some of the key services which are currently in the pipeline for spinning out to public sector mutuals as part of the Cabinet Office’s Mutual Support Programme.

When procuring a contract for services which are subject to the new light touch regime, contracting authorities must publish an OJEU notice, as well as a Contract Award notice. A contracting authority must also comply with the general EU Treaty Principles of transparency and equal treatment.

However, subject to that, a contracting authority has significant freedom and flexibility in relation to the procurement of such services and is not under an obligation to comply with the prescriptive procurement processes applicable to other services.

This is, therefore, an opportunity for contracting authorities to develop an approach to procurement which is fit for purpose for these types of services and which, coupled with the other concessions highlighted below, will encourage new entrants into these key service areas and, in particular, social enterprises, charities and public sector mutuals.

has, to date, been an obstacle to the roll out of the Cabinet Office’s public sector mutual programme. This removes the initial procurement hurdle and will allow central and local government to award contracts for an initial three year period to a public sector mutual.

In the Coalition Government’s press release, Francis Maude stated: “Traditionally, new mutuals are exposed to full competition, which may stunt their growth or even put them off starting up. Now government will be able to reserve contracts for services provided by mutuals before exposing them to EU competition.”

This three year period will give the public sector mutual an opportunity to establish a track record and trading history and thus be in a position to tender on a competitive basis against existing operators when the contract is tendered after the initial three-year period.

CONTRACT AMENDMENTS Article 72 of the new Procurement Directive codifies the CJEU case law on the amendment of public contracts during their term.

A modification will be deemed “substantial” so as to require a new procurement where the following conditions are met: it would have allowed the admission of different candidates / attracted additional tenderers; it changes the economic balance in favour of the tenderer; and if it considerably extends the scope of the contract.

It is important to note that even if an amendment is substantial a contract can be lawfully modified without a new procurement if the value of the modification is less than both (1) Article 4 de minimis value threshold for contracts of that type and (2) 10 per cent of the initial contract value.

Perhapsrst fi for the we time, rement procu have a ime that reg both fosters n and io innovatfication diversi

RESERVED CONTRACTS The Directive creates a new category of ‘reserved contracts’ for certain types of services. These services are primarily health, social and cultural services, as identified by their CPV codes set out in Article 77 of the new Directive. The Directive permits member states to provide that these categories of contracts can be reserved to particular types of organisations.

There are some key pre conditions to be met before this provision can apply. The organisation for which the contract is to be reserved must have as its objective the pursuit of a public service mission linked to the delivery of the reserved service, and any profits must be reinvested with a view to achieving the organisation’s objective. The structure of the organisation must be based on employee ownership or participatory principles. Finally, the organisation must not have been awarded a reserved contract within the previous three years, and the term of the contract cannot be longer than three years.

The significance of this concession cannot be under estimated. It is critical to the success of the Coalition Government’s public sector mutual initiative. It means that, subject to the above pre conditions, contracting authorities can award contracts to newly established public sector mutuals (or charities and social enterprises) without competition.

The existing procurement regime

CHANGES WITHOUT NEW PROCEDURES Helpfully, the new Directive specifies certain circumstances where public contracts may be modified without a new procurement procedure. These include: where the modification has been provided for in the initial procurement documents in a clear, precise and unequivocal review clause; and where additional services or supplies have become necessary but were not included in the initial procurement and where a change of contractor cannot be made for economic or technical reasons, or would cause significant inconvenience or substantial duplication of costs for the contracting authority, provided that any increase in price may not be higher than 50 per cent of the value of the original contract.

It is critical that public sector contracts remain responsive to the changing needs of local communities. Contracts should be kept

Finance

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

under continuous review and as appropriate amended to reflect these changes needs.

The significance of this particular provision in the new Directive is to give both certainty and confidence to both parties in terms of what amendments are permissible without the cost and expense of a new procurement process.

It is this flexibility in the new procurement regime that will help contracting authorities ensure long term public sector contracts remain aligned to the needs of the end users and thus deliver better outcomes and value for all.

ABNORMALLY LOW TENDERS Article 69 of the new Directive imposes an obligation on contracting authorities to seek an explanation regarding the price or cost of a tender if a tender appears to be abnormally low.

If a contracting authority has sought an explanation it is also obliged to assess the information that is provided in response.

A contracting authority is only entitled to reject the tender where the evidence supplied does not satisfactorily account for the low level of price or cost.

The significance of this new provision is to enable authorities to ensure that the focus of procurement remains on a balance of cost and quality and key social outcomes are not prejudiced by out of market bids.

Again, this will help new entrants and smaller social enterprises compete against national operators.

ADDITIONAL CHANGES Other key changes include: recognition of the importance of preliminary market consultation to enable contracting authorities to develop more bespoke specifications and, thus, delivering better outcomes for all parties (Article 40); a requirement to divide contracts into lots thus enabling social enterprises, charities and public sector mutuals to bid for specific elements of a contract (Article 46); and a simpler, faster, more flexible procurement process with reduced time periods for submission of expressions of interest – assisting new entrants with limited resources to support a complex tender process.

A DYNAMIC PROCUREMENT REGIME The new Public Procurement Regime offers a real opportunity to procure public sector services in a more dynamic and entrepreneurial way by opening up the public sector market to new entrants with a particular focus on social enterprises, charities and public sector mutuals.

Perhaps for the first time, we have a procurement regime which fosters innovation and diversification. It is hoped that both those procuring public sector services and those bidding for public sector contracts fully embrace the new regime and maximise the opportunities it presents. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.wslaw.co.uk

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FLOOD RESPONSE

This winter, many parts of the country were affected with severe flooding, and the small Fenland market town of Boston is still feeling the impact of the tidal surge of December 5 which affected almost 600 homes. Phil Drury of Boston Borough Council, talks about his community’s flood response, which has been praised as a excellent example of inter-agency cooperation The recent floods saw Boston united in an effort to deal with the aftermath

Boston is no ood, fl o t r e strang ecember 5 D but the will go down t s inciden ecord books a in the r f the worst one o s of depth in term water of

Written by Phil Drury, deputy chief executive, Boston Borough Council

COORDINATING ACTION DURING A FLOODING CRISIS

The rescue operation, which lasted only a few days, followed by the much-longer recovery stage, have been managed largely by local authorities – Lincolnshire County Council and Boston Borough Council, both supported by partner agencies such as fire and rescue and police and a huge army of willing volunteers.

Staff are still dealing with flood-related issues, but have returned to business as usual. A debrief session with partners such as the county council, Environment Agency, police, fire and rescue, internal drainage boards and volunteers has been held to assess the response to the incident. Frank discussions about what went well and what didn’t have been held and an action plan to better prepare for the future based on this experience is being formulated.

As well as businesses and homes, out of town farm land was flooded. At Jubilee Bank, Friskney, up to 600 acres was under water – crops destroyed and land out of action in terms of winter and spring planting plans – plus 74 acres at Old Leake. Local nature reserves were affected with seal pup losses in some of the breeding areas. Saltwater inundation into freshwater local reserves will lead to some ecological impacts and habitat loss – recovery will take time.

Lessons learned, some peculiar to Boston, include the need for improved communication channels with non-English speaking residents and advance arrangements for an immediate volunteer response.

Flood Management

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

CRISIS RESPONSE Boston, sited in low-lying fenland close to the Wash marshes, is no stranger to flood, but the December 5 incident will go down in the record books as one of the worst in terms of depth of water. No one died, but it was clear a human tragedy was unfolding as the numbers of affected properties became known. What then began to happen revealed Boston at its best, as the town united in an effort to deal with the flood aftermath.

Example after example came in of neighbours helping neighbours and strangers coming to the assistance of those worst affected.

The flood had been anticipated and warnings were issued – by radio, television and through social media channels, and personally to all those who had signed up for Environment Agency flood warnings. The borough council also hand delivered warning notices written in English, Polish, Russian, Latvian and Portuguese. Salt water in The Haven came over the river bank and, in some cases, flood defences built on top of the river banks. A combination of an exceptional high tide, gales and low air pressure caused sea levels in the North Sea and The Wash to swell. E

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Flood Management

FLOOD RESPONSE  The volume, weight and force of water burst through the sea defences, crushed walls in town and even squeezed its way through the feet-thick masonry at the famous Boston Stump (St Botolph’s Church). Emergency services evacuated the worst-hit areas, rescuing people and their pets where they had taken refuge in upstairs rooms. Some were floated down their streets to safety in inflatable boats.

ENSURING CITIZENS’ SAFETY At its worst the flood waters reached a depth of around four feet – although some low-lying areas, such as the cellars beneath the Stump, had as much as 12 feet of water in them.

The water overtopped the river banks and ran through the town, almost taking on a life of its own as it flowed into lower-lying areas. In some cases it went as quickly as it appeared, but left in its wake homes filled with filthy, contaminated water as sewers overflowed. Losses on ground floors in many properties were total, and it would later transpire that many had no contents insurance.

First priorities were to ensure everyone was safe and everyone was accounted for – a monumental task given that 55 streets had been flooded. Boston Borough Council staff, with support from emergency services and volunteers, visited 948 properties. In the first few days the needs during the emergency of the occupants of all those properties was assessed.

In 23 cases people vulnerable through age, health, pregnancy, with responsibility for children or having no utilities received high-priority aid. A further 49 were assessed as medium risk and were supported.

In 25 properties, despite being visited as many as ten times, no answer could be obtained, but police confirmed no people were at risk in these properties.

Boston Borough Council’s Municipal Buildings offices in West Street became the centre of the recovery operation with staff redeployed and working extra hours to deal with personal callers asking for help and advice. Dedicated phone lines were brought into use.

HANDLING THE AFTERMATH The town’s drainage infrastructure stood up to the test and the flood waters soon disappeared from the streets, leaving behind silt and debris. A priority for the borough council was to clean up. Residents were told that any flood-damaged items they wanted to dispose of could be left outside their homes and the council would continuously tour with refuse freighters until all flood-damaged items were removed.

Neighbouring South Holland District Council assisted with this. Furniture piled up in the streets. Residents were constantly reminded to be sure they had met insurance obligations before disposing of anything.

To date around 355 tonnes of damaged

A combination of an exceptional high tide, gales and low air pressure caused sea levels in the North Sea and The Wash to swell

items have been lifted off Boston’s streets.

Social media came into its own and was the first time these communication channels had been used in this area in an emergency Two groups of volunteers sprang up – the Get Boston Back On Its Feet group quickly mobilising volunteers to get soggy carpets and furniture out of houses so that the long drying process could begin. This group set up its own fundraising campaign and has begun taking applications from people requiring help to purchase carpets and white goods for their homes.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT There has been a fantastic community spirit and councillors, some whose own homes were flooded, rallied volunteers on the night of the flood and the next day to help people affected by the deluge. The flood clean-up was hampered when Boston’s household waste site was closed when part of the access road was swept away. The site itself was also hit by flood water causing disruption.

The damage to the only road in and out was substantial and residents wanting

Boston’s Dunkirk spirit was praised by Owen Patterson, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he toured some of the worst flood-hit areas on Saturday, December 7. He met home owners and shop keepers rallying round with help from friends and neighbours to rescue their properties from the ravages of the disaster.

Alan Hardwick, Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner praised the flood recovery response from Boston Borough Council, saying: “I have been so impressed by the council and all the emergency services. This is one of the best examples of inter‑agency co-operation that I have ever seen. They plan for this sort of thing, but it has been theory up until now. Putting those plans into place has worked incredibly well.”

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE With more exceptional high tides predicted the Environment Agency put some precautionary defences in place where flood walls had been damaged. The flood led to a massive uptake in people registering for Environment Agency flood warnings. Work continues in

“I have been so impressed by the council and all the emergency services. This is one of the best examples of inter-agency co-operation that I have ever seen.”

Alan Hardwick, Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner to take care of their own damaged goods disposal had to be redirected to tips at neighbouring Spalding and Skegness. This damage was among the most dramatic and necessitated repairs using thousands of tonnes of material and Environment Agency contractors working 14-hour days under floodlights. At one stage even a helicopter was involved in the repair operation. The road was repaired and the site opened for normal business 12 days after the flood hit.

Boston Food Bank operated its flood relief operation from Zion Methodist Church.

Extra food was donated by the public, shops and supermarkets. Boston Borough Council issued white flood food vouchers to be exchanged for food parcels at the church.

Boston to rebuild damaged flood defences.

In the light of Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent “money no object” statement, Boston Borough Council is hopeful of a positive response from Government when its bid for flood recovery funding is considered. It will take the Prime Minister at his word and will ask for as much money as it can, not just for council expenses but so we can help those affected by the flooding – such as a council tax “holiday” – and other partner agencies who have been put to expense, such as the internal drainage boards. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.boston.gov.uk

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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TOWN PLANNING

HAVE WE LOST THE SIMPLE ART OF PLACEMAKING?

Creating good places is simply too big, too messy and too complex a task for an elite few to tackle successfully. Despite current hard times, could it be that a planning system formerly obsessed with process and detail, and sceptical of the long-term value of creating really, really good places, is finally morphing into a framework that understands social worth?

There are positive signs, but progress is too slow and too patchy. The UK’s political and financial reality casts a long shadow over the few decision-making visionaries we have in the UK. Hundreds of thousands of policy papers, toolkits and strategic guides have been written and published. But, despite pockets of very good practice, something remains amiss. We have lost the simple art of placemaking, and if we are to move towards creating attractive, resilient, and equitable communities, then we need to get it back.

We need to focus on creating places that we like, despite that fact that so much of what we actually do leads to the destruction of the qualities that we seek out in our favourite places – the sort of places we visit on holiday, for example.

Making good places is more about achieving the right state of mind and equilibrium than applying specific design, planning or engineering skills. In most cases, we know what works and how to create it. The problem is being enabled, empowered and funded to deliver our visions.

More than £8m was released by Transport for London at the initial stages of the Exhibition Road improvement project as a result of using an early version of an urban realm valuation tool. The resulting scheme is clearly a success in both design and popularity terms – but which tools will become the ones that give real credibility?

We st have loe art pl dividends. Manchester, the sim making. for example, is e c of pla to create planning to instigate e r a t e n a payment by results w e i l f I , resi e v deal (‘earn back’). i t c a r le att b a t It’s not pretty, and i u q and e ities, we it will get worse before n it gets better. Much of commu to get the planning guidance d e e n that shapes development it back locally is incomplete, or fails

THE INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT In practice, the advent of the localism agenda is, theoretically, a step in the right direction.

The weight given to place-making concerns and economic growth in planning decisions will be decided on a more regional basis, if not locally. Several Local Economic Partnerships are already demonstrating a greater focus on local priorities and local accountability for projects and expenditure, moving away from a centralised system of infrastructure decision-making and funding. Local areas, used to competing for national support for their project, are now sourcing their own funds against uncertain future economic

to align with targets, particularly for housing and growth, set out in national planning policy. Estimates of the numbers of councils whose plans are not up to date vary from around 70 per cent to 95 per cent.

Regionally, following the abolition of the regional spatial strategies, most UK authorities and LEPs are still struggling to find the natural ‘functional’ areas, scales and alignments at which they can successfully operate.

THINK ABOUT FINANCES The financial context remains a key determining factor. Relatively new funding streams such as the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) could support the funding of urban

Written by Juliana O’Rourke, managing editor, Landor Links

Could it be that a planning system formerly obsessed with process and detail is finally morphing into a framework that can get back to creating really good places? Juliana O’Rourke, editorial director at the Resource for Urban Development International, reports

Urban Regeneration

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

realm and ‘place-based’ regeneration, but there remains the challenge of accessing CIL income streams upfront, as funds will not materialise without development. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) schemes may provide a useful mechanism for capturing future income flows, but clarity on legislation and implementation in England and Wales is still required. It is likely, however, that one by‑product of the preparation for so‑called innovative funding schemes will be an increase in use of new tools and systems designed to highlight the ‘actual’ value of quality places, whether this be in monetary or social terms. There are already many such toolkits coming into use, but it remains clear that the argument for better articulating the potential value of good places – attractive, popular, and productive, accessible, secure and healthy – needs to be given a much higher priority in the evolving cycle of measuring, monitoring and evaluation.

Urban planner and consultant Julian Dobson, co-author of a Business, Innovation and Skills report into the much-reported demise of the high street, notes that: ‘It is ironic that government has withdrawn E

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

04/02/2014 16:37

TOWN PLANNING  from serious investment in place-making at precisely the time when place-making skills are most needed.’ It is for this reason that ‘urbanism’, increasingly manifest in the better planning and transport authorities across the UK, has positioned itself as a form of public policy that seeks to steer regeneration, development and infrastructure investment towards policy‑shaped rather than market-led outcomes.

The economic, financial, institutional and policy context has changed radically in the last years, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). Councils recognise the importance of supporting local economic growth, yet due to significantly reduced resources, interventions need to be prioritised. Direction will come from councils working through new structures, including the LEPs, which themselves require new forms of partnership between the private sector and local councils. Local authorities will need to agree how to work across boundaries to share services and co-ordinate interventions.

Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, set out to transform funding via the Local Government Resource Review. “I am keen to move to a radically different system of funding and support for councils that is built on strong incentives, is driven by local decision-making and breaks this dependency.”

Phase two of the review looks at community budgets. Alexandra Jones, chief executive of think tank Centre for Cities, welcomes government proposals to give local authorities greater control of decision-making and finance, particularly to retain more of the business rates they raise locally.

TAX INCREMENT FINANCING Last year, the Government announced proposals to allow local authorities in England the power to raise finance against predicted growth in their locally raised business rates via Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which allows upfront money to be raised by committing revenues which would not have arisen but for the project going ahead to be used to repay that initial investment. The concept is tried and tested in the USA, and is simply based on the concept that a developed site creates more tax than an undeveloped site. But critics say the incentives can too easily ‘stray’ from their original mission and divert tax revenue from education and government services without much in the way of accountability. Yet if these issues can be resolved, TIF could no doubt provide much needed investment at a time when raising capital by conventional means is difficult.

A recent report from local government think tank Localis and Lloyds Banking Group has suggested that TIF and Enterprise Zones could be sold to the private sector by local authorities to maximise the schemes’ value. According to SocInvest, a regeneration finance and funding organisation, this would be one way in which central government can encourage private investment in infrastructure. Selling the schemes would create upfront cash for capital investment and provide an additional localised stream, a move that would ensure there was genuine private sector demand for the development, by transferring more risk to the investors, says the report. ‘Local government should take a lead here, and argue for a bottom-up, locally led version of this mechanism – determined by LEPs and local authorities, not Whitehall.’

The neighbourhood planning framework sets out the details of the localism regime in practice, and the steps local groups must take to designate a neighbourhood area, establish a forum and draw up a neighbourhood plan and neighbourhood development orders (NDOs).The Royal Town Planning Institute welcomed ‘the flexible and light touch approach’ of the regulations. But it also called for clarification from ministers on whether local planning authorities will have extra funding to resource the new arrangements, and urged time limits for local planning authorities in making validation decisions on proposed neighbourhood plans or orders. Already there is controversy between neighbourhood plans that conflict with both local authority frameworks and with each other in a given locality.

COMMUNITY BUY-IN The first step in successful place-making is to understand the place – something that many planning professionals need to learn how to do. This process is one to which the people who

live and work in a place must contribute. It generally begins with the mantra ‘make the most of what you’ve got’.

Community asset mapping is one great way of identifying the places that matter and places with potential. The map serves a purpose; to help identify actions that can be taken, as a community, to improve the local environment and make better use of local assets for the benefit of local people. Councils have a crucial leadership role to play - to act as ‘honest brokers’ between developer, business and resident interests, and provide an overarching strategic vision for delivering regeneration and growth.

Urban Regeneration

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

ACCESSIBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY The final piece of a very complex ‘good place’ puzzle is good accessibility and mobility. And that means for all, by all modes: car, bike, walking, tram, bus, train. Implementing such schemes is complex; they require integrated policy and extend well beyond the usual remits of urban and transport policy and planning. Increasingly, transport planning needs to be take place at the regional level; aspiring to link successful city regions with their less well-serviced and often poorly resourced peripheries. Only then can equitable growth take place.

To achieve all these things requires a mix of strategic and tactical interventions. Collaborative, visionary thinking from policy makers, decision-makers and place stakeholders needs to set the scene.

Professionals, practitioners, academics and communities need to respond by delivering innovative interventions to the spatial structure and organisation of the built environment, and to how we move around it. L FURTHER INFORMATION Juliana O’Rourke is managing editor at Resource for Urban Development International (www.RUDI.net).

RUDI is part of Landor LINKS, provider of authoritative information, news events, networking and analysis across the urban and transport sectors: www.landor.co.uk

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Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FM PROFESSION

CHANGING VIEWS ON FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Facilities management is a huge sector; employing thousands and bringing millions of pounds into the UK economy – but how much do we understand and appreciate its impact and value?

Talk to any professional body and they will tell you that the profession they represent is either undervalued or misunderstood.

However, that’s to be expected; it’s their job to promote excellence and demonstrate the value of their given community.

With this in mind it is little wonder that some facilities managers feel that they are not given the credit they deserve, and when you begin to assess the impact that they have on the economy and society it is not surprising that they feel aggrieved.

THE VALUE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT As part of our Leaders Forum programme we brought together leading minds in the profession to discuss the industry’s impact; it concluded that the challenge is two-fold. On the one hand more needs to be done to raise the profile of FM so that key decision makers understand the impact and the potential it has to enable the organisation to meet its corporate goals. The second is ensuring that, when making the case for the first

challenge, the common language of business is being used rather than industry specific jargon which is almost certain to be met with a blank expression.

When you take a step back it is clear that, given the vast scope of the industry, FM plays a crucial part in all of our day-to-day lives whether we realise it or not. In fact, our Leaders Forum highlighted that done correctly FM can be taken for granted, only coming into focus when there is an issue that requires attention.

Not only can it be a key enabler in organisations to deliver on objectives but it also has a vital role in some of the key areas that affect society as a whole. FM has a vital role to play in the performance of our schools and hospitals, for example. It is when you frame it in this context that you begin to see the profound impact of this profession.

Written by James Sutton, chief operating officer, BIFM

James Sutton, chief operating officer with the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), explains how managers are working to change perceptions of this unsung profession

Facilities Management

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

makers? At BIFM we’re looking

at a number of ways in When tep which we can demonstrate s a e k a FM’s value. Our ThinkFM t u yo lear c conference this year, s i t i back n the vast ‘The workplace and ve i , g y beyond’, will focus on r , t t s a u h t nd i e the impact on business, h t f the economy and scope olays a crucial p society with a range of r M F all ou n speakers from a variety i t r a p of different sectors, day day‑to‑ professions and expertise lives discussing key trends driving

MAKING THE CASE How do FM practitioners, with our support, make the case internally to the key decision

change in the workplace, managing energy and the convergence of professional disciplines.

We will be launching a number of research projects that will aim to quantify FM’s impact, outline leading edge thinking in the industry and look at the future trends that will take the profession forward. We have also launched a joint project with ITN Productions to create a series of short films on how FM makes a difference. Avoiding the temptation to delve into the technicalities and focusing on the difference it makes through profiling FM’s in a range of organisations and seeing the results of their work. E

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FM PROFESSION

James Sutton, chief operating officer, BIFM

FM can play a significant part in making a positive contribution to our society, through sustainable practices, and to business and economy, through increased productivity and efficiency  Alongside this we must help practitioners with their internal conversations. It is always too easy to fall into the trap of using the language and terminology that we’re comfortable with but all this does is perpetuate stigmas that may exist around a given profession. What decision makers want to hear is how you can help them achieve their goals. By putting yourself in their shoes, understanding their challenges and aims, assessing how FM can drive them to overcome the challenges and reach their goals and, finally, communicating that back to them in a way which will resonate with them we will see that awareness and recognition grow.

WHAT NEXT FOR FM? FM needs to evidence that it is ‘the enabler’.

This has the potential to reposition FM from the unseen servant to a key part of an organisations operation, vital to realising its

objectives. It will not be easy as FM crosses over into so many other areas of the business, but rather than see this as a challenge we should view this as an opportunity. FM has the potential to provide a halo effect that brings all the component parts of the workplace together to reach it potential.

There are many views on how best to take the profession forward, and there will be many more. What is clear is that the profile and understanding of this unsung hero needs to be elevated.

The blurring of lines between FM, design, IT, construction and HR presents our profession with an opportunity to have a key role in an important debate around the future of the workplace. FM can play a significant part in making a positive contribution to our society, through sustainable practices, and to business and economy, through increased productivity and efficiency.

Facilities Management

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

On all fronts we are looking forward to supporting the profession throughout its next stage of its evolution and playing an active part in the debate which will shape its future. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bifm.org.uk

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With national service support and a network of distributors, the specialist company is able to meet the procurement and service needs of both public and private sector enterprises.

Since introducing the up-and-over garage door to Europe, Hörmann has continued to lead the development of garage doors and has an enviable reputation for the reliability and longevity of all its products.

From basic up-and-over doors to highly insulated sectional doors and communal garage doors, the European manufacturer continues to lead the market in both new product development and the value for money it provides. Similarly, for industrial doors, Hörmann has the most comprehensive product range available, from simple roller shutters to fully integrated systems. With such a choice, advice from Hörmann’s project teams can ensure that the right options are chosen

to meet the required needs and budgets.

Engineering excellence and manufacturing control are key elements that have enabled Hörmann to offer these class-leading products at highly competitive prices.

These are also factors that have enabled the company to be the first to publish independently verified environmental product descriptions for each product, helping designers and architects to create environmentally friendly developments.

The combination of products and services provided help customers to meet their environmental and safety goals without compromising operational efficiency.

Multi-brand servicing and management reporting are part of a package of measures that can help to ensure compliance with health and safety guidelines.

An added benefit of this service, maintenance and emergency cover is that all activity is recorded on a real-time system. This records all actions and recommendations in one place, creating a simplified audit trail and ensuring that the correct data is always on hand for insurance and risk assessment purposes.

Preventative maintenance is now recognised as a key element of good

safety practice and has the added benefit of reducing costs. Extended warranties, which can be included in Hörmann service packages, add to the real value for money that the specialist provides.

Contact Hörmann for advice on the products and services available.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01530 516888 info@hormann.co.uk www.hormann.co.uk

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Facilities Management

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

Engaging with your overdue customer as they take care of their own business is a key challenge in 2014 “My daughter sends me a text for a cup of coffee when she is upstairs doing her homework.” This was a comment at a recent workshop attended by the senior managers of the Zinc Group. The statement started a complete rethink of how to engage with overdue customers.

Take a look at your current RPC’s (right party connects) ‘they will be dropping’.

What is the response to your letter strategy?

It is becoming more and more difficult to engage overdue customers with traditional contact methods.

People have started using interactive technology to conduct business. They have a desire to take care of their business on their terms and in their own time.

After successfully implementing an award-winning solution on how to engage with its customers, the Zinc Group is now outsourcing this solution to companies in both the private and public sector. Either as a ‘plug & play’ or as a fully white-labelled solution.

The portal WeWantToSayYes.co.uk has won plaudits and awards across a diverse section of Industry segments.

The portal allows overdue customers to take control of their situation: they can make an offer and then manage any solution in their

own time and by whatever means they prefer.

They can also contact the portal by mobile, SMS, email, computer or tablet.

Zinc has created a ‘Zinc Chat’ facility to meet the needs of people who do not want direct contact but still have the desire to engage.

The results of users has been staggering: over 33 per cent increase in contacts and a £48 increase in the average payment offered. Testimonials from clients who prefer to use this interactive portal.

This technology is now available to you, either as an extension of your current in-house solution or as a total outsource service. Its unique feature is that whilst

you outsource the engagement piece of your collection cycle, you retain the control of managing it with your own people and producing your own workflows and strategies. If you are working for a third-party this solution is seamless and can be white-labelled as you.

Asking for that cup of coffee has proven to be the catalyst for a successful change of engagement strategy at Zinc Group.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07530 011098 cproctor@thezincgroup.com www.wewanttosayyes.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT NEWS

BIFM survey shows FM professionals lack the tools to do energy monitoring justice A survey by the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and the National Energy Foundation (NEF) into experiences and expectations of improving the use of energy in buildings has found that facilities management (FM) professionals are highly committed to maximising energy improvements – but still lack metering and monitoring tools to establish accurate baselines and track progress. While 90 per cent of respondents know their annual energy costs, only half of respondents knew how the buildings were performing compared to design, and nearly a third were not comparing the building’s performance over time.

Three quarters of respondents are working towards a relative percentage energy reduction target, although the survey found respondents had mixed levels of confidence in achieving these. While 40 per cent of respondents use Building Management Systems, monthly consumption data is still the primary data tool available for most FM professionals to navigate the complexities of energy management.

A NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY Technology (such as new plant), was cited as the most important factor in improving the use of energy by nearly half of respondents, closely followed by, and interlinked with, ‘behaviour’. Offsetting and certification was seen as having the most limited impact.

Worryingly, FM professionals estimated that, even if the desired technology and behaviour changes were made, only a further 10 per cent reduction in energy usage was possible. This is considerably less than the savings found by the best energy improvement projects.

New Health and Safety poster to be displayed by April 1 Workplaces are being urged to display the new and updated Health & Safety Law poster before legislation in April makes it compulsory to do so. Workplaces have been required to display the current Health & Safety poster in a prominent position since 1999 as part of the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations. From 5 April 2014, all workplaces will need to have the revamped poster design in place.

A new pocket card has also been produced to replace the Health & Safety leaflets circulated to employees based off-site.

“FM professionals are uniquely placed to tackle the gap between predicted and actual energy performance in buildings, but are constrained by a lack of access to the scope and quality of data they need” said Kerry Mashford, CEO of NEF. “This barrier persists, hampering both comparison over time and external benchmarking initiatives”.

“Professional standards are high and there is evidence of widespread good practice.

The survey highlighted a sophisticated understanding of the interplay of technology, behaviour and processes in achieving energy savings. However, there could, and should, be more aggressive targeting to achieve energy improvements” commented Lucy Black, Chair of BIFM’s Sustainability SIG. The online survey was conducted during October 2013. The full

Facilities Management

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

report of its findings is available online to download at www.bifm.org.uk/energysurvey THINKFM CONFERENCE Energy is a crucial topic affecting not only facilities management professionals but the businesses they work for and ultimately the wider economy.

This year’s ThinkFM conference, which takes place on 13 May at Kings Place, London, will be tackling the issue with a key session by Lord Redesdale, CEO of the Energy Managers Association (EMA) entitled ‘Will an expertise in energy be the difference between winning or losing an FM contract?’

For further information visit www.thinkfm.com

Sutton places cleaning contract The London Borough of Sutton, in south London has awarded Facilities management provider Servest Group a £9.1m cleaning contract. The seven-year deasl with a three-year extension option is for daily cleaning of all council offices and selected schools in the borough, and starts in April 2014. Servest has been working with Sutton since 1995. Following the council’s decision to rationalise service delivery to a sole supplier, the company won through a robust tender process. Gerald Almeroth, strategic director of resources at Sutton Council, said: “We are pleased to be able to continue our relationship with Servest and look forward to them continuing to deliver clean, safe environments for all users of our buildings.”

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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EVENT PREVIEW

THE MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR MAINTEC 2014

Maintec 2014, the leading UK event for the maintenance, plant and asset management industry, is co-located with Facilities Management and the Health & Safety Event, to give visitors a comprehensive overview of these related industries Maintec 2014 is returning to the NEC, Birmingham on 11-13 March. This event, catering to the maintenance, plant and asset management industry, is in its 39th year and has a packed hall full of industry leading exhibitors, content rich seminars and the latest technology.

There will be the Lions’ Lair competition to find the most innovative product at

the event, plus The Business Strategy Forum – where experts from some of the biggest names in the industry debate the most significant maintenance issues.

What’s more, thanks to co-locations with Facilities Management and the Health & Safety Event, there will be two other complementary shows for attendees to see whilst at the NEC.

The in event isar and ye its 39thacked hall has a p g exhibitors, n of leadi rich seminars content the latest and ology techn

Maintec 2014

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

INNOVATIVE EXHIBITORS Exhibitors at Maintec 2014 will include show regulars such as Schaeffler (UK), Fluke UK, Hansford Sensors, FLIR Systems, SoftSols and Valveforce. These will be joined by a plethora of new exhibitors including Matthews Engineering Training, IRISS and KDP Systems.

First time exhibitor Matthews Engineering Training will display how their Boiler Inspector Certificate Programme provides comprehensive and independent training with an examination for inspectors who examine steam ‘package’ boilers. Matthews’ objective is to provide boiler inspectors with demonstrable competency training, independent from their employers.

Fluke (UK) will feature a wide range of rugged and reliable portable test instruments suited for maintenance applications. In particular they will focus on their new Ti200, Ti300, Ti400 thermal imaging cameras, the Fluke 1730 energy logger, their latest power quality analyser, and vibration tester plus the Fluke VT02 and VT04 Visual IR Thermometer and its CNX Wireless Tester.

Maintec will be the UK show debut for FLIR Systems’, new FLIR Ex and Exx Series thermal imaging cameras. The FLIR Ex Series is an entry-level model which E

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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Maintec 2014

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

Freedor is the intelligent door that offers you safety and convenience: from leading innovator Fireco Safety and convenience often don’t sit well together. We all know we need to keep fire doors closed to hinder the spread of fire, yet often ease and convenience mean doors are propped open.

Leading fire safety innovator Fireco has the perfect solution: a wire-free device called Freedor, that holds fire doors open at any angle but automatically closes the door when the fire alarm sounds.

Simple, neat and unobtrusive, Freedor has no wires and is easy to install in new buildings and retrofit. With a battery life of between 12-18 months, it also comes in a number of finishes including chrome, brass and stainless steel, allowing it to fit into your décor. Fireco’s Freedor swings open freely and then can be left in any position, but will close automatically when it hears a fire alarm, preventing the spread of fire and smoke around the building.

Perfect for organisations or individuals who need access through their doors – for deliveries, wheelchair or pushchair access – or just want a thoroughfare from room to room. It can be installed for right and left-hand swing doors and has a night-time release facility.

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Managing director at Fireco Neil Purssey comments: “We are very proud of Freedor as it is another product which brings an innovative solution to make life easier for our customers.

“Many of our clients, be they individuals or organisations, have told us how impressed they are with the ease and unobtrusive nature of Freedor. It brings peace of mind at an affordable cost.”

From as little as £325, the Freedor price also includes installation from a qualified Fireco technician and aftercare service and support from its team of experts.

Fireco is one of the leading innovators and suppliers of intelligent fire safety

products and systems that listen for the sound of the fire alarm and help service providers comply with their responsibilities and legal obligations under legislation.

Using the most experienced and qualified consultants in fire safety, Fireco established its services division, which has now expanded to provide a full range of building consultancy using the most qualified consultants in each area.

Contact the company for more information about Freedor or Fireco’s portfolio of fire safety products.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 241 7575 www.firecoltd.com

EVENT PREVIEW

Visitors will also have plenty of learning opportunities, including the Business Strategy Forum which made its debut at the last show  provides a highly cost efficient gateway to thermal imaging. The FLIR Exx Series is a more advanced camera that is thermally tunable and has a manual lens focus.

Those looking for vibration monitoring products will have plenty to see on Hansford Sensors’ stand including their new range of premium industrial accelerometers, the latest 4-20mA transmitters, or loop powered sensors (LPS) plus the new M12 cable assemblies with protective conduits and snap on quick release cables. With the capability of interfacing directly into PLC, BMS, or SCADA, the 4-20mA transmitters / (LPS) are ideal for low cost, on-line monitoring.

First time exhibitor KDP Electronic Systems will be showcasing their cabling and integration systems at Maintec 2014.

They will present the new the AS-6600, a battery operated, portable instrument designed to simulate the electrical output signals generated by many commonly available vibration transducers.

Probe Technical Recruitment are running an interview and CV clinic for visitors, whilst Keytracker will exhibit iLockerz, a global

first for the engineering and maintenance industry. The ground breaking RFiD technology allows handheld data terminals, tablets, tools and lifting equipment to be secured, tracked and monitored automatically.

Idhammar Systems are exhibiting their latest mobile Maintenance Management System: ‘Pocket MMS’ which simplifies maintenance engineers roles. The system is compatible with iPad and android tablets, allocating work to individual engineers via their device wherever they are working.

LIVELY SHOW FLOOR Visitors will also have plenty of learning opportunities at Maintec, including a return of the Business Strategy Forum which made an impressive debut at the last show. This will once again be hosted by Dr Andrew Starr from Cranfield University.

There will also be The Exchange, featuring a packed programme of practical presentations delivered by leading industry names. The Exchange will feature 21 free talks packed full of advice, new innovations and case studies for maintenance professionals, engineers, plant

Maintec 2014

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

and asset managers to learn from. For instance energy consumption is a major industry issue and Jit Patel, technical sales manager at Fluke UK, will explain how companies can reduce energy costs by up to 20 per cent by identifying and quantifying energy waste.

Managers who rely on modern maintenance software systems will be interested in the presentation by John Atkinson, technical director, Russell Sion, managing director and Toby Smith, software director at C-Cubed.

They will examine how to make valuable data readily accessible to all those who are permitted access to it, whilst keeping those who are not, out of the loop. The presentation will raise questions about data security and is expected to get people discussing the future direction of this technology.

Dave Anderson, company director at Score Diagnostics Ltd, will focus on the importance of valve condition monitoring, with a look at the equipment, techniques and systems available. As part of this he will outline how to move away from reactive maintenance and towards a more proactive approach, in line with the new Asset Integrity Management Standard.

In theory Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) are powerful, for instance allowing companies to determine which machines require maintenance and which storerooms contain the spare parts needed. Yet up to 80 per cent of CMMS E

Volume 21.2 | 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 21.2

EVENT PREVIEW

Maintec 2014

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

 implementations fail to meet expectations in the first 12 months. To combat this Roy Rothwell, implementation account manager at eMaint Enterprises, will explain the top 10 keys to success in CMMS implementation.

Those weighing up the benefits of adopting a proactive rather than a reactive approach to plant maintenance will find the session from Ian Pledger, IAM field service engineer, and Ian Taylor, director, at Schaeffler UK invaluable.

They will help attendees understand the key principles of a proactive plant maintenance regime, and how to select condition monitoring tools and techniques.

When maintenance engineers encounter leaking process equipment, the simple gasket is all too often blamed, whereas frequently it is the bolted jointing assemblies that are at fault. Adrian Jefferies from James Walker will illustrate best practice when it comes to such assemblies. This will include the benefits of measuring installed bolt loads, the factors affecting the reliability of bolted joints, along with examples of how leaks on problem equipment have been eliminated.

Dean Whittle, director at Reliability Maintenance Solutions, will explore the challenges posed, and vibration analysis used, when monitoring complex gearboxes. He will particularly focus on testing situations such as gearboxes on wind turbines.

Anyone looking to improve plant reliability will not want to miss the talk by Andrew Fraser, managing director of Reliable Manufacturing. He will explain how putting reliability at the top of the agenda reduces the need for reactive maintenance, cuts injury levels and creates a safer working environment. He will use client case studies to show how the best plants are competing globally thanks to a holistic top-down and bottom-up ‘reliability strategy’.

Maintecbe ill 2014 w d with e co-locat Health & the newnt due to the ve Safety Ery’s increasing indust and safety health erations consid

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SHOW The Facilities Management show is a brand new event for facilities, property and estate managers, and is the only event for them run outside London. Furthermore, it’s a neat fit as many Maintec visitors also have a wider facilities management remit.

The market place has reacted warmly to the announcement of this co-location with DHL, Emerson Industrial Automation, Amey, Coo-Var and Parrs, just some of the major names coming out in support. Marcus Davey, Amey’s facilities manager comments: “I welcome a new FM show to Birmingham.

I deal with both industrial maintenance and facilitates management, so having the show co-located with Maintec will be a major pull knowing I can source the

latest products and services in one day.”

The Facilities Management programme hosts a line-up of invaluable advice and case studies to help deepen your understanding of hot industry topics and equip you with the necessary skills to improve project performance.

The Business Exchange will combine the latest innovations from the maintenance and facilities worlds, and will give visitors the opportunity to hear from leading suppliers as

they present their latest products and services with case studies, product demonstrations and product insight information.

The FM Matters theatre hosts seminars presented by professionals and end users who will inspire you with their wealth of knowledge and experience. Each seminar is specifically selected to reflect the current developments in the facilities industry.

What’s more, each day the FM Matters theatre will feature a session from a facilities E

Volume 21.2 | 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 21.2

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HEALTH & SAFETY EVENT Maintec 2014 will also be co-located with the new Health & Safety Event. This is another smart development as the UK’s maintenance, plant and asset management community increasingly has to consider health and safety issues as Matt Benyon, easyFairs UK & global managing director explains: “When looking at what we could do to drive even more visitors, and provide yet more relevant content for the maintenance and engineering professionals who head to the show every year, health and safety was an obvious area to focus on.

After all, 25-30 per cent of all manufacturing fatalities are typically related to maintenance activities. Co-locating with a health and safety show reflects our commitment to once again step the show up another gear.”

With the continued support of The British Safety Council, the Health & Safety event will have the highest quality free conference and education.

The Health & Safety Executive’s Jane Willis will take a session on the recent developments in health and safety regulation.

The presentation will give an overview

With the continued support of The British Safety Council, the Health & Safety event will have the highest quality free conference and education, including sessions on the recent developments in health and safety regulations of the many developments in health and safety regulation and its enforcement in GB following a number of different reviews since 2010. It will consider the impact and challenges of these changes for both the regulator and the regulated and outline what these are likely to mean for the future regulation of health and safety at work.

Kevan Parker, Technical Manager at NQA and Charles Corrie, Chair of OHSAS 18001 Standard Committee will take a presentation on OHSAS 18001 standards and managing future developments.

Kevan will guide health and safety professionals responsible for legal compliance, policy implementation, incident reductions and behavioural culture in the workplace, through the adoption and implementation of effective and globally recognised health & safety system OHSAS 18001. Content will include the benefits that organisations, including Unilever and Biffa,

Maintec 2014

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

have enjoyed as a result of having OHSAS 18001 in place. The session will also feature an update from the Chair of the OHSAS 18001 standard committee, Charles Corrie – regarding how changes to the standard can be managed in advance of its conversion from an occupational H&S assessment series to an international standard ISO 18001.

LIONS’ LAIR Last but by no means least, the newest maintenance and engineering technologies, innovations and concepts will be pitched to a panel of experts within the Lions’ Lair.

This competition will be run in front of a live audience with the winner announced live from the show floor. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.easyfairs.com/maintec www.easyfairs.com/facilitiesmanagement www.healthandsafetyevents.co.uk

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Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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ELDERLY CARE

A CARING, SHARING BILL?

It is currently estimated that more than 376,000 older people live in around 10,300 care homes in the UK – a population that will increase significantly over the next 20 years as the number of people in the UK aged over 85 doubles. The Care Bill, which should receive Royal Assent shortly, aims to address the scandal of pensioners selling their homes in distress to pay for care

Programme launched to prepare care workforce to deliver Care Act 2014 A programme has been launched to ensure the adult social care workforce is ready to deliver on the changes in the Care Bill.

The Department of Health‑commissioned work will seek to identify the training needs of managers at all levels, social workers, other professionals and care staff in all sectors and whether changes need to be made to qualifications or workforce standards.

Skills for Care, in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Social Care and The College of Social Work, has been appointed to lead the programme. Staff will receive training under the programme from October 2014-April 2015.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.skillsforcare.org.uk

Care Services

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

In 2010, economist Andrew Dilnot was commissioned to solve the problem listed above. His final report proposed a lifetime cap on care costs with the expectation it would bring certainty to financial services firms and spark new products to help people pay for care.

After clearing its latest Parliamentary hurdle in which a government amendment was passed to introduce a system to handle appeals for council care decisions, the Care Bill is heading for the statute books. The bill was also amended to enforce the pooling of health and social care budgets through the Better Care Fund (BCF), which will oblige councils and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to bring together £3.8bn in 2015-16 to integrate care.

The Care Bill is likely to come into force in April 2015, and will have a significant impact on the sector. The Bill comprises the Government’s response both to the Francis Inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire scandal and the Dilnot Report into care funding. It introduces Ofsted-style ratings for hospitals and care homes, and a cap of £72,000 on the amount that any individual will have to spend on care in their lifetime.

A CAP ON FEES According to research by analyst Laing Buisson, around 160,000 people go into care homes every year and 70,000 pay their own fees, with the average bill around £82,000, or £97,000 in London and the South East. Once an individual reaches the cap, the Government will meet the care costs, but basic living costs set at £12,000 per year are excluded from the calculation, and will still need to be paid by the individual after the cap has been reached.

The Bill grants significant freedom to individual Local Authorities to decide how much care costs and therefore how quickly care users will reach the cap. There is concern, however, that this localised approach will encourage care users to move to Local Authorities which have higher care costs in order to reach their cap sooner.

Another change allows Local Authorities to charge fees for arranging care at the request of self-funders. Local Authorities are likely to treat this as an attractive option for raising revenue, and therefore actively promote the service, which would increase the number of self-funders on lower fees, and further threaten the financial stability of independent providers, and their ability to deliver care.

A SINGLE, LEGAL FRAMEWORK The Bill also consolidates previous social care legislation into a single legal framework. One amendment currently attached to the Bill would grant all care users the power to challenge their providers under the Human Rights Act. Currently, only those in taxpayer-funded care are protected by the Human Rights Act; as it stands, the Bill would extend that protection to include those who pay for their own care.

Another potential issue, as Nick Kirwan of the International Longevity Centre UK has argued, is that the Bill makes it compulsory for Local E

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London Councils will see funding shortfall, says LGA Getting ready to deliver the Care Bill will leave London facing a £17million funding shortfall, London Councils is warning.

Figures from London Councils, which represents all 32 London boroughs and the City of London, show boroughs need around £90 million to prepare for the new system. Costs include delivering additional care user assessments, setting up and managing care accounts, providing information and advice and handling deferred payments.

But new estimates by London Councils reveal the capital is likely to receive £72.75 million in 2015/16, leaving each borough with a potential £500,000 shortfall as a minimum.  Authorities to arrange care for self-funders if they ask for it. This could present a problem, as Local Authorities use their buying power to command cheaper rates when they contract independent care providers – often at or even below the cost of that care. Those providers make up the shortfall by charging higher prices to self-funding care users for identical care – cross-subsidisation. Because the Care Bill allows self-funders to access those lower Local Authority rates, it has the potential to drive some independent providers out of business.

DROWNING IN PAPERWORK? Care homes have to regularly complete more than 100 separate items of paperwork, often

Care Show comes to Bournemouth on 26-27 March This year’s Care Show Bournemouth event takes place on 26-27 March at Bournemouth BIC and will feature a range of seminars dealing with the big issues in care.

It will provide a comprehensive and free education programme, as well as products and services for those owning or running any organisation responsible for the care of older people.

FURTHER INFORMATION tinyurl.com/og3m4g7

The Care Bill is likely to come into force in April 2015, and will have a significant impact. The Bill comprises the Government’s response to the Francis Inquiry and the Dilnot Report into care funding duplicating the same information. In the recent Joseph Rowntree report entitled Is Excessive Paperwork in Care Homes Undermining Care for Older People? researchers visited care homes and spoke to staff who felt they were judged more on their ability to produce paperwork than deliver care. The research recommends that the sector rethinks its priorities and makes changes to the way it deals with administration so older people can be given more compassionate, personalised care.

The research examines the practical impact of paperwork in care homes and makes suggestions for its improvement. There is little co-operation or co-ordination between different regulators and commissioners and duplication arises when they ask for much the same information, but tailored to their individual needs. From their point of view, what is requested is reasonable.

However, the impact of several commissioners asking for similar but slightly different information places an extraordinary burden on the home. This composite impact is often what homes are describing when they complain about a ‘paperwork burden’.

Many interviewees felt that this issue reflected deeper system-wide uncertainty about what should be valued in care and what high-quality care should look like. Without this understanding, it is

unlikely that agreement will be reached on the things care homes need to do, not just to comply with regulatory and commissioning requirements but to raise the quality of care.

Care homes have a list of core ‘must-dos’ based on key legislation and embodied in 28 standards of quality and care. Yet different agencies also make requests of care homes and these requests have different emphases across the country. In addition to this moveable feast of ‘must-dos’, views about how guidance should be interpreted to meet funding or regulatory requirements also vary.

Additionally, some requests made by inspectors and regulators are seen by care homes as bearing little relation to the quality of care provided.

Government Business will continue this article on the Care Bill in the next issue, due out in May. L FURTHER INFORMATION The Care Bill – Parliamentary progress tinyurl.com/br4kvbn Paying for Social Care – Beyond Dilnot tinyurl.com/pqc8e92 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report tinyurl.com/pbmy5sx

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Care Services

Nadra Ahmed of the National Care Association offers an overview of the care industry, describing the progress it has made and the challenges involved in meeting raised standards The National Care Association (NCA) was set up in the early 1980s by a handful of care providers who came to a realisation that social care was moving from a cottage industry to a potential business opportunity for the private investors.

People from all walks of life were choosing to invest in open care homes for older people with little or no medical experience. The association was founded to support the membership through the transition that lay ahead and for the first time providers had opportunities to share concerns and have a unified voice to represent them with local and government bodies.

This was a very different time when older people made the positive choice to come into residential care. They received an allowance which by and large covered the fee for a room in a community setting where they would no longer need to worry about paying bills, preparing meals or worry about utility bills or laundry services.

However, with the political and economic landscape changing it became clear that this model of retirement was going to be unsustainable through the public purse as the post war baby boomers moved into the sphere where their need for social care, the promise of ‘from cradle to grave’ became a reality.

CHAMPIONING MEMBERS’ RIGHTS Over the years the association has had many successes on behalf of its membership with a well-respected leader, Sheila Scott OBE at its

helm almost since is inception. We continue to work on behalf of our membership through a small voluntary board at both local and national level, and pride ourselves on a very personal service. The membership covers all registered care services, with the exception of children’s homes. The service provided includes national and regional events to inform on development in the sector, business advice through our partnerships with leaders in their fields, access to a DBS service both paper and online and to a 24 hour helplines and funding opportunities and many more. We deal with membership queries daily through the office ranging from the minor to major issues.

Additionally, we work on behalf of our membership by responding to local and national consultations from the provider prospective.

Written by Nadra Ahmed, chairman, National Care Association

AN INDUSTRY EVOLVING TO MEET COMPLEX NEEDS

opportunities for people in the sector but also for investors who have studied the market and can see that the demographics favour the market. However, it has to be noted that over 70 per cent of all services are still provided by small to medium sized providers who have personal time and money invested in the business and contrary to popular believe do not command six figure salaries from their businesses.

Over the past decade a great deal of our time has been spent on supporting our providers to rise to the challenges they now face with the changing client group coming through their door and the commissioning changes laid upon them by the local authorities as they procure services to support vulnerable members of our society.

Additionally, we have seen a marked difference in the needs of individuals entering the social care world as long stay geriatric wards closed and the NHS has moved into its own challenging period. The social care providers have found themselves delivering acute services within the registered framework to people with very complex medical needs as well as social care needs. The mix has made dialogue with the commissioners ever more challenging – we now find a much more autocratic role by the commissioners: their dominant position as purchasers who do not or cannot recognise the true cost of care make for a fraught relationship.

RAISING STANDARDS The difficulty in all this is that we have changed the nature of the offer for care services. Quite rightly, we have raised the expectations of the general public about what should be expected from a care service but what we haven’t done is taken any notice of what that might cost the public purse. A cosy environment in a converted property situated on the edge of the town or village is no longer an acceptable concept. Over the years legislation has moved us into a highly regulated industry with ever increasing bureaucracy which requires strong business management skills in addition to care skills. The emergence of registered managers and the crucial role they now play in delivery of care services is a long way from the care provider of the 70s and 80s. The media focus on failures in poorly commissioned services heightens the tensions.

The sector rises to the challenges put before it and up and down the country we now see some of the most innovative purpose build care services in the world. The shift has allowed true choice to emerge as people are given the ability, but always the choice, to stay at home, enter a sheltered unit, consider supported living, a care village or a residential setting. This has created opportunities for soft furnishing companies E

In order to ery ev offer thvice for r best se individuals ble vulnera e to agree the we havct parameters contra ith local w ties authori

A CHANGING SECTOR The challenges that have faced the social care sector over the past three decades have been wide and varied, changing the infrastructure of a service which was seen as local alms based service to a corporate lead business opportunity.

We have seen a gentle but fundamental shift which has created a very complex service with a variety of delivery options. This has created

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MERIDIAN | HEALTH THE RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST

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ELDERLY CARE  to develop options to suit the needs of the users of the services, from beds to crockery and cutlery. Clearly the care industry is a great market place for innovators and inventors alike.

A SKILLED WORKFORCE The important thing to note is that social care is high on the political agenda, not always for the right reasons but it remains a priority for the forthcoming elections next year.

There is no doubt that the delivery of care to vulnerable people must be done by highly skilled staff but with the skills they must have an aptitude for the job as well as compassion.

At times I think we concentrate so much on the technical skills that we forget that assimilation of knowledge can be measured but application must be observed, and so holds a greater priority in our estimation.

We have created complex methodologies on measuring skill set as determined by awarding bodies etc but I believe we need to have a greater emphasis on the technical supervision and appraisal of the workforce so we create a competent and confident workforce who take pride in the caring profession.

CHALLENGES OF CARE PROVISION Much of this will rely on support for registered managers who often operate in silos, trying to keep up with the bureaucracy which surrounds them. We are beginning to see a shift in the

thinking of some local authorities who are supporting mangers networks and investing in the sector to understand business planning for the future as they look towards greater innovation in the delivery of care services. What we now need to consider is how we are going to create the tripartite relationship between the local authority, the NHS and the provider. The challenge of the integration agenda is that we do not let gaps appear in services which will have an impact on the services we provide.

As we move forward we see the local authorities and provider organisations sit across the same table and very often voicing the same concerns about the services we provide.

The fact of the matter is that we all want to see the very best service for frail and vulnerable individuals and in order to do that we have to agree the parameters of the contracts with local authorities. We have to consider what falls within the health budget and how we create seamless pathways to ensure there is a multi‑disciplinary approach which puts individuals at the centre of the service. There is great uncertainty about how we are going to make sure all the pieces of this massive puzzle with its oddly shaped pieces fit especially when the driving force behind it is quality without funding.

Social care providers and commissioner must feel empowered to work in a flexible but confident way: there must be a desire and a method to ensure partners forced are based on

Care Services

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trust and respect. For too long the relationship has been fraught as they commissioner hold a dominant position in the relationship and so erodes at the trust between the two. Failure to be equal is not an option we face some of the most challenging times ahead through implementation of the bill. The fact that the transformation board in local authorities has providers around the table is a great step forward but it must also invest in the innovation that evolves from these debates.

THE FUTURE OF CARE The future of long term support calls for a strong and vibrant delivery mechanism which will create seamless help and support when it is needed. It needs to be one where the central focus is the offer made to each individual about what they can realistically expect from the state and what lies outside of that sphere. As we raise expectations we must also consider the consequence, failure to do so create a break in the chain.

It is right to create better pathways to care and support and to put safeguards in place to tackle failures but what we must never do is create expectations which lead to breaches in trust at a time when individuals most need care and support. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nationalcareassociation.org.uk

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Book a date today for your

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You may have already heard of emotional intelligence, but it may be that you’re not entirely sure what it is and how it can have a positive effect on people and organisations. I’d like to show you how you can use emotional intelligence to transform your company or organisation…

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EVENT PREVIEW

CIPD Learning & Development

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THE CRITICAL ROLE L&D PLAYS IN ORGANISATIONS

Here’s a taste of what’s on offer at the CIPD Learning & Development Show 2014, previously known as HRD, which brings together HR expertise from diverse industries The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, has unveiled the programme for this year’s CIPD Learning and Development Show (previously known as HRD). The two-day conference and exhibition takes place on 30 April – 1 May, at London Olympia, and will focus on the L&D practitioner’s role in developing talent pipelines fit for the future, as well as developing leaders capable of driving sustainable organisation performance.

This event aimed at HR and L&D professionals is designed to help all those involved in people development to meet and overcome the challenges they may face to make a positive impact on their business.

The conference programme boasts a range of sessions and practical workshops and its broad selection of themes reflects the issues that are also on the typical ceo’s agenda right now. The flexibility of the conference programme will also help participants home in on specific areas of interest.

PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT Contributors to case-study based sessions include Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground Rail Operations Ltd, who will look at how to link development with employee engagement initiatives, and Simon Lloyd, people and talent director

at Santander UK plc, who will explore how to implement L&D initiatives for different generations of employees.

Steven Chase, HR director at Thames Valley Police, will be talking about ways to develop leaders who are resilient and can adapt to the changes and challenges of the current business climate. Steve Nathan, HR

to use social media to facilitate learning in organisations. Also n the social media front, Jeff Turner,head of learning and development EMEA, Facebook, will provide a cased study‑based session on providing managers with the skills needed to embed learning, and search engine giant Google will be represented by a seminar given by global programme manager Aimme O’Malley on the topic of developing a culture of individual learning.

Research into the psychology of training will be presented by think.change’s Nick Dowling and Gary Luffman in their

The conference programme boasts a range of sessions and practical workshops and its broad selection of themes reflects the issues that are also on the typical ceo’s agenda right now director for IT at the Department for Work and Pensions, will investigate the barriers that prevent leaders from engaging and inspiring their teams and will provide insights into the development of empowered leaders at different organisational levels.

Technological advances are having a growing impact on learning and development activities. Lisa Johnson,assistant director learning and communications, Barnardo’s, will be talking about the benefits of e-learning and virtual classrooms while Matt Burton, senior manager, digital capability and support office development, Boots, will talk about how

talk, ‘Using Neuroscience to Enhance L&D Effectiveness’, while Laughology’s creative director Stephanie Davies will give a unique perspective on promoting employees’ happiness in the workplace.

CIPD SPEAKERS The event is also an opportunity to highlight and share L&D findings and insights from the CIPD’s own programme of research and policy initiatives. For example, a case-study based conference session on creating a new generation of trustworthy leaders links to forthcoming E

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29– 30 APRIL 2014 | OLYMPIA, LONDON

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CIPD Learning & Development

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NATIONAL SECURITY FOR AN EVOLVING WORLD

Latest h researc ives iat and init CIPD will e from thin a number featurefree sessions of the throughout running o days of the tw show the Leading speakers and suppliers will be showing to deliver  CIPD research on this subject carried out in association with the University of Bath. One of the session speakers is Bishop of Ramsbury, Ed Condry, who is responsible for leadership selection and development for the Diocese of Salisbury.

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS Leading L&D suppliers will be demonstrating their latest innovations in the free two-day exhibition running alongside the conference. The exhibition will provide an opportunity to preview hundreds of different tools and resources at first hand and explore practical solutions. Alongside on‑stand activities, a free programme of bite-sized sessions will provide a further source of tips, insights and updates.

Topic Taster sessions will keep people up-to-date on key issues.

Employee engagement, business ethics and developing high performance are among the subjects being showcased.

As well as supplier presentations, latest research and initiatives from the CIPD will feature in a number of the free sessions running throughout the two days of the show. For example, the results of the 2014 CIPD Learning and Talent Development survey will provide a practical benchmark and opportunity to assess current trends and future L&D priorities among public and private sector organisations.

An interactive Learning Arena will put the spotlight on innovative learning techniques including sessions on brain science and leadership, and developing agile thinking skills.

The impact of social media on learning activities is just one of the issues that will be explored in the Technology for Learning showcase which will also look at developments in mobile and collaborative e-learning.

SHARED KNOWLEDGE The exhibition gives practitioners the chance to pick up advice and share experiences with suppliers and other L&D professionals.

New launches and demonstrations will provide an opportunity to check out different option and find the right fit for the organisation.

While visitors will be looking for ideas and solutions to take back to their organisations, there will also be practical support to help them with their own career and professional development.

The opportunity to network is an important element of the show and visitors will be able to participate in dedicated speed networking sessions on the exhibition floor.

effective and innovative solutions that will help L&D professionals build sustainable, high performing organisations. L

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cipd.co.uk/events/learning-development-show

Visit us at Stand 500

CIPD Learning & Development Show 2014, London Olympia t: 0800 294 97 87 e: info@thetcmgroup.com www.thetcmgroup.com

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DEBT MANAGEMENT

MAXIMISING CASH GENERATION: SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR USE

Andrew Davis of Callcredit Information Group explains how the key challenge for the public sector is the continual battle with spending cuts and policy changes. Now, more than ever, government departments and local authorities are looking for ways to generate additional revenue to offset the reductions in their budgets…

Callcredit Information Group is well-placed to better understand such challenges as the continual battle with spending cuts and policy changes. To date, our solutions have already generated in excess of £50m of savings for local and central government. To keep abreast of the on-going changes, and be in a position to offer the public sector first-class solutions, we continue to develop our products and services to make sure they fit with what some have described as a thought-provoking and demanding industry.

We have developed our solutions to align with the government’s debt collection strategy, ensuring that individuals are treated fairly whilst also helping government departments; being fair to those who pay and tough on those who don’t whilst providing adequate support to those in genuine hardship.

CORPORATE APPROACH With that in mind, collection departments are increasingly looking to adopt a more corporate approach to debt management. Looking at ways in which communications between departments can be improved to ensure that a debtor is only contacted once for all debt owed to the council or government department.

Our solutions are specifically configured and tailored to each client to enable this to work more efficiently. We are also able to monitor for changes in circumstances to ensure that an individual’s situation (whether worsening or improving) is dealt with and appropriate strategies employed.

One significant change we have helped implement is developing ways in which councils share information. As a result, we have brought together 14 London borough councils to establish a fraud detection project, with a further 10 councils set to join. This is called the ‘ThreeSixty Hub’. The rationale behind the Hub is that not only can local councils share data between each other but Callcredit can also help match their data with its own extensive data sets.

This helps to provide greater insight and in turn helps target potential fraudsters more effectively, saving time and money – money

that can be used to much greater effect elsewhere. We have already seen some significant results as a consequence of the ‘ThreeSixty Hub’ being formed and our plan for 2014 is to use this as a ‘blueprint’ to establish other fraud detection projects across the UK. REDUCE THE RISK OF FRAUD By sharing data, knowledge and adopting a more collaborative approach with neighbouring authorities, housing associations and, where applicable, central government departments, local authorities can work to reduce the risk of fraud and increase the detection rate, thereby reducing monies lost and ensuring more social housing is made available to those who need it.

In a further commitment to the industry and to enable Callcredit to extend the range of innovative products and services we are able

who appreciates the challenges at first-hand, so they are ideally placed to provide solutions.

EFFECTIVELY GENERATE CASH Our clients will benefit further from the acquisition with the smart technology Coactive holds that will enhance our capabilities further and fundamentally will make generating cash for local and central government even more effective. We know that the public sector will always be an industry that is evolving and subject to significant change and as a result we need to be one step ahead of the game and be prepared for all scenarios that may arise.

This means we will always be looking at ways to develop our product and provide the public sector with the solutions it needs to tackle and prevent a whole range of revenue fraud and error issues, ultimately making public service delivery as efficient as possible. L

The public sector will always be an industry that is evolving and subject to significant change and, as a result, we need to be one step ahead of the game and be prepared for all scenarios that may arise to offer to the public sector, we announced at the beginning of 2014 the acquisition of analytical software solutions and consultancy provider Coactiva. Established in 2001, with offices in London and Wales, Coactiva is a pioneer in bringing sophisticated, innovative ‘big data’ analytics and business intelligence solutions into everyday use within many public sector organisations.

The acquisition is an exciting new chapter in the development of Callcredit’s vision to bring true innovation and value to the public sector. We have enjoyed significant success and growth since launching our public sector business three years ago and this acquisition reflects our ambition for the industry.

Coactiva brings a wealth of experience to the table with a team that, in many cases, have worked inside central and local government, and

Andrew Davis of Callcredit Information Group

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 330 0747 www.callcredit.co.uk www.coactiva.com

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Advertising Profile

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

Eco Plastic Wood for products that look and feel like wood but are made entirely from recycled materials Eco Plastic Wood manufactures outhouse or shed doors from recycled UK plastic waste that would usually be destined for landfill.

From its factory based in Leicester, the company currently manufactures made‑to‑measure doors for local authorities, housing associations and their partners or contractors, nationwide.

Eco Plastic Wood’s unique standard doors are each supplied to a specific size, including: goalpost frame, five-lever deadlock, three stainless steel butt hinges, a galvanised ‘D’ handle – and delivered labelled for each address ready to simply install.

However, the company can accommodate almost any variation of specification if required, even fireproof.

Eco Plastic Wood offers all services: survey, supply, fit, and can provide survey sheets that can be sent directly to the organisation.

Eco Plastic Wood is passionate about recycling and supporting the UK economy and – having invested in a new, custom-built machine this year, a first of its kind, itself manufactured within UK – the company has quadrupled its weekly output possibilities and is confident that its product is not only unique but also extremely cost-effective.

Together with doors, Eco Plastic Wood also manufactures many other products usually associated with timber.

These products include fencing, gates, bin stores, bollards, decking and boardwalks, pavilions/amphitheatres, ground reinforcement,

planters, tables, sheds, benches and picnic tables, and much more. As they are made using plastic, all of the company’s products do not require painting or staining and are completely weatherproof and vandal-resistant, as plastic wood is chemically inert and UVstabilised, graffiti usually is just washed away.

All Eco Plastic Wood’s doors and gates are like their timber equivalents but stronger, more durable, maintenance-free, have uniform dimensions and consistent quality, i.e. no knots or splits. They will also not crack, chip or splinter.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0116 284 9888 info@ecoplasticwood.com www.ecoplasticwood.com

Standard Specification 5 lever Deadlock, 3 Stainless hinges, Galvanised D Handle & White goalpost Eco frame.

Unit 6 Oakhill Trading Estate Euston Street Leicester LE2 7ST Tel: 0116 2849888 Email: info@ ecoplasticwood.com Web: www.ecoplasticwood.com

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Features & Benefits Eco Plastic Wood products are produced from mixed waste plastics that would have been destined for landfill.

• Recycled & Recyclable • Innovative • Made in UK with waste from UK • Rot & Maintenance Free – Insect proof & non-toxic • No annual staining / treating • Does NOT splinter – safe for little hands • Does not absorb moisture – simply wipe dry • Resistant to algae • Aesthetically attractive • Cost-effective • Strong & Durable, dense solid material • Withstands vandalism – graffiti washes off • UV Stable – long-lasting • Environmentally-friendly • Can be worked with traditional woodworking equipment • Can itself be recycled – never needs to go back into landfill • Reduced whole life costs

CUSTOMER CONTACT

A SATISFIED CUSTOMER

Customer Service

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

Evidence shows that organisations that are making life easier for customers are facing financial pressures better. Katherine Potter from the Professional Planning Forum talks through some examples of firms that are successfully putting the customer first, and reaping the rewards

A DIFFERENT CULTURE Professional Planning Forums members who visited Motability on a facilitated site visit gave the overwhelming feedback, that the coaching and performance models were so powerful and yet so different from what is traditional in call centres. Above all, what stood out clearly was the long journey that had created a culture that was totally different from almost all of the organisations visiting.

“I am in the early stages of introducing call quality auditing for my team,” commented Lyndsey Workman, Shift Manager at NHS Direct in Leeds. “Today has taken me back to the drawing board [with new ideas on] how we score, feedback and report these audits.”

Elaine Phillips, senior learning and development specialist at DAS, summed up the visit for many when she said: “My key learning was how to create a coaching culture … now I am going to take the ideas and case study back for discussion.”

PASSION FOR THE CUSTOMER The journey at Motability was a long one, led by people with passion for the customer.

“If you can’t change the people change the people,” explained David Walsh, General Manager, Motability Operations, underlining the total commitment to change. “Five years ago I sat in my office looking at statistics, but the top performers were not people I would have handed over a sensitive case too ... nor the people I would introduce you to say ‘this is what we are about’. What is the difference between these two groups?

Good performers were getting the ticks... The

project involved a range of departments: legal, fraud, customer engagement and marketing as well as contact centre agents working together to make it happen.

Capital One UK achieved some very ambitious objectives that increased employee engagement through a new employee vision ‘Let’s make lives better’. They got to the top of the employee satisfaction chart through a range of initiatives like: job rotation during ‘Customer Week’, creating short films to

A tangible passion for service at Motability Operations had led to a record-breaking 96 per cent increase in their customer satisfaction index ‘lovers’ are proud to serve. In fact they got into trouble because they didn’t follow the rules if they didn’t work for the customer.”

As Ivan Smith, head of support, at Motability went on to explain, they had to “create an environment where people can take risks.”

Support was vital – there are team coaches – all reporting to Ivan – as well as the team managers. David made another important point when he reflected on talking at a recent event. 70 per cent of the audience had no feedback loop from the floor. “All our ideas come from the floor,” he explains.

Engagement has many consequences and can be tested by how many of your ideas do in fact come from your frontline colleagues.

CUSTOMER STRATEGY AND PLANNING Improving customer and colleague engagement or “Making life easier for customers” forms an important theme in this year’s Customer Strategy & Planning conference, taking place on 28-29 April in Brighton. Our 2014 awards finalists, will all be presenting their achievements at the conference in April, and a number of them give fantastic examples of innovative approaches to tackling this key issue.

For example, Santander’s contact centre sales team use vScreen technology for credit card applications, resulting in delivering cards to customers 12 days earlier. The secure, compliant, web-based sessions guide customers through applying for a credit card in real time, replicating the face-to-face sales process and making the customer journey significantly easier for customers using the phone – and much more personal. Customer feedback has been 95 per cent positive. Crucially this

Written by Katherine Potter, Professional Planning Forum

Making life easier for customers and colleagues has become a vital issue in the public sector today. Financial pressures are requiring organisations to rethink their operations and do things differently. Evidence shows that organisations that are making life easier for customers and colleagues are facing these financial pressures better. There is much learning in this regard that can be shared between the public and private sectors and in this article we share some of the innovational changes being adopted in both sectors.

It was not for nothing that Motability won the Customer Contact Public Service Innovation Award, organised by the Professional Planning Forum, in 2013 for their “Loving the customer” initiative. They powerfully demonstrated the power of emotional intelligence and self-management in driving quality and customer experience.

Motability Operations is a notfor-profit organisation which runs the Motability Car and the Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Schemes.

A tangible passion for service at Motability Operations had led to a record-breaking and remarkable 96 per cent increase in their customer satisfaction index and self‑awareness has enabled advisors to be responsible for their own development and gain benefit from the support on offer.

embed their vision, providing support to over 400 charities, and forming an employee choir.

Engagement scores have increased more than 50 percentage points and turnover reduced.

Above all, innovation and creativity have been galvanised on a grand scale among front-line associates, with 356 innovations resulting from an explosion of ideas driving improvements to productivity, net promoter and net profit.

HOMEWORKING CAN WORK Arise provide a great example of the results that high performance homeworking can offer. They have achieved scalable, on-demand resources for over 45 clients globally with a 54 per cent increase in agent performance.

A specialist outsourcer with their virtual operating model means they can match skill sets and demographics providing on‑demand resources for daily, weekly or seasonal peaks. This has increased agent utilisation to over 90 per cent for a UK client, and where clients only pay for productive time.

All these great case studies provide just a glimpse of how organisations are addressing the need to become more customer friendly and meet rapidly developing customer expectations of experience both in the private and public sectors equally.

The Professional Planning Forum holds workshops throughout the year to help its members create people strategies and respond to change quicker. See the website for more details. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.planningforum.co.uk www.planningforum.co.uk/conference www.planningforum.co.uk/Events

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MANCHESTER

A WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR CONFERENCES

Manchester has long been a favourite for planners of conferences and events, and recent investment has helped to modernise services throughout the city, as Visit Manchester tells us

Whilst probably most famous for its football and musical exports or as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester’s reputation as a leading business tourism destination is growing considerably, with this sector currently worth over £822m per annum to the city-region.

The combination of historical importance, award winning architecture, rich culture and the inimitable spirit of its people make Manchester a popular choice for event planners. Greater Manchester is not short on conference and meeting venues across the region, but many fall into four distinct areas: Petersfield, centrally located; Oxford road, with universities and academic institutions; the Quays, on the water of the famous Manchester Ship Canal; and the ‘Medieval quarter’ and northern fringe of the city centre. E

Conferences & Events

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

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The National Football Museum can host up to 500 delegates for drinks receptions, fashion shows and product launches

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

The CONFERENCE VENUE The Albert Square Chop House a fabulous historical building right at the City’s business and legislative heart. Our unique function floor offers you a rare combination of characterful surroundings & the Best of British hospitality, with 21st century event facilities and a dedicated business functions team to cater for your every need.

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

MANCHESTER  PETERSFIELD The city’s success is largely the result of heavy investment in the area known as Petersfield, an area of historic importance for Manchester – St Peter’s Field, as the quarter was known in the 1800s, has always been the city’s primary meeting point. Today, the area is home to the city’s flagship conference venue, Manchester Central, as well as over 2,500 hotel beds within a five minute walk at hotels such as The Hilton Manchester Deansgate, The Midland Hotel and The Radisson Edwardian Hotel to name a few. Recent additions to Petersfield include venues the Albert Hall – a Grade II listed Wesleyan chapel on Peter Street – and Mr Cooper’s House and Garden, which is Simon Rogan’s second restaurant at the Midland hotel, combining modern touches with dashes of history and heritage. The concentration of these facilities within a relatively compact area has made Manchester city centre an appealing option for conference and event organisers so it’s no surprise that Manchester continues to be a regular host city for the highly coveted political party conferences. The Labour Party visited in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 and will return this year, whilst The Conservative Party visited during the in-between years of 2009, 2011 and 2013 and are set to return in 2015.

But it isn’t just the political parties that choose Manchester – the city’s industrial and academic strengths also attract international conferences within specialist sectors and disciplines.

Significant upcoming international conferences this year include: the International Conference on Urban Health in March, International Bio‑energy conference, also in March, PSA (Political Studies Association) 64th annual international conference in April and International Festival for Business from June to July. It’s this experience of hosting major conferences that makes Manchester a standout choice for conference planners. However, major trump cards such as a sensible infrastructure, central location within the UK and excellent international connectivity all play a part in the city’s success.

EASILY ACCESSIBLE Manchester Airport offers high standards of route network, capacity and facilities.

Delegates can be checking in to their hotel within 45 minutes of landing. Meanwhile the West Coast Main Line service has trains making the two-hour, seven-minute journey every 20 minutes at peak, bringing Manchester closer to London than ever before.

Once in the city, delegates have access to a comprehensive public transport system including the free Metroshuttle bus service comprised of three routes that loop around the city connecting all the main railway stations, shopping and business districts. Manchester also has Metrolink, one of the most successful light rail (tram) systems in the UK.

OXFORD ROAD The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University sit along Oxford road and both offer comprehensive conference and meeting facilities as well as out‑of‑term accommodation.

The University of Manchester has recently completed the first phase of a £60 million project to open a new hotel, conference venue, and executive education centre at Manchester Business School – the UK’s largest campus-based business and management school.

In the middle of the All Saints Campus are the recently opened Business School and School of Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University, both of which support organisations in the region, serving as major providers of research and talent. The conference facilities at the Business School are housed in a highly original jewel shaped building designed to be at the forefront of green development with impressive sustainable credentials. The six tiered lecture theatres, multiple syndicate rooms and exhibitions and dining space are capable of housing up to 205 delegates.

Meanwhile the School of Art offers the opportunity for events and receptions in the E

Conferences & Events

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

The Lowry e tr arts cen range ide has a wence spaces er of conf n accomodate that ca etween b 1,700 10 and ates deleg

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

Situated on Whitehall within the heart of London, Sixty One Whitehall is the ideal location to hold an event. A Victorian grade II listed building offering the flexibilty to hold a wide range of events from intimate dinners to large conferences in beautiful surroundings.

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The buzz and energy of the city centre, business facilities of a conference centre or the rural getaway of a country club, we have the perfect venue for your business’ needs DAY DELEGATE PACKAGES – from £39.00 Conference room hire, projector, screen, flip chart, tea/coffee breaks and a deli lunch BED & BREAKFAST – from £85.00 Enjoy an overnight stay with breakfast 24 HOUR PACKAGES – from £140.00 Packages as above plus dinner, bed & breakfast accommodation and access to the hotel leisure facilities All rates are subject to availability at all hotels, 24 hour packages re based on two people sharing

ManchesterMarriottHotels.co.uk

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MANCHESTER  impressive vertical galleries and it’s on the unique roof-top terrace.

Coming up in 2015, just 10 minutes on foot from the All Saints campus will be the new conference facilities at Birley Fields – a new campus housing the Faculty of Health, Psychology & Social Care and the Faculty of Education. Its main academic building will be one of the most impressive of its kind in Europe, with outstanding specialist facilities and spacious public areas. The largest space in the building is the multi-purpose hall, a major space capable of holding over 200 people for a lecture, seminar or public meeting using retractable seating.

Not forgetting some nearby favourites. The Whitworth Gallery refurbishment is due to be completed in autumn 2014 and will expand the gallery into the beautiful Whitworth Park, providing needed additional space for exhibitions and conferences. Meanwhile, in March 2014 the city will see the Central Library open once again, after a three-year closure.

THE QUAYS AND TRAFFORD The Quays is Greater Manchester’s stunning waterfront destination and home to some of the most spectacular attractions and iconic buildings in the UK. Easily accessed, 15 minutes from Manchester city centre by car or Metrolink, the Quays’ many venues offer a range of inspiring spaces for special events, meetings, conferences, and training. Their enviable proximity to MediaCityUK, its world class facilities, and the close-knit community of digital start-ups in the vicinity means that Quays venues have access to some of the best tech and creative talent around. Over 7 million people visit the Quays every year, making it one of the most popular leisure destinations in the North; however, all attractions double up as very special venues for business delegates.

The Lowry arts centre has a wide range of conference spaces that can accommodate anywhere between 10 and 1,700 delegates.

Across the water the Imperial War Museum North – the first UK building designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind – offers dramatic spaces to dine and present in, with a 360 degree digital projection system with which clients can create an immersive space for their brand or event.

Nearby Ordsall Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house that re-opened to the public in 2011 following a two year £6.5m restoration project and delegates can hire the venue for small drinks receptions and events.Manchester is known for its sporting heritage and a stones throw from the Quays is Lancashire County Cricket Club which has recently completed a player and media centre with meeting spaces overlooking the ground.

The ford Old Traf round lg footbal fails to never gates who dele inspire meet in one And just across the can tes or road i u s is the world’s 4 2 of its flexible biggest football club.

155 Manchester United FC’s Old Trafford is legendary rooms

and never fails to inspire delegates who can meet in one of their 24 suites or 155 flexible rooms. Old Trafford boasts incentive activities such as Museum and Stadium Tours and Matchday VIP hospitality. The venue is also one of the first in the UK to achieve ISO20121 Sustainable Event Certification.

Not to be outdone, Manchester City FC, over the other side of town at the Etihad stadium has its own especially themed suites.

MEDIEVAL QUARTER Sticking with football, the National Football Museum has attracted huge visitor numbers since it opened in July 2012. It can host up to 500 delegates for drinks receptions, fashion shows and product launches. It now also offers a larger events space on the top floor located above the museum featuring a private ground floor entrance.

Ongoing investment is crucial for the success of the business tourism industry and there are currently a number of projects taking place in the medieval quarter and northern fringe which will add significantly to the overall diversity of Manchester’s conference offer. These include NOMA53, a new 20 acre site combining offices, retail, residential, and leisure facilities and a proposed new Hotel

Indigo. Nearby Band on the Wall – a music venue first and foremost with a history that stretches back over 200 years – is also fully equipped to manage conferences and events.

MEET THE TEAM Manchester’s impressive business product wouldn’t be complete without its conference team. They are specialised in event bidding, planning, marketing and client support.

They offer a single point of contact for conference planners, meaning that a dedicated professional will be on hand from conference conception to completion. They can help with: securing key speakers and civic receptions; liaising with other city stakeholders to deliver services such as city dressing and security. All in all, they provide key services any organiser would expect from a leading convention city.

The team also manages Manchester’s established Conference Ambassador Programme – a network of academics and business figures that help attract their industry events to the city. With the largest student population in Europe studying at four universities across the city-region, Manchester has more than its share of lecturers, doctors and professors willing to help promote the city. With such fantastic connections the team can put event organisers in touch with suitable academics who might be able to help back a bid to bring a particular conference to Manchester. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.visitmanchester.com/conference

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Being sustainable is a serious business The benefits of being a sustainable business and the positive impact it can have is clear to see.

Businesses everywhere are experiencing growth though sustainable practices. Whilst maximizing the economic benefits, they are in turn, minimizing their social and environmental impact.

Let us help you do the same.

Our portfolio of products and services spans sustainable events, carbon footprinting, and environmental and energy management – all essential business tools, whatever your sector, size or location.

We understand that every business is unique. Which is why we provide a customized service, tailored to your business – so you can grow from strength to strength.

Find out more at bsigroup.com, call us on +44 845 080 9000 or follow us @bsisustain

EVENT PREVIEW

SHOWCASING DEVELOPMENTS IN GREEN BUSINESS

Sustainability Live 2014 on April 1-3 at the Birmingham NEC provides an opportunity for businesses to learn how energy efficiency can improve profit margins. Here’s a look at some show highlights

KEYNOTE STAGE Sustainability Live will be launching its first Keynote Stage this year, situated in the heart of the exhibition and featuring expert speakers who will cut through the jargon to debate and discuss the latest sustainability policy and practice affecting business.

Over 250 leading companies will showcase their latest innovations and services, providing a place to develop new business relationships and find products to suit organisations’ requirements.

The event also has an extended and improved, CPD accredited seminar programme featuring panels of leading experts who will put the spotlight on the practical issues and feature the latest advice and case study examples.

Sustainability Live

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

NEMEX HIGHLIGHTS NEMEX @ Sustainability Live has a focus on energy efficiency, knowledge and expertise.

The seminars will present a number of case studies that will provide visitors with the opportunity to learn how to make their organisation more energy efficient. One of the highlights at the free-to-attend event, which is being held at Birmingham’s NEC, is a speaker panel session entitled ‘What will it take to keep the lights on?’ Chaired by Ellen Bennet, editor of Utility Week, the panel includes Sustainability Live is an event covering energy efficiency, energy recovery, water and wastewater management, comprising NEMEX, ENERGY RECOVERY and IWEX. The event offers the opportunity to compare products and services from a wide range of exhibitors alongside a free-to-attend Keynote and Seminar programme at Birmingham’s NEC from 1-3 April 2014.

“Better energy management can enable firms to reduce their energy bills and future‑proof their business against long‑term price rises and volatility,” says David Copeland, marketing director of Sustainability Live.

“Better energy management can enable firms to reduce their energy bills and future-proof their business against long-term price rises” –David Copeland, Sustainability Live “The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) believes that business activity on the ground can translate to a material impact on UK growth and jobs, supporting a domestic market worth £17.6 billion and employing 136,000 people across the country.”

Tom Greatrex,M.P Shadow Energy Minister; Lawrence Slade, COO of Energy UK; Gaynor Hartnell, former chief executive of Renewable Energy Association; and Keith McLean, policy and research director at Scottish Southern Energy. Greatrex has previously served as a E

A software solution to transform energy and facilities management Founded in 1986, ICONICS is an award‑winning software developer and Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner that allows organisations to visualise and control their operations and assets.

ICONICS and its partners are looking to engage with any company or institution that is interested in driving energy reductions through technology.

Organisations and governments no longer have to spend millions in transforming their buildings into smart estates; ICONICS and Microsoft are now helping building managers across the word deploy a solution that can unify all building management systems within

an estate, providing deep energy insights and revealing hidden maintenance costs.

Microsoft rolled out the technology across its Redmond Campus. Not only has Microsoft saved energy and millions in maintenance and utility costs, but the company now is hyper-aware of the way its buildings perform. Engineers are no

longer climbing over rooftops, inspecting pump rooms and peering above ceiling tiles. No, engineers are now spending 95 per cent of their time being engineers.

Finding a sustainable and cost-effective energy management solution is a challenge faced by many in the public sector. Old legacy equipment is perceived as not capable of true energy efficiency, the question that remains is why?

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0) 1384 246700 sales@iconics-uk.com info@iconics-uk.com

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Sustainability Live

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

EVENT PREVIEW  member on the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and has been vocal about issues including shale gas and CCS. “It’s great news that the shadow energy minister will be joining our fantastic line up to discuss keeping the lights on. All too often the focus is on scare stories about the lights going off. We want to talk about how politicians, regulators and industry can work together to avoid that scenario,” says Bennet.

NEMEX’s exhibitors will showcase the latest products and solutions for energy efficiency, including BSI Group, Energy Institute, ND Metering Solutions and Open Energi.

ENERGY RECOVERY HIGHLIGHTS Energy Recovery is centred on EfW, Bioenergy and Anaerobic Digestion. The seminar programme at Energy Recovery 2014 includes a number of case studies that will provide visitors with practical insights on how to develop waste-to-Energy (WtE) solutions, as well as the options available for turning residual waste into a usable form of energy.

One of the highlights is a speaker panel session entitled ‘Resource Revolution: Turning resource efficiency into competitive gain’.

It is being chaired by Dustin Benton, head of resource stewardship, Green Alliance, and will feature: Susanne Baker, senior climate and environment policy advisor, EEF (The Manufacturers’ Organisation); Dr Liz Goodwin,

chief executive, WRAP; Chris Sherwin, head of sustainability, Seymourpowell; and James Walker, head of innovation, Kingfisher Group.

Energy recovery’s seminar programme will include over 30 leading industry speakers from across the country in a new three-day seminar programme within the Energy Recovery Theatre. The exhibition will showcase over 20 companies and organisations, including Siemens, BSI Group, and the Energy Institute.

IWEX HIGHLIGHTS The key event for water and wastewater management, IWEX, will be having a special event to mark the 25th anniversary of the water sector. A speaker panel session entitled ‘The Water Industry: 25 years since privatisation’ featuring Dan Rogerson, parliamentary under secretary of state for water, forestry, rural affairs and resource management, Defra will be the highlight of the event. The panel session will also include exclusive insights from Lord Moynihan, former parliamentary under-secretary of state responsible for water privatisation, Defra; Jonson Cox, chairman of Ofwat; Sir Ian Byatt, former UK water regulator and Colin Skellett, executive chairman of Wessex Water.

The Water Efficiency for Business session at IWEX will be chaired by Tuval Rockman, environmental resources manager at Sainsbury’s. The supermarket has become

one of the first organisations to achieve the Carbon Trust Water Standard, which awards organisations that measure, manage and reduce water use year on year.

Commercial chains can achieve the water reduction target in a number of ways, such as eradicating underground leaks, which can save hundreds of thousands of pounds, and fitting equipment such as pre-rinse spray taps and low-flush toilets. Chains can also invest in rainwater harvesting for all new stores as standard, as well as retrofitting these units in existing stores.

AWARDS Taking place alongside Sustainability Live this year are the Environment and Energy Awards and the Water Industry Achievement Awards.

The Water Industry Achievement Awards takes place on 1 April at Hilton Birmingham Metropole and celebrates and rewards outstanding innovation in the UK water industry.

The Environment and Energy Awards take place on 2 April at the National Motorcycle Museum and is widely regarded as one of the highest accolades for sustainability in the corporate sector. It recognises excellence and innovation in sustainable business practices. L FURTHER INFORMATION visit www.sustainabilitylive.com

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Why our award-winning services should get your vote

Whether your fleet consists of cars, vans or trucks you need those vehicles on the road helping your business succeed. And as the AA was recently voted number one for Vehicle Recovery, Risk Management and Accident Management by readers of Business Car magazine, you can be sure that AA Business Services can provide all the support you’ll need. After all, we don’t just have more of our own patrols* than all other UK breakdown services put together, we can help in a lot of other ways too. If you’ve just one commercial vehicle or several thousand, we’ll help keep the wheels of business turning. *Source: Mintel – UK Vehicle recovery report, September 2013

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For AA Business Breakdown Cover call 0800 55 11 88 quoting 0794 Or visit theAA.com/business

BUSINESS TRAVEL

With the choice of using staff-owned cars, pool cars, short-term rentals, and company cars, it is not always clear what business travel method is best for an organisation. James Langley, deputy chairman and director of the Institute of Car Fleet Management, examines the different options These days, most businesses need to move people or product around and require a vehicle and driver to do so. The ramifications in terms of performance and cost, coupled with the potential risks which could be encountered mean that decision making about how business travel requirements are fulfilled is a critical function of management. Even in quite significant organisations, decisions have been based on bad data; solutions initially deemed so appropriate, later transpire to present far greater costs than had ever been anticipated and, moreover, diverting away from the plan consumes a massive amount of resource.

KNOW YOUR BUSINESS It’s vital to have a thorough understanding of the business, the operations and the current transport needs as well as a sound appreciation of what is likely to happen over the next two or three years and the corporate social responsibility perspective of the organisation. Clarity around these aspects will support the process of establishing the objectives for any provision of business transport.

However the car is provided, as soon as the

organisation has any employee driving on business, there are legal obligations which have to be addressed. Contrary to some belief, they are no less significant when an employee uses their own car for business purposes; in fact, they are likely to be more difficult to manage than if the organisation provides the vehicle. There is an element of ‘lightning strike’ about this; the chance of it all going badly wrong is statistically low but the impact if it does will be massive. The organisation must take reasonable steps to ensure that risks associated with the driver, vehicle and journey are identified and suitably managed through policies, procedures and processes.

simple is, of course, nothing of the sort.

The organisation will need to ensure that the driver is competent to drive for business. Holding a valid driving licence may well indicate some capability but a poor accident history, habitual poor driving practices, a willingness to bend the rules and perhaps even personal health issues indicate potential issues. The organisation needs to put in place procedures to control this exposure and the controls need to be in place for everyone driving on business.

The next area of concern is the vehicle itself; it needs to be suitable for the business purpose and must be on the road legally by having an MOT certificate as required and with business use insurance which covers that employee driving in connection with the organisation’s business.

It must be in good condition in all respects; properly maintained and with routine safety checks carried out by the driver.

Written by James Langley, deputy chairman and director, Institute of Car Fleet Management

GETTING A GRIP ON GETTING ABOUT

Fleet Management

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

r Howeve is le a vehic as soon ed, proivid rganisation as an o employee has anyon business, driving are legal there ions to obligat ress add

GREY FLEET The most obvious first port of call for a vehicle for business use is getting employees to use their own cars. What sounds so gloriously

OTHER CONCERNS Using employees own vehicles is an onerous business; the younger driver with a hot-hatch, which he perhaps can’t afford to maintain fully, is a fairly obvious problem area but there are many more potential E

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s k c e h c e . c 5 n e 1 c 0 i L 2 g n i n i e v i g r ? n d D a e h r c a p o t e r t p se u o y Are All UK organisations need to be ready for the forthcoming changes in 2015 to remove the counterpart from all driving licences applications.

This will require all UK motorists to carry a photo –card driving licence. The move to photocard driving licences will affect all fleets and businesses in the UK and checking needs to be put in place.

able to view all employee driving licence data and establish any high risk issues.

CPC, Digicard and ADR driver data modules will be available this year and will ensure all fleet and transport managers will have a one stop portal for all driver licence information.

Currently many fleet operators and other businesses in the UK have employed routine Contact us today for a free information pack and visual checks and in most cases believe this is enough as a duty of care and cover both insurance needs for your business type. and legislation.

If you are currently using the DVLA or another third party company, it is easy to transfer and the Drivercheck is renowned as one of the top suppliers in the UK to validate and verify all driving savings could be huge for your business. We will also tell you how we differ from them and what the licences. Through a secure portal, you will be advantages will bring to you.

Visit: www.drivercheck.co.uk Call: 0870 774 7406

BUSINESS TRAVEL  issues which are far more subtle. Even if the employer can put in place adequate controls to manage the driver and vehicle risk and apply some control to authorise each use, there remains the issue of how employees are to be reimbursed for the business use.

Very popular is the AMAP rate (Approved Mileage Allowance Payment), currently 45 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter. The great attraction of this rate is that there are no taxation or national insurance liabilities so it’s nice and straightforward. However, it’s a compromise, for some situations it might be too little and for others, too much. Expect to spend a great deal of time defending the rates used and, when this is considered alongside all the issues around the driver and the vehicle, it’s little wonder that many employers have put this solution into the ‘too difficult box’ and shifted to pool cars.

POOL CARS Plenty of organisations use pool cars effectively. They are not assigned to an employee and not available for private use and therefore there is no benefit in kind taxation (BIK) or national insurance (NI) liability.

However, they must truly be pool cars and that means that they have to be made available to, and used by more than one employee in the tax year, they shouldn’t be used by one employee to the exclusion of others, any private mileage should be incidental to the business use and the car shouldn’t be normally parked at or in the vicinity of the home of any particular employee. The common query is that of the early start and a wish to take the car home the night before. If this is occasional and infrequent, it’s unlikely to be a problem but, should a pattern of this sort of use become established, it will doubtless present an issue.

One concern is maintaining the ‘quality of use’. Providing a pool car for a 100-mile trip to visit a customer is fair enough and releasing a car that is otherwise doing nothing to drive to the local bank or Post Office is probably quite reasonable. The difficulty arises when cars are being pre-booked to undertake those petty local jobs and preventing the cars from being used for higher quality purposes. I came across

a business where several pool cars were taken, every day, to drive to the local city, where they would be parked for six or seven hours, despite the fact that there was a chauffeur car on a city shuttle throughout business hours.

However, there are benefits – you can be assured that the vehicles are suitable for business use, are being maintained properly and that they are taxed and insured.

The other application of short-term rental is to provide more permanent cars to accommodate longer assignments, the engineer who needs to be away for several months on an installation or the new starter who is eligible for a company car but where the employer would like to ensure he’s settled in before making the commitment to a new car. Where the car is allocated to an employee

Fleet Management

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

Common fleet issues include establishing and maintaining eligibility criteria, and managing vehicle choice over the longer term. Prices, costs, and CO2-based BIK tax band levels move, influencing driver behaviour and managing risk Abuse however is a common problem.

A robust process for both the issue and return of the vehicle to ensure that vehicle condition is maintained is vital; this is very time consuming and arduous and there are often issues in getting it done consistently, particularly when other business pressures come into play. The amount of resource necessary to maintain adequate levels of control is almost always underestimated.

SHORT-TERM RENTAL Some organisations use short-term rental as a method of delivering pool cars and if the vehicle is a true pool car as outlined above, then again there is no BIK taxation or NI liability. Where rental is used to provide pool cars, the user outsources the condition management and the handover process. However, the costs of the additional administration will have to be recovered. Consequently, if the organisation requires lots of vehicle handovers, then there will be a higher level of administration from the rental provider, for which they must apply charges.

However, the organisation will be able to access robust information to identify those drivers who perhaps need to be the focus of management attention to correct performance deficiencies.

in this fashion there will be a BIK liability for the driver and a NI liability for the employer.

These will be based on a scale which reflects the list price and CO2 emissions of the car.

FULL COMPANY CAR Company cars are usually provided to employees who need them for their role or who are entitled to them by virtue of their status. The specific objectives of the organisation will influence the general level of car and the extent of choice offered to the driver; where the car is provided purely for business travel needs, there might be little driver choice. However, where the scheme is about attraction and retention of staff, choice might be much wider. Choice does however bring its own issues, a common one being the re-allocation of released vehicles, particularly in an era where drivers will be paying BIK tax (and the organisation NI) and often have clear ideas about the car they’d prefer.

Most organisations acquire their cars either by ownership or contract hire. Any new car has to be seen as a three or four-year commitment; this means that great care should be taken in getting structure and control into the scheme. This will ensure that appropriate cars are brought into the fleet, adequate levels of control are applied, costs can be forecast and performance maintained.

Common issues include establishing and maintaining eligibility criteria, managing vehicle choice over the longer time as prices, costs and CO2 emission-based BIK tax band levels move, influencing driver behaviour and managing risk.

Above all, the business, the fleet, the industry will evolve and it’s vital that, irrespective of how cars for business are provided, information is gathered and reviewed on a regular basis to refine the policy and to perhaps identify changes in how transport ought best to be provided for the different usage profile groups. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.icfm.com

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THE UK’S BIGGEST COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW The number one road transport and logistics event in Britain, catering for every operator’s business needs, the CV Show has become the leading meeting place for suppliers and operators alike – a true one stop shop for the industry.

Located at the NEC, at the heart of the motorway network, the CV Show is open from 8.30 to 5.30 April 29 - May 1.

www.cvshow.com

GET YOUR FREE TICKET REGISTER TODAY WWW.CVSHOW.COM Exhibitor enquiries call +44 (0) 1634 261 262

EVENT PREVIEW

Commercial Vehicle Show

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

A LOOK AT THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES MARKET

The CV Show is the largest and most comprehensive road freight transport event staged in Britain, catering for every operator’s requirements, from trucks, vans and all types of trailers, through to handling equipment, fuels, telemetry and more The CV Show is the leading meeting place for suppliers and operators and many new products are expected to be introduced to the market over the three days of the Show.

These new products will ensure that business visitors have the opportunity to see, first hand, every option to help them operate and maintain a safe, efficient and effective fleet. Unrivalled in size, product range and visitor attendance, the CV Show now attracts more than 18,000 high quality visitors, many with serious buying power.

The event runs from Tuesday 29 April to Thursday 1 May at the NEC in Birmingham.

Every aspect of the UK road transport sector will be covered at this year’s show; trucks, including those that are sector‑specific such as refrigerated vehicles, curtainsiders, tankers and tippers.

The van market also continues to grow and this year it really is a case of ‘all the colours, all the sizes’. Visitors to the Show will also see an extensive range of ancillary suppliers to the industry including products

such as handling equipment, insurers, tyres, telematics, training providers, fuels and lubricant suppliers and a whole lot more.

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS Vehicle manufacturers exhibiting include Citroën, Fiat Professional, Ford Motor Company, Isuzu, Isuzu Truck, Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Renault Trucks, Renault UK, Toyota GB and Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles.

Most are planning new additions to their ranges and the CV Show will be a chance for visitors to see them for the first time.

Representing the light commercial sector, Steve Bryant, Vauxhall’s commercial vehicle brand manager said, “Vauxhall is delighted to be back at the UK’s largest Commercial Vehicle Show. The company has always been a big supporter of the CV Show and is very much looking forward to returning to Birmingham in 2014”.

In addition to vehicle manufacturers, many bodywork and trailer builders will also be

New s product that ure will enss visitors businesopportunity e have the, first hand, to se tion to help p every o operate an them nt fleet efficie

using the CV Show as their shop window.

These include Al-Ko Kober, Cartwright, GM Coachwork, Lawrence David, Magyar, Maisonneuve, Maxi-Low, Montracon, Road Tankers Northern, SDC Trailers, SOMI Trailers, Strongs Plastic Products and Whale Tankers.

Paul Jones, Al-Ko Kober’s marketing manager, said: “The Commercial Vehicle Show has become a major fixture in the AL-KO Kober calendar. As far as we are concerned, it ticks all the boxes. It provides us with an exceptionally good shop window; it attracts a wide range of visitors and customers and creates a perfect networking opportunity.”

The CV Show also includes the Cool Pavilion, offering visitors a wide variety of refrigerated products and services. Gray and Adams, Paneltex, Quinn Vehicles and Solomon Commercials have booked stands, as well as specialist refrigeration equipment suppliers Frigoblock and Thermo King.

CUTTING COSTS WITH TELEMATICS Key among the many issues affecting the commercial vehicle industry is operating costs. Fuel, maintenance, driver safety, communications all mean money and, for today’s commercial vehicle operator, telematics can go a long way towards making every penny count.

Once the realm of the big fleet operator, telematics systems are now accessible to everyone and, by their very nature, can be tailored to any company, large or small.

Whether it’s vehicle tracking, tachograph E

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

Since 1972, CMG has provided breakdown and accident assistance to stranded motorists between London and Birmingham. Its portfolio has extended to include Nationwide Assistance solutions to many leading UK road haulage companies. Each year CMG deals with over 50,000 incidents across the UK and has now extended its service to offer customers bespoke solutions throughout Europe.

CMG also provides solutions to the automotive industry with its fleet of multi-vehicle transporters. Its low loader division currently provides tailored solutions for transporting access, agricultural, forklifts, plant and machinery. We operate a daily and weekly service throughout Europe and UK for all of our services.

CMG is looking for opportunities to increase its customer base. For further information please visit www.cmg-org.com or call 0800 282 449.

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The Well Bus team invite you to come and see their range of conversions on Stand 3C80 at the CV Show... c/o TCC, Ferryboat Lane, Sunderland SR5 3JN enquiries@wellbus.co.uk 0191 5167610

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

EVENT PREVIEW

 analysis, fuel economy or a fully integrated package that you’re after which covers every area of operation, exhibitors at the CV Show will have something to suit every buyer.

Karen Crispe, managing director of tachograph legislation experts Tachodisc, is a long-time exhibitor and great supporter of the Show.

“The CV Show has become the main event of the CV industry calendar,” she said.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to get the industry together under one roof, provides an excellent networking opportunity and gives exhibitors, large and small, the chance to demonstrate their latest innovations and developments. We at Tachodisc firmly believe that the use of technology, including telematics, has become an absolute must for all operators. Total efficiency can only be achieved with total compliance. It’s quite simple; you can’t have one without the other. Efficiency and compliance; telematics and technology have become the glue that joins the two together.”

With fuel now representing nearly 40 per cent of a haulier’s operating costs, global telematics provider Trakm8 is leading the way in enabling businesses to reduce that cost through the utilisation of Trakm8’s industry leading ecoN solution. Fleet fuel costs can be reduced substantially, as demonstrated in a recent Trakm8 fuel efficiency driving competition. Through feeding back efficiency scores to the driver, the winners of the Trakm8 competition scored an average of 98 per cent fuel efficiency, with one individual driver making an impressive improvement of 69 per cent.

Paul Wilson, Trakm8 sales director commented, “Trakm8 is delighted that thanks to our ecoN technology, many company fleets are becoming incredibly fuel efficient. The CV Show 2014 will give us the perfect chance to demonstrate that ecoN is easy to install, discreet and exceptional in performance. Working in conjunction with our most technically-advanced telematics equipment and unique online interface, ecoN can transform any business in a positive way whilst also reducing costs.”

These are just two of the wide range of

Commercial Vehicle Show

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

Most vehicle manufacturers are planning new additions to their ranges and the 2014 Commercial Vehicle Show will be a chance for visitors to see them for the first time companies in the telematics sector that recognise the importance of exhibiting at the 2014 Commercial Vehicle Show. More companies can be found in the product locator on the CV Show website.

MAINTENANCE ADVICE The CV Show again includes Workshop2014, where companies will offer advice to operators so that they can keep the industry’s wheels turning at maximum efficiency. It is the only national forum for the passenger car, commercial vehicle maintenance and repair industry sector. It therefore attracts business from the widest possible audience including prime decision makers from franchised

dealers, independent garages, fleet workshops, body repair shops and wholesalers.

Workshop 2014 really is a one-stop shop for those responsible for the maintenance of car fleets, vans and trucks, the opportunity to visit the latest providers of goods and services, including components and replacement parts to garage and workshop equipment. The chance of having such a wide range of expertise under one roof has proved to be of great benefit to companies such as Centrica, BT and the RAC; all of which operate many hundreds of vehicles and have substantial budgets for replacement parts and garage equipment.

Bradbury Equipment’s divisional manager, E

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

Is proud to introduce

Clean-Burn A cutting-edge solution for Greener Fleets, who want: Improved fuel economy by an average of 10% across any Feet Reduced emissions by up to 80% in vehicles with 50k or more miles on the clock

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Storage Systems for All Products Automation • Racking • Shelving • Containers

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SSI Schaefer Limited 01264 386600 solutions@ssi-schaefer.co.uk www.ssi-schaefer.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Commercial Vehicle Show

EVENT PREVIEW

Exhibitor numbers are up almost 30 per cent on 2013; however, actual space occupied is 20 per cent greater, reflecting the return of many SMEs to the show  Keith McLaren commented: “We see Workshop 2014 as the only exhibition where potential customers can see garage equipment ‘in the flesh’, and, in many cases, actually working. We at Bradbury appreciate that the purchase of garage equipment is a major decision for any business and should not be taken lightly. We fully understand this and will install equipment that is innovative, reliable and meets both current European legislation as well as the needs of the modern day motor vehicle, which together with an exceptional after-sales service is paramount to the continual growth of any business. We look forward to meeting existing and potential new customers to offer them professional and experienced advice about their specific requirements.”

TYRE MANUFACTURERS Choosing the right tyre is key to the success of any transport operation, because of the critical

profit. Every transport operation is different and the 2014 Commercial Vehicle Show will provide operators with the perfect opportunity to compare tyre suppliers and decide which is best suited to their needs.

Guy Heywood, commercial director of Michelin’s truck division, says: “We spend more on research and development than any tyre manufacturer in the world, so it’s only fitting that as new Michelin truck and trailer tyres are launched, we display them at the industry’s largest trade event. For this year’s CV Show we’ve got the strongest product line-up in our history; it will be a major opportunity to reinforce that when customers think about their tyre policy, they should be focused on buying value.”

role tyres play in fleet safety and performance.

Operators should carefully consider their company tyre policy and the 2014 Commercial Vehicle Show will provide operators with the perfect opportunity to compare tyre suppliers and decide which is best suited to their needs.

That’s why this year’s Show will feature 14 different suppliers to this essential sector of the road transport industry including Aeolus Tyres, ATS Euromaster, Bandvulc, Bridgestone, Continental, GITI Tire, Goodyear, Hankook, Kirkby Tyres and Wheels, KwikFit Fleet, Michelin, RH Claydon, TD Tyres and TIA Wheels.

An illegal or defective commercial vehicle tyre could mean a roadside prohibition, a court appearance and a hefty fine. A driver caught behind the wheel of a vehicle with illegal tyres faces three penalty points and a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre – regardless of whether or not they own the vehicle.

For fleet operators or owner drivers, tyre choice and maintenance cost dictates

PROMISING UPTAKE Exhibitor numbers are up almost 30 per cent on 2013; however, actual space occupied is 20 per cent greater, reflecting the return of many SMEs to the show for the first time since business declined in late 2008. This is another positive indication that the CV Show really will have something for everyone. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cvshow.com

New digital analysis software for all your tacograph requirements Visit TDi on Stand 4E130 at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2014 (29 April-1 May, NEC Birmingham).

TDi offers a wide range of solutions, all at very competitive prices. These included: Tachograph Analysis (reports in English, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian and Latvian); Tachograph Analysis Software; Driver CPC Training; Transport Consultancy; Health & Safety Consultancy and Training; First Aid Training; and much more…

At the CV Show, the company is launching its brand new digital analysis software, which is set to become the industry leader in tachograph analysis.

everything is stored and accessed online and can be viewed/actioned as soon as the check or incident has been submitted by the driver.

Working with TDi guarantees you a quality service and rapid turnaround, with no set-up fees and no hidden charges. You can also be assured of all of the back-up and support you might need, from a company that is at the forefront of technological advances.

TDi also has a new vehicle check app.

The TDi Vehicle Checks app eliminates the need for paper defect reports,

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01246 252375 info@tdi.tc www.tdi.tc

Volume 21.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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The future for local government is about how best to deliver life changing outcomes for people in local communities with less money and through increased collaboration and partnership. It is the outcomes that are the primary focus, not the organisations delivering them.

The government is setting the tone by reducing spending overall while demanding value for money, better outcomes and different approaches like more use of local volunteers.

The focus is increasingly on ‘self‑help’ and reduced dependency on the state.

Local councillors are in touch with what their local people need but often struggle to make sense of the layers of local government and public services that still exist in many places. There can be a tendency to focus on immediate complaints without dealing with the big challenges ahead.

After all, politicians want to be re-elected every four years, and this can sometimes work against longer term planning. However, up and down the country local councils are responding to the challenges and managing with reduced budgets. Potential outcomes are improving for many people, often the most vulnerable in our society.

Thinking about discrete workforces is changing to focus on the wider workforce delivering public services, regardless of organisational boundaries.

This is likely to include a complex web of people working in local government health, charities, private companies, local authority trading companies, staff mutual companies as well as some central government agencies – and of course volunteers.

ENGAGING SERVICE WORKERS Workforce engagement is a major focus and many are thinking about how approaches to recruiting, retaining and engaging staff will need to adapt to keep pace with the changes to service delivery models, organisations and workplaces.

The Engage for Success movement reflects the mood and the priorities of organisations needing people to ‘join’, ‘stay’ and ‘do their best’. It is now more important than ever for employers to take account of employee as well as organisational needs and aspirations. Even whilst the public sector world is changing, there is still a pride in public service amongst many workers that organisations work hard to harness.

This is not easy to maintain in a climate where the numerous cases of child deaths like Baby P, NHS scandals, and public servant corruption, as well as the ongoing debate about senior executive pay, have all fuelled negative media coverage and affected public perception.

A STRAINED WORKFORCE New research suggests 880,000 jobs will be cut by 2017 to cut public spending, reducing public sector jobs to their lowest level since the creation of the welfare state after the Second World War. There is an emerging disproportionate impact on women who make up a significant part of the public sector workforce and the cuts are helping to push female unemployment to a 25-year high.

We will still need many professionals in health, social work, planning and housing but their roles are changing. Employers need to work with colleges and universities

GETTING PEOPLE INTO WORK Despite the politics, community leadership on the ground requires demonstrable courage to truly work together for a common social purpose and support communities to support each other, shift expectations away from the state and encourage self help.

One way of helping people to help themselves is to focus on work for all, via community led employment solutions, a new community led employment infrastructure and transition away from traditional organisationally-based employment models.

A CONFIDENT SECTOR One practical example is the care sector, which is growing because of the ageing population and spans public, private, health and charities. A single local model of professionalising care work and making it more attractive to workers is a win/win.

We need leaders and workforces that understand the pressures and complexities of providing public services but who are also committed to innovation and creativity as way of making them better in an uncertain world. There is already a level of pride, which we need to build on for the future before it is lost altogether.

Being proud to deliver effective public services, however challenging this may be or whoever you work for, is the way forward.

‘Public and proud’ is the new future. L

Written by Louise Tibbert, vice president, Public Sector People Managers’ Association (PPMA)

Louise Tibbert of the Public Sector People Managers’ Association examines the challenges of sustaining a good local government workforce and what future employment models might look like

Human Resources

STAFF WITH PRIDE IN PUBLIC SERVICE

to ensure that young people are ready for the new world of public sector work. Often they come with the technical qualifications but are not ‘job ready’ in terms of attitude and behaviours, or understanding how the new ‘organisations’ work in practice.

COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP For existing staff, apart from the uncertainty of whether they will have a job, the need for increased flexibility means a shift in the way they work, which requires managerial support and strong leadership. For senior and middle managers with local government, for example, the number of roles has already reduced by as much as 30 per cent in some areas and the breadth of knowledge required is increasing all the time.

This has an impact on career paths and succession planning. The jump into senior roles is becoming more challenging and this needs to be recognised.

Collaborative leadership requires strong skills when the future is uncertain.

Many public sector line managers have a professional background and struggle to step effectively into a management role without development and coaching.

Learning and development is now more important than ever but needs to be carefully targeted and measured for impact.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.ppma.org.uk

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2013

EVENT PREVIEW

A FORUM FOR DATA SECURITY PROFESSIONALS

Infosecurity Europe 2014 takes place on 29 April-1 May at Earl’s Court, London, and brings together leading figures from the information security industry. We summarise the show highlights Infosecurity Europe is the largest and most attended information security event in Europe. Held in central London, it is a free event featuring over 325 exhibitors presenting a diverse range of new products and services. The free education programme attracts visitors from every segment of the industry across Europe.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS 99 per cent of the show’s visitors are satisfied with the fulfilment of their objective of seeing the industry players in one place. From the New Exhibitor zone to the Country Pavilions, visitors can discover the latest products and solutions of the local and international scene. There are opportunities to receive expert advice and to discuss business needs with key information security players.

The attendees reflect every segment of the information security industry coming from key sectors including: IT distribution companies; IT hardware, software, manufacturers and suppliers; end-user information security professionals; and government professionals The New Exhibitor zone provides a dedicated platform for companies new to Infosecurity Europe to exhibit and showcase highly innovative product and service solutions.

NETWORKING Infosecurity Europe 2014 is paving the way for three days of multiple opportunities to network with global audience of over 16,700 information security professionals.

Features like the Networking bar or the visitor comfort zone are available to both junior and senior members of the industry to optimise the social experience.

Last year’s event featured world-class companies such as the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, Unilever, Easyjet, Channel4 and Centrica.

COUNTRY PAVILIONS As a global information security hub, Infosecurity Europe is not only committed to address international information security challenges but it also promotes the necessity to adapt to cultural singularities within the industry.

Therefore the event covers country‑specific market insights and needs with national dedicated areas: the Country Pavilions, which gather a consequent number of companies specialised in the same country so that visitors interested in a specific territory can directly collect information and interact with expert vendors.

The on Educati e has m r Program togethech t u p n bee ing resear follow e Information with thity community Secur an Advisory and ncil of Cou s CISO

COLLECT CPD/CPE CREDITS The Education Programme is shaped by the industry for the industry. Addressing challenges and industry needs, it provides attendees with business critical insight, best practice and practical case studies. Our content partners (ISC)2 and ISACA enable visitors of the free Education Programme to collect valuable CPD/CPE Credits, which get allocated automatically in the months after the event.

Infosecurity Europe

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

FREE EDUCATION PROGRAMME The Infosecurity Europe Education Programme provides a range of learning opportunities for its attendees where they can access high-level content through a host of different formats from panel discussions and presentations to workshops and training courses.

The Education Programme has been put together following extensive research with the Information Security community and an Advisory Council of CISOs to identify the topics, issues and challenges that are important to them, to ensure that attendees leave with business intelligence, knowledge and insight that they can apply directly to their organisation.

KEYNOTE THEATRE This year’s Keynote Theatre agenda will address the theme of security as a business enabler, focusing on how a proactive, resilient security strategy can add value to, and support growth and transformation in the hyper-connected business.

Bringing together senior end-user practitioners from the public and private sectors, policy-makers and analysts, the programme will provide strategic insight, best-practice and real-life experience, providing a unique opportunity for delegates to learn directly from the experts who are at the sharp-end of information security.

With panel discussions, presentations, interviews and Q&A sessions, delegates will leave the sessions with strategic insight and practical tips that will enhance their personal skills and assist them in developing and implementing a robust information security strategy for the next 12 months.

SUPPORTING INNOVATION Information security is evolving, moving beyond technology to become a business discipline. By developing risk-based, intelligence lead security strategies, the information security function is able to determine what the real level of risk is to the business, and support decision-making within the organisation. To do this the information security function needs to shake off the reputation for being risk averse, stifling innovation, agility and efficiency with strict controls and policies to become business lead – sharing the risk appetite of the business whilst protecting the enterprise with business lead strategies.

Delegates will leave the sessions E

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FireEye in the Government 243 days is the average time an attacker is present on a victim network before detection

63% of companies learned they were breached from an external entity

100% of victims had up-to-date anti-virus signatures

Learn more at www.government-ebook.com

EVENT PREVIEW  with strategic insight and practical tips that will enhance their personal skills and assist them in developing and implementing a robust information security strategy for the next 12 months.

Co-located event: SITS 14 adaption and speed to market. At the same time, ‘applification’ throws up a host of information security challenges.

Embedding information security into software development is critical to minimise

The information security function needs to shake off the reputation for being risk averse, stifling innovation, agility and efficiency with strict controls INFORMATION SECURITY The pace of technological changes continues to increase. As businesses become more connected than ever before information security practitioners are tackling the dual challenges of securing current legacy systems that are increasingly vulnerable to new risks, whilst looking ahead at how to future-proof tomorrow’s legacy.

At the show attendees will benefit from the opportunity to find out how to protect current legacy systems and build resilience in current technology to protect against future threats.

‘APPLIFICATION’ OF BUSINESS As applications increasingly become an essential part of a business, agile software development is critical to enable rapid

vulnerabilities and ensure software meets regulations and OWASP standards.

Attendees will discover how DevOps can be used to embed security in the development lifecycle and how security and development can work together to achieve best practice and ensure the rapid delivery of secure applications to enable business growth securely.

Speakers already confirmed to speak in the Keynote Theatre at Infosecurity Europe include senior representatives from Skype, Pearson, Viacom International Media Networks, Premier Farnell, Home Retail Group, Rank Group, Travis Perkins, GE Capital and Amgen. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.infosec.co.uk/visiting

SITS14 – The Service Desk & IT Support Show is the UK’s leading IT Service Management and Support event.

Infosecurity Europe

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

The Exhibition will allow visitors to meet with the leading suppliers, all demonstrating the latest products, services and solutions.

There will be over 40 seminars across three theatres – including case studies and practical ‘how to’ sessions. The Keynote Theatre, featuring Gartner, will provide a unique opportunity to address the current, crucial issues and gain a strategic outlook. There will also be Breakfast Briefings which are a great way to start a visit to the show – discover the results of new industry research and put your questions to the panel.

Taking place at London’s Earls Court on 29-30 April, SITS14 – The Service Desk & IT Support Show looks set to celebrate its milestone 20th anniversary in great company, with a host of big name vendors, consultancies and service providers now confirmed as exhibitors.

MITIGATING THE RISK of Data Loss during ICT Disposal Fully Audited International IT Asset Disposal Standard.

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With companies being certified in Australia, China, Singapore and Dubai during 2014, the ADISA Standard offers end users confidence that their IT Asset Disposal Company operates to the very highest of standards.

The audit process is rigorous to ensure certified members meet the Standard consistently. This process includes full independent audits against each element of the Standard and twice yearly unannounced forensic audits.

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Turn any desktop PC into a touchscreen with The Soladapt TouchGENiE Overlay is simple and easy to use.

The Overlay’s frame needs to be strapped on to the front of any desktop monitor or TV and plugged into a personal computer through a USB connection. The unit is plug and play so there is no software drivers required. TouchGENiE overlays come in a range of sizes from 17” to 159” with offer 2 to 40 point multi touch function.

TouchGENiE allows the user to experience the full touch functionality of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Android, Vista and XP on their existing monitors, all from an affordable £99.99.

Simply put, it’s a pane of toughened glass you put over the front of your display and plug in via USB, giving you Touchscreen capabilities. Using Infrared Touchscreen Technology, small LEDs are built into the frame, which can register multiple touch points. With such a simple design it’s not surprising that it’s also extremely strong and will even offer protection to your existing display.

Richard Plaskow, Co-Founder Soladapt, comments: “With endless applications in the home, office, private and public sectors we are aiming to establish TouchGENiE as a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to all those who have a non-Touchscreen monitor already.”

“We are delighted to introduce the Touchscreen Overlay to the UK consumers and trade at the Ideal Home Exhibition and Bett Fair. As a business, we are striving to bring unique, high quality and cost effective products to our customers and the Touchscreen Overlay hopefully demonstrates our efforts.

“With endless applications in the home, office, private and public sectors we are aiming to establish the Touchscreen Overlays as a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to all those who have a non-Touchscreen monitor already.”

Independent Review by Connected World – April 2013 If you are looking at the new OS from Microsoft Windows 8 / 8.1, we all know that it is really designed for touch interaction but what if you don’t have a Touch Screen monitor for your PC. What should you do, Go out and buy a new Touch Screen for Windows 8, I have the answer for you from the good people from Soladapt, has designed an overlay for you monitor to turn it into a Touch Screen monitor, that works on 17 inches to 159 inches.

Independent Review by Computer Weekly – April 2013 SOLADAPT LTD uses a framed screen to provide touch functionality to Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8 computers, as well as Android products. The overlay fits on top of existing monitors and can be fixed permanently by being strapped on by Velcro.

This solution connects to the computer via USB and is a cost effective way of providing a touch experience in the office, and also means that if you have or intend to upgrade to Windows 8, it no longer means that you have to buy new hardware also.

Starting from a hundred pounds, this really does prevent waste from the disposal of unwanted monitors.

Soladapt Ltd are an approved supplier to the MOD procurement portal and supporter of Rewards for Forces, please see our website for more details.

Contact Soladapt Ltd Tel: 0207 748 5203 email: sales@soladapt.com web: www.soladapt.com

ACCESSIBILITY RULES

EU Accessibility reforms need action, says European Blind Union Reforms which would strengthen accessibility rules applying to public sector websites across Europe are being ‘blocked’ by EU politicians, according European Blind Union (EBU), which represents blind people across Europe.

“When 92 per cent of MEPs are calling for action, we believe that Council members should listen and engage with the democratic process’ says EBU President Wolfgang Angermann.

The European Parliament voted by 593 to 40 in favour of the reforms. The Directive on Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies’ websites is listed in the Greek Presidency’s work programme but the Presidency is yet to schedule a meeting to discuss this dossier. EBU President Wolfgang Angermann says: ‘It is not enough for the Greek Presidency to have this directive on their ‘to do’ list; if the Presidency refuses to organise a meeting to discuss the Directive with Member States then they are effectively blocking the legislative process.’

EBU now wants swift action from the Greek Presidency to ensure that discussions in Council start within days. ‘Failure to act will delay new rules for many months and therefore be hugely

detrimental for the 30 million blind and partially sighted EU citizens who struggle to access information and services online. People with sight loss have been shut out of the online world for far READ MORE: too long,’ says tinyurl.com/mcg4zlv Angermann.

REGIONAL BROADBAND £250 million boost for local broadband; should create more new jobs The government is pledging an additional £250 million to efforts to make superfast broadband more available, Cultural Secretary Maria Miller has announced. This funding is in addition to the £1.2 billion already invested by central and local government.

The nationwide rollout of broadband is viewed as a way to help businesses and create jobs, especially in rural areas. It is hoped that faster broadband will create 56,000 new jobs by 2014, bringing a projected £1.5 billion boost to local economies. Maria Miller said: “Superfast broadband will benefit everyone - whether they need it for work, to do homework or simply to download music or films. We want to make sure that Britain is one of the best countries in the world for broadband, and the extra £250 million we are investing will help ensure communities around the UK are not left behind in the digital slow lane.”

PUBLIC SERVICE NETWORKS

Accessibility: a forgotten necessity?

Accessibility, and accessibility considerations, have never really been on the trendy end of web development, but over the last few years I can’t help but feel that it has been entirely forgotten.

The private sector seems to have set the agenda here, with marketing and product microsites seemingly prizing stylish output ahead of inclusive design.

This is a shame, but it is something I believe is changing, and Government is at the heart of that change.

Of course, with an ambition of ‘digital by default’, Government has to be as inclusive as possible; your services have to be accessible to all (or as close to all as possible). These services have always aimed to be accessible, but with ‘digital by default’, the Government has begun to set the digital agenda wider than just public services. It is of course ridiculous for the private sector to intentionally ignore whole groups of people who could easily be consumers of their products and services (and if not, certainly influencers of those who are).

And yet it feels like for many years, this is exactly what they’ve been doing.

Now, a wider understanding of accessibility is beginning to permeate the industry at a wider level. This is something to welcome – the web is naturally an inclusive place, and we would all do well to remember that.

David Burgess is managing director of digital communications company Reading Room London. Email david@readingroom.com

Socitm asks local councils to contribute up to £2,000 for PSN group

Third of council websites fail to perform on mobile devices

Local authorities are being asked to contribute between £500 and £2,000 to the cost of a group set up to give advice on secure connections to the public service network (PSN).

The PSN Solutions Advisory Group (SAG) has been set up by the public sector IT managers’ association Socitm to help organisations connect their networks to PSN without incurring heavy costs or inflexible security requirements. Socitm has proposed a ‘crowd-sourcing’ model to fund the group.

PSN connection was a controversial issue which emerged at the 2013 Socitm annual conference, with delegates from local government accusing Whitehall of imposing unrealistic requirements. These are a particular blow to organisations planning ‘bring your

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/qblcgqc

own’ IT strategies. A statement from Socitm said that ‘great progress’ was being made towards establishing PSN security requirements that are ‘proportionate to the business risk and pragmatic in their implementation’.

The PSN Solutions Advisory Group will initially run for 12 months. To do the work, Socitm is seeking funding from the Cabinet Office, the private sector and from other government departments. The Local CIO Council (LCIOC) and Socitm propose a voluntary contribution ranging from £500-£1,000 from a small district or borough up to £1,500-£2,000 from a large county, unitary or metropolitan borough.

Socitm said it will not make any profit from this activity, but will cover any costs that might be incurred.

GT News

IT AND COMPUTING FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

Socitm’s latest Better Connected report shows that just 31 per cent of local authority websites meet the standard for access from mobile devices.

The report stated: “Results suggest that the websites are struggling to adapt fast enough.”

The ratings were based on the ability of websites to successfully complete tasks that most visitors to council websites will want to carry out, such as reporting fly-tipping, renewing library books, and so on.

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OUTSOURCING

Liverpool Council ends BT venture three years early Liverpool City Council has decided to take over complete ownership of its Liverpool Direct Ltd (LDL) joint venture with BT, in a move to save the council money following government funding reductions.

The agreement follows several months of discussions between the council and BT over the future of the partnership, which was created in 2001. The council had been seeking savings from the contract and although BT agreed a price reduction, it was unable to go as low as the Council needed.

LDL currently provides a range of services for the council including HR and payroll; IT and web services; customer access; and revenue and benefits services.

The mayor, Joe Anderson said: “BT and Liverpool City Council have enjoyed a long and successful partnership through LDL, bringing commercial expertise, transforming services and bringing in resources to the city. LDL has created over 300 jobs and generated multi-million pounds worth of savings since July 2001, as well as bringing in around £90m investment and avoidable costs for the residents of the city and the city region.

“This transformation has only been achievable due to the sustained collaborative working between BT and their respective teams of staff. However, as part of our three-year budget strategy - to find £156m savings following government funding reductions - we are reviewing all services. I believe it is now time to move LDL in a new direction.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Kemp said dissolving it was “not before time” because it “lacked transparency” – though the council denied the claim.

He said numerous Freedom of Information requests had been lodged about LDL but information about who was benefitting from the savings, profits and costs was not forthcoming.

The Labour-run city council strongly denied claims LDL lacked transparency. “In 2011 there was a thorough, intensive and detailed review of the contract by a cross-party group of elected members, external auditors and independent auditors Ernst and Young, which concluded the cost to the council was not unfavourable,” said a council spokesman.

READ MORE: tinyurl.com/ne9xveh

NEWS IN BRIEF

GT News

IT AND COMPUTING FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

Spy agencies’ data gathering to be reviewed

A review of the data gathering activities of Britain’s spy agencies has been launched

by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The independent review will examine the implications of the ‘information harvesting’ techniques developed and run by the NSA and GCHQ, and the legal framework in which they are allowed to operate in the UK. The review comes after 10 months of allegations about the surveillance activities of various Western intelligence agencies arising from the US National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The review will be led by the Royal United Services Institute, and chaired by the organisation’s director general, Michael Clarke.It will examine what the security services should be looking at, how long collected data is stored and by whom – and who ought to authorise its gathering. At the same time, Clegg also called for an overhaul of the parliamentary body responsible for overseeing the intelligence agencies, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). The ISC is currently chaired by former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, and has only just opened an inquiry into the Snowden revelations.

FURTHER INFORMATION: tinyurl.com/kwrd8z6

Copycat website concerns Concern is mounting about an unwelcome consequence of digital public services – private companies setting up websites which at first glance resemble official channels – but then hit users with a hefty bill. According to a research note published by Parliament, the Advertising Standards Authority has recently taken action against ‘copycat’ services claiming to be affiliated with the Passport Office, the General Register Office, the Intellectual Property Office and Land Registry.

GOING DIGITAL

DVLA urged to speed up digital transformation

A Department for Transport review of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has said the agency needs to accelerate its digital transformation.

The review says the transformation is the key to better services and savings. It argues that a significant number of DVLA services and transactions are still predominantly paper based and says that a modern IT platform, developing the skills of staff and process change, together with better application development and implementation are “urgent pre-requisites to this transformation.”

The review says: “To maintain its success, it needs to change to respond to the evolving

environment in which it works.

That environment includes a government commitment to digital by default, significant developments in the government’s IT infrastructure and the way that this is developed, procured and managed, and a commitment to provide better services more suited to the needs of its customers whose requirements are similarly developing in a modern world.”

Open Data funding released by Cabinet Office A project to provide data about public services in Leeds is among the recipients of £1.5m of central government funding, known as the Release of Data fund, the Cabinet Office has announced. Another recipient is the nationwide Local Authority Voucher Scheme, which will incentivise every local authority to release data on public conveniences, gritting, and planning in a standard format.

Grants will also support training and procurement. The minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude said: “Open data is a raw material for economic growth, supporting the creation of new markets, business and jobs READ MORE: and helping us compete www.magazineaddress.co.uk/news1 in the global race.”

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DIGITAL SERVICES

HELPING CITIZENS BENEFIT FROM THE SHIFT TO DIGITAL

The switch to digital service provision can be challenging for public bodies. A recent survey of over 300 organisations looks at the difficulties involved and how they are being met With work on the Digital by Default agenda gaining pace throughout the public sector, many public bodies are reconsidering their approach and trying to remove the barriers that prevent citizens from accessing services. This can be difficult to achieve against a background of reduced budgets.

The channel shift to digital is playing a big role in improving accessibility, as are self‑service options, but more work still needs to be done to ensure that service users are supported.

A recent survey conducted by iGov and eGain

aims to give a snapshot of how services are accessed by users, and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that users’ needs are met. 437 people were surveyed, with 328 public sector organisations represented including the NHS, Central Government, CCGs and housing associations.

THE WIDER PICTURE Experience of digital service delivery in the private sector is driving up expectations of the public sector. While it’s not always possible to match these standards, ‘discoverability’ should be prioritised so that citizens are kept aware of service availability.

How and when services are accessed should be acknowledged. Organisations are increasingly aware of ‘media stackers’, consumers who access digital services through handheld devices whilst watching television or engaging in other media use. If appropriate investment is made in channel shift, these users can be reached.

Above all, the public requires consistency when using public services in terms of advice, policy, expectation and experience.

The iGov report says: “Inclusive services should be discoverable, available and tailored to all citizens at a convenient and appropriate time and place, as chosen by the citizen and provided by the public sector.

Furthermore the support E

Government Technology

IT AND COMPUTING FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

The channeltal is digi shift to big role in a playing g accessibility, n improvi re work needs but mo e done to to b sers are ensure uorted supp

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

Intelligent, low energy, maintenance free LED communal & emergency lighting Commulite provides superior communal and emergency lighting, with incredibly low energy consumption and a comprehensive 5-year parts and labour warranty.

For further details call us now on 01277 600 300 or visit www.commulite.co.uk

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DIGITAL SERVICES their organisation. A majority (29 per cent) were most concerned with the costs involved with low take-up, while a quarter were most concerned with the risks to reputation. Just under a fifth were hopeful that in the event of low adoption rates their organisation would improve the new channel beyond project expectations.

Only 16 per cent had “considered or quantified to a meaningful degree” the impact of low service take-up, a figure iGov finds worrying: “This is a major risk as potentially, new ways of delivering services could be alienating or excluding individuals who could previously access as and when required.” They call for public sector bodies to take greater advantage of available digital solutions.

OBSTACLES TO IMPROVEMENT When asked about the barriers to creating or supporting new and improved digital channels, cost came out as by far the biggest hurdle, with around 80 per cent citing it as a potential obstacle. Other barriers included a lack of systems resources (just over half) and inadequate manpower (around 45 per cent). Poor familiarity with technology use and data security emerged as the least problematic, each cited by around a quarter of respondents.

Experience of digital service delivery in the private sector is driving up expectations of the public sector  of those services should be consistent across different interaction channels and flexible enough to provide resilience and choice.”

KEY FINDINGS The iGov survey found that while most organisations view channel shift as an important part of their agenda, only a third have put in place a strategic approach.

However, of those that have more than half are planning to review this strategy over the next 12 months, showing that they recognise the speed of change needed to keep apace in the current climate. Only three per cent of those working to a channel shift strategy had no plans to review it.

It was found that the main perceived benefits of channel shift were cost reductions and efficiency improvements.

However, less than 40 per cent of those surveyed said their organisation had assessed the business case for providing multichannel support. It is important that the delivery of channel shift is driven by an understanding of how it benefits citizens.

EXTENDING REACH When it comes to reaching varied groups of users, 36 per cent of respondents said their organisation supported customers

through a multi or omni channel support service, compared to 43 per cent who had individual channels for different services.

Of those with multi/omni channel support, just over a half say their platform is accessible to all users – a disappointing figure considering that public bodies must have an accessible website under EC law.

UNDERSTANDING SERVICE USERS A picture emerges from the survey of organisations failing to gain a holistic view of user experience. Individuals were asked about their service’s capabilities in areas like tracking a journey from start to finish, recognising and offering alternative channels and pre-empting potential user problems. 50 per cent were unsure whether these services were available via mobile apps, and three quarters did not know if they were available through SMS. One positive sign came from mobile services – almost a fifth said they could measure customer satisfaction through mobile surveys. 69 per cent of the organisations that had researched their user digital capabilities said that the majority of users were online but still needed assistance to access services.

THE EFFECTS OF LOW TAKE-UP Respondents were asked about the impact poor service adoption had on

Government Technology

IT AND COMPUTING FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR – www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

CONCLUSIONS The survey compilers conclude that while the public sector is making progress with the switchover to digital services, there is a “major risk that the broad range of citizen needs and preferences have not been adequately considered and that this could challenge the channel shift business.”

They warn that public confidence could be undermined by inconsistency, and that “certain segments (such as those requiring Assisted Digital)” could swallow a disproportionate amount of the costs involved.

They recommend a number of steps organisations should consider taking before transitioning services, arguing that access time should be extended to assistance and service user satisfaction, and that targeted contact should be improved by improving chat and web self service options outside business hours. They say there should be ‘context-sensitive help’ that adapts according to analytics.

There is also a recommendation to give citizens the choice of several platforms when accessing services, as when customers’ interaction history across a range of channels is easily viewed it can help organisations become more efficient.

The survey compilers sum up by saying: “Above all, make sure that services that are delivered are supported by inclusive support channels, and that these are available to all.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.igovsurvey.com

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Advertisement Feature

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

PRINTING

THE HIDDEN OVERHEAD IN YOUR OFFICE’S PRINTING BUDGETS Working with experts to control and manage printing costs will pay off, according to Rob Brown, managed document services business manager at OKI Systems UK

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Do you know how much printing your office carries out every year and how much it actually costs? If not, you aren’t alone. In a recent OKI survey, only 27 per cent of respondents said that their organisation had an actively-enforced printing policy in place, with nearly half (47 per cent) admitting that they have no policy at all, let alone enforce it.

Why does this matter? Because, despite the rise of digital documents and email, most of us still need to print documents in the office for a whole variety of reasons. Yet many organisations are still wasting significant sums of money by not controlling their print output or streamlining their document workflow.

This is despite the availability of a whole range of measures which can curb wastage and cut overheads without imposing draconian restrictions on the workforce.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENS When OKI Systems UK decided to find out for itself about evolving attitudes towards printing, the company commissioned a survey of more than 2,000 workers to do so, and the results were surprising.

For example, the poll revealed that 92 per cent still carried out daily printing, with 45 per cent printing 10 pages or more and 15 per cent printing more than 50 pages on an average day in the office.

The main reasons given were the importance of the document (64 per cent) and the need for hard copy evidence (54 per cent).

But this was not the only revelation. It seems that 79 per cent of respondents use office equipment to print personal documents, with nine per cent doing this every day. Among the reasons given for this were ‘lack of a printer at home’ and ‘ease of use’.

DEVISING AN OVER-ARCHING PLAN It’s clear that, the concept of ‘the paperless office’ is far from reality. And while few organisations would wish to stop employees printing what they need to do their job, it does seem that they would benefit from controlling printing costs more closely.

OKI’s managed document solutions comprise of an integrated suite of software, technologies and tools to improve print and document workflow, management and security within an organisation.

The complete managed process begins with an OKI audit of all existing printing practices, measuring outputs and assessing printing types. This gives the audited organisation or department a transparent view of what is really happening and where budget is being spent.

OKI then uses the audit results to develop a long-term plan. Top of the agenda will be to ensure that the right printers are being used for the right job. For example, replacing multiple desktop printers and scanners with a smaller number of multifunction printers can cut energy consumption and costs, as well as accelerate workflow.

New OKI multifunction printers come

Advertisement Feature

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

It’s clear that the concept of ‘the paperless office’ is far from reality. And while few organisations would wish to stop employees printing what they need to do their job, it seems they would benefit from controlling printing costs more closely with an open platform, which enables the customisation of the user interface to integrate all document-related tasks into an organisation’s document workflow.

This enables a move from a manual to an automated workflow, making it easier to track and reduce printer usage.

There are also printers that enable users to store documents prior to printing on the printer’s hard disk drive or Secure Data (SD) card. It is then only possible to access this content with a four digit, user-defined pin number and only with the right credentials can the document be printed.

By reducing the amount of paper documents lying around on desks or, even worse, left uncollected on the printer, and restricting printing only to those who really need it, this course of action will also help keep sensitive data out of sight and secure.

EASIER COST MONITORING Significant costs can be saved by having just the one contract for all printing and document needs, including printers, supplies, technical support and maintenance.

This enables easy monitoring of on-going

costs, reduces capital investment and helps control budgets. In turn, this also frees up the time of internal staff to focus on core tasks.

OKI can also help establish printing best practices, such as setting double-sided and mono printing as default options.

Working closely with a managed document services provider, such as OKI, can bring fast return on investment through cost and energy savings. It will also help organisations to develop a flexible strategy, enabling them to easily take advantage of technological advances, such as printing from mobiles and tablets when they are ready. L

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)1784 274 300 www.oki.co.uk

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ONLINE SOLUTIONS

Innovative business solutions from Zipporah Zipporah provides online solutions, such as e-bookings, e-commerce, scheduling and queuing systems, to local authorities. Its solutions allow councils to ‘open’ their services to their customers by providing self-service options.

Council services can now be accessed 24/7 with instant confirmations and payment receipts. Zipporah supplies to over 70 authorities across the UK; as well as a growing market base in Ireland and Australia.

Zipporah’s customers enjoy increased revenue through lower costs per transaction and increased service requests.

The ease and speed of using its solutions encourages channel

shift across a range of council services. Implementation of the Zipporah product suite has proven results of streamlining back office processes and workflows.

Zipporah’s integrations to other systems, such as CRMs, payment provider and finance systems, provide truly joined up and efficient business processes for the service areas and their customer base.

The company’s products are easy to install, so contact centre and one-stop shop users are up and running quickly as there is little training required.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 029 2064 7048 www.zipporah.co.uk

IT SECURITY

IT SERVICES

Online management tool to maximise performance Can you afford to let contract delivery slide or can you squeeze more out of your contracts?

The Effective Contract Management System (ECMS) is an innovative ‘softwareas-a-service’ tool developed specifically to drive contract performance improvement and minimise risk. ECMS will improve contract administration and help you gain significant quality and financial improvements.

Ashgreen has used its years of experience to develop secure, cloud-based software that will support contract managers in their role to ensure that contracts achieve their objectives and continuously improve.

ECMS features include: performance measurement; KPI tracking; risk measurement; user configured, easy-to-read dashboard; secure contract register and document repository; contract ranking tool; stakeholder engagement; alerts and milestones; access

controls; management reporting; no software to install; and dedicated operational and technical support.

Last December, Ashgreen’s ECMS services achieved the international quality standard certification for data security ISO27001.

Ashgreen is a Crown Commercial Service supplier.

ECMS is available via the G-Cloud framework agreement.

ECMS is an attractive solution to organisations that need to make more from their numerous and/or high-value contracts.

Visit the website for an introductory video and to download a brochure.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01452 416461 www.ashgreen.co.uk ecms@ashgreen.co.uk

IT SERVICES

TeraByte IT: security solutions made easy

Reduce your IT spend and optimise software usage

TeraByte IT is a company that operates in the north-east of England and it is a provider of information security solutions to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The company offers a number of set core services, including: web application testing, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, anti-virus solutions and two-factor authentication solutions TeraByte IT’s approach combines the use of experienced certified ethical hackers, as well as vulnerability scanning software, to deliver accurate and meaningful results presented in a report suited to your company.

TeraByte IT operates a no ‘open ended fees’ policy. This means it guarantees a fixed fee for every step of a project so should a project overrun on the time estimated for the completion, the company does not charge extra.

In addition to offering the above as standard, TeraByte IT’s

SoftwareONE has a track record spanning more than 20 years of helping clients save money and reduce their software spend through its expert knowledge of software licensing and software asset management.

The company works closely with its clients to develop cost-saving strategies, which release funds for new IT projects that deliver transformation and innovation for the organisation.

SoftwareONE is a leader in Software Portfolio Management (SPM). SPM is a proven enterprise methodology that combines three core data streams of software asset management, technology demand roadmaps and commercial analysis services to drive an all up view of IT investments.

Part of SoftwareONE’s SPM offering for the public sector is its fully hosted software asset management service (which is powered by Snow Software).

security consultants are versed in being able to communicate at all levels of the company, ie from ‘techie-speak’ for technical people to plain and simple for management.

The company’s core objective is to become your sole trusted partner for IT security solutions, strive to help improve your security presence and maximise your return of investment through our security solutions.

Contact TeraByte IT to discuss your requirements as well as for a free, no-obligation quote.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)191 452 9403 info@terabyteit.co.uk www.terabyteit.co.uk

Products & Services

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

As a preferred supplier on the SaaS G-Cloud Framework, the company can help your organisation accelerate costsaving initiatives, identify areas of cost avoidance and optimise software usage as you lower cost.

Contact SoftwareONE today if you would like to know more about the company’s work in the public sector, how it’s helping organisations make the most of their existing IT investments and working with them to make smarter decisions on future IT spend.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)208 5452 779 info.uk@softwareone.com www.softwareone.com

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Advertisement Feature

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SPORT IN SCHOOL

CAN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE BE IMPROVED BY SPORT?

David Cameron recently announced primary schools are going to share an extra £150 million per year of sports funding. This is just one of several pledges for support within the education sector

One of several pledges for support within the education sector announced recently

by David Cameron, the prime minister, is for primary schools in England to share an extra £150 million per year of sports funding until 2020. This is aimed at increasing participation, training more teachers and coaches, and offering schools the ability to purchase better equipment.

Cameron said: “Sport is so important because it encourages children to be active, lead a healthy lifestyle, make friends and, of course, have fun. But quality school sport has benefits that spread across the curriculum and beyond – it develops confidence and a sense of achievement, it teaches how to rise to a challenge, and nurtures the character and skills that will help them get on and succeed in life.”

Olympic champion Mo Farah commented, too, saying: “The help I got at school was a key part of how I got to where I am today, and so it can make a big difference.”

Also, as of last month, primary schools across England will be able to apply for a share of an £18 million fund to improve outdoor spaces for PE and sporting activities.

The lottery-funded scheme will prioritise schools with limited outside space which have a strong commitment to PE and sport.

It is a proven fact that physical activity can cause changes in the brain which leads to enhanced neurochemical capacity for memory, learning and higher thinking. With sport having such a positive impact on society, Air Structures

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

is working in partnership with England Handball to focus on the education sector.

Schools provide an excellent opportunity to introduce new participants to handball. At primary level, it offers the perfect solution to improving the physical literacy of children, especially in relation to the core skills of running, jumping, throwing and catching. In secondary and tertiary settings, it can form part of the main curriculum. The flexibility of the

an actual goalpost. The solution may be as simple as iGoal. This is not football’s answer to the bouncy castle, however. ASI sales manager Paul MacArtney said: “IGOAL is an easy‑to‑use, no-fuss portable goal that can help training and skills at all levels as it will overcome issues that most clubs have, such as the time it takes to put up goals, less frustration with putting up goals and also storage and security problems.” iGoal is also suitable for Futsal, for improving ball skills and other sports, both indoors and out. The range includes match-approved goals for U10s (7v7) and U12s (9v9) soccer, as well as training, garden and full-sized goals.

All ASI products feature rigid air technology and offers a proven advantage to teachers, helping to engage pupils who have always missed out on games lessons. The multi-use iGoals provide the perfect solution for schools: it is safe, portable and easy to use, can be put away in seconds and neatly stored in its own carry bag. A perfect age-specific equipment solution that can enable more young people to enjoy handball as well as other sports.

If you are still struggling with generators for your winter lighting for lessons and training, iLite is a mobile, portable, LED floodlight featuring an OSRAM light source. It is an ideal temporary solution, which can be used by sports clubs as well as schools.

Physical activity can cause changes in the brain, leading to enhanced neurochemical capacity for memory, learning and higher thinking. With sport having such a positive impact on society, Air Structures is focusing on the education sector sport means it can be adapted to fit the diverse range of facilities found on education sites.

Football is the global game, partly because it’s so easy to play: all you need is a ball. But while jumpers for goalposts are all well and good, you really can’t beat the satisfying swish sound of hitting the back of the net.

If you have on-site purpose-built football facilities at your school, then you are fortunate. Many schools struggle to provide quality football coaching. Teachers find that time constraints mean using cones for goalposts. However, there is nothing like

New for 2014 is the iPost, portable rugby posts. This is an exciting addition to the range as part of ongoing product development.

England Handball’s main aim is to create a new generation of players to grow up playing handball as this will have a knock-on effect on other areas of their work. Air Structures is working with EHA to meet its objectives. L FURTHER INFORMATION Contact Air Structures International at handball@airstructuresinternational.com, or visit www.airstructuresinternational.com

IT SOLUTIONS

Deliver change more effectively and efficiently Significant IT changes incur significant costs, but are you getting the best return on your investment? If you don’t quality assure and test changes effectively, then your end users may get a solution that doesn’t meet their requirements, is unreliable, or both, and which provides a poor user experience.

If you don’t quality assure and test change efficiently, then project delivery costs spiral with unnecessary testing being performed for the sake of following process rather than being appropriately focused on delivering the required quality.

G-Cloud supplier Test-Direct enables organisations to implement IT changes more effectively and efficiently. The company facilitates the management and mitigation of risk and ensures end users and customers receive the solution that meets their needs and expectations.

Test-Direct offers a wide range of services across the testing and quality assurance

spectrum tailored to meet its clients’ specific requirements.

The company has a track record of improving the quality of IT solutions and testing processes; increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery in the private and public sectors.

If you are looking to improve the quality of your testing and your IT implementations, then Test-Direct can help.

Contact Test-Direct or see the company at The Public Sector Show 2014, 13 May, ExCeL London.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01772 888344 enquiries@test-direct.com www.test-direct.com

IT SOLUTIONS

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Simple solutions for smart government Zaizi is an award-winning open source information and technology consulting firm. It assembles open source solutions to meet an organisation’s individual information management needs.

The company works with UK, European and international central and local government organisations, such as the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Home Office and Bristol City Council, to deliver and deploy global enterprise document and records management solutions and collaboration platforms.

Zaizi’s intelligent-capture solutions provide cloud-based document capture and index services, all based on the award-winning Ephesoft platform.

The company provides intelligent search solutions that semantically enrich and link your structured and unstructured data,

allowing your organisation to identify and make far better use of its information.

All of Zaizi’s solutions are available as SaaS and are accessible via web browser and mobile devices.

Its G-Cloud service packages range from consultancy to delivering cutting-edge solutions and dedicated support services around the clock.

Through G-Cloud, Zaizi provides cloud solutions accredited up to IL3.

Products & Services

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

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: (+44) 20 3582 8330 Twitter: @Zaizi LinkedIn: UK Government – Working Smart

STAGE SYSTEMS

Innovative IT consultancy & Be seen and heard managed services provider perfectly with Truelight Virtuoso is an innovative IT consultancy and leading managed service provider, specialising in design, implementation and management of IT systems and applications. The company works with central and local government organisations to drive operational efficiencies, reduce cost and introduce innovation.

Founded with the belief that all organisations can benefit from strategically focused IT solutions, Virtuoso combines the best people with the best technology to deliver reliable, robust and cost-effective solutions.

From Virtuoso’s enterprise architecture team to its delivery engineers, the company employs and develops the best team of IT professionals in the industry.

Its capability spans numerous technology architectures and vendor offerings, enabling Virtuoso to drive innovation and value in every customer engagement.

Virtuoso partners with the world’s leading technology

vendors, including Microsoft, Citrix, Oracle, Cisco, VMware, IBM and Amazon.

The key capabilities of Virtuoso’s consultancy are: datacentre transformation, virtualisation and optimisation; network and remote access solutions; end user computing and mobility; IT security compliance; rapid Windows 7/8 migration; cloud design and migration; and project/programme management.

Virtuoso’s managed services’ key capabilities are: IT outsourcing; network management; and outsourced service desk.

Contact Virtuoso to see how it can transform your IT systems.

Most people can remember conferences where the IT didn’t work or the PA didn’t work, and that is what they find memorable about the event. Truelight’s specialists work with you to ensure that at your event, your presenters are seen and heard perfectly.

Truelight has worked for a number of Worcestershire schools and it is registered with the county councils’ supplier database. Outside of local government, the company’s work includes supplying conferences and live events with sound and lighting, along with its technical crew.

Truelight’s experienced technicians will set up and operate any of the following

for your event, or install these facilities at any of your venues: energy-efficient LED stage lighting systems; full sound systems, including recording facilities; integrated audio visual systems; and sound and lighting training.

Details of the services Truelight provides can be found on its website. If you are responsible for organising conferences and events, then Truelight would welcome the opportunity to discuss your requirements with you.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01905 622111 enquiries@sound-lightand-vision.co.uk www.sound-light-and-vision.co.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 02033263900 sales@virtuoso-uk.com www.virtuoso-uk.com

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Products & Services

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

PARKS & RECREATION

Child-safe, functional and accessible pond covers

Water is a fascinating addition to any outdoor space, but can be a bit of a headache when it comes to risk assessments and health and safety audits. Creative Pond Covers has developed a great solution to child safety concerns.

Bespoke child-safe covers can be made to fit any shape or size of pond or water feature.

Ready-to-fit complete pond options are also available if you are developing community gardens or green spaces.

The covers are aesthetically pleasing, have great access for maintenance and are extremely long-lasting. The safety covers are made from galvanised steel and access panels are padlocked securely into place.

Ponds are a great habitat, particularly where there is limited outdoor space, they contain fascinating creatures and attract a wide range of wildlife, ticking all the boxes for urban regeneration projects, schools and other public settings.

Creative Pond Covers has supplied covers for UK schools, including specialist SEN schools, the Blue Peter Garden at MediaCityUK and private gardens.

Whatever your requirements, contact Creative Pond Covers for a quote and more details.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01299 877008 info@creativepondcovers.co.uk www.creativepondcovers.co.uk

OUTDOOR PLAY

Inspection, maintenance and installation specialist Playmaintain takes the safety of your play area seriously and it demonstrates this commitment as a member of the reputable health and safety charity RoSPA. With over 10 years’ experience in the play industry, Playmaintain is able to provide the complete playground package, including its comprehensive safety inspections, maintenance, repairs and refurbishments of existing equipment, as well as new play area design and installation – everything you could need within one company.

Working in partnership with a UK-leading playground equipment manufacturer that has over 35 years’ experience in that field, Playmaintain is able to offer exciting play equipment and safer surfacing to suit all areas and requirements – whether your budget is big or small, it can find a solution for you.

The company is also fully aware of the increased pressure

96

placed on council budgets, so Playmaintain can assure its customers that it always has a strong focus on price, quality and value for money with its playground safety inspections, which start from £45, subject to location.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Playmaintain’s friendly, customer-focused team for more details or to book your inspection today.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01945 420146 info@playmaintain.co.uk www.playmaintain.co.uk

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

ARTIFICIAL GRASS

Artificial grass solutions from Perfect Grass Perfect Grass is an established supplier and installer of artificial grass. With an unrivalled reputation, the company offers the highest standard of workmanship and customer service.

Its 10 years of installation experience has seen Perfect Grass offering artificial grass solutions to residential and commercial sectors throughout the UK. Whether you are looking for a small, simple area to be covered, a roundabout, a grass verge or perhaps a larger more complicated area, the company can help.

Perfect Grass works in partnership with a company with over 15 years experience of installing synthetic sports surfaces, including sand-filled, sand-dressed, needle-punched, woven and 3G surfaces. With products that are used extensively for sports, such as football, hockey, tennis, cricket, netball and golf.

Perfect Grass’ products are manufactured in the EU and tested rigorously to high

standards, making them the safest and most durable on the market.

Whatever your requirements Perfect Grass can drastically improve the aesthetics of your local area, allowing 365 days a year accessibility to outside spaces with the added bonus of reduced maintenance costs.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 8166 4168 Tel: 07930 904861 info@perfectgrassltd.co.uk www.perfectgrassltd.co.uk

PEST CONTROL

Trust K9 to detect, remove & control bedbug problems Trust K9 offers a unique solution against bedbug infestations.

The company’s approach combines highly accurate bedbug detection dogs with cutting-edge heat treatment.

It minimizes the need for time-consuming and disruptive repeat visits with a range of options to suit all situations and budgets.

Trust K9’s nationwide service is discreet, fast and 100 per cent effective.

If you have bedbugs, or think you may have bedbugs, then the company has a solution for you.

Its dog teams can identify the exact extent of the problem, allowing you to stop the problem dead in its tracks.

Trust K9’s Dry Heat System allows it to replicate nature’s own way of eradicating bedbugs, which is heat.

Using a balanced deployment of heat exchangers it creates high-temperature airflow; Trust K9 then heats the rooms to

57°C (134.6°F). Bedbugs will start to die at 45°C (113°F).

The heat will penetrate every part of the room. Bedbugs are masters of concealment and can flatten themselves to hide in the smallest cracks and crevices.

Chemicals cannot kill bedbug eggs. Heat kills all stages of life, including eggs.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 020 8299 4090 info@trustk9.com www.trustk9.com

ASBESTOS TRAINING

CARE HOMES

The company natas:asbestos is a consortium of specialist asbestos businesses: NATAS Training, NATAS Environmental, NATAS eLearning and NATAS Highlands.

Formed in 1996, NATAS is the acronym of National Asbestos Training & Accreditation Scheme – the UK’s first dedicated asbestos training company recognised by the Health and Safety Executive.

However, the experience of NATAS’ trainers and consultants reaches back to 1983 with the commencement of HSE Asbestos Licensing.

Renowned for being cutting-edge, innovative and customer-led, NATAS provides a range of asbestos-related services.

These include: asbestos training – asbestos awareness, non-licensed/ licensed work, duty to manage, BOHS P401 (bulk analysis), P402 (surveying), P403 (fibre counting), P404 (clearance testing), P405 (managing asbestos).

E-learning – asbestos awareness, duty-to-manage,

The award-winning range of Remember-I’m-Me™ Care Charts has been designed to assist in the care of those unable to communicate their own needs, and particularly those with dementia.

Already used in the care of more than 15,000 individuals in over 650 UK care homes, this high-quality British-designed product is making a real difference to people’s quality of life.

Winner of the Innovator’s Award in The Great British Care Awards 2013, Care Charts UK’s range includes the Twist-N-View™ Chart, which retains the privacy of an individual’s personal information. Symbols and prompts help carers and family fill in the wipe-clean chart. It can then simply be turned to the wall to display an attractive picture when not required.

Another popular version is perfect for hospital visits: the

Trust natas:asbestos with Helping provide dignified, your training requirements person-centred care

non-licensed work, Legionella, plus other H&S and environmental awareness courses. As well as UKAS-accredited asbestos surveys; sampling; risk-assessment; air monitoring and clearance testing. Plus, re-inspections; and 3D/360 laser surveys.

Asbestos consultancy – advisory service on-site, remote, online from a pool of highly experienced (CCP/CoCA) certified consultants.

Free initial 30-minute confidential advice via phone or email.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0870 751 1880 info@natas.co.uk www.natas.co.uk

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Window installation with a unique focus on the customer’s requirements Unique Windows London has gone from strength to strength during the past seven years. The business is run to benefit your needs, making your time with the company uniquely effortless.

During the recent past the company’s confidence has been fuelled by leaders of construction such as Keepmoat and Wates acquiring its services to this date. Working with such large companies proves Unique Windows’ capability to work to deadlines on much larger projects. This has led to a healthy relationship with the councils of Merton and Lambeth in helping make London greener and renewing thousands of properties’ windows & doors across these boroughs.

Moreover, during this busy time for Unique, the company installed larger projects in schools, for example at The Priory School in Orpington, The Feltonfleet School in West Byfleet and

Ravenswood School in Bromley.

No matter the size of the project in hand, anyone who gives Unique Windows their custom will be advised on the best approach for their build and budget and will benefit from expertise gained over 20 years in the industry, from consultant to installer.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 02087 707397 info@uniquewindows london.co.uk www.uniquewindows london.co.uk

Pocket Chart is small enough to slip in a pocket or handbag, yet big enough to record an individual’s needs and preferences – and strong enough to stand on a bedside table.

As with all versions of these charts available from Care Charts UK’s range, it allows key information about the person to be presented ‘at a glance’, enabling a carer or nurse to find the information they need quickly and easily.

Products & Services

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

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01403 210485 enquiries@carechartsuk.co.uk www.carechartsuk.co.uk

IT SERVICES

Reduce your IT spend and optimise software usage SoftwareONE has a track record spanning more than 20 years of helping clients save money and reduce their software spend through its expert knowledge of software licensing and software asset management.

The company works closely with its clients to develop cost-saving strategies, which release funds for new IT projects that deliver transformation and innovation for the organisation.

SoftwareONE is a leader in Software Portfolio Management (SPM). SPM is a proven enterprise methodology that combines three core data streams of software asset management, technology demand roadmaps and commercial analysis services to drive an all up view of IT investments.

Part of SoftwareONE’s SPM offering for the public sector is its fully hosted software asset management service (which is powered by Snow Software).

As a preferred supplier on the SaaS G-Cloud Framework, the company can help your organisation accelerate costsaving initiatives, identify areas of cost avoidance and optimise software usage as you lower cost.

Contact SoftwareONE today if you would like to know more about the company’s work in the public sector, how it’s helping organisations make the most of their existing IT investments and working with them to make smarter decisions on future IT spend.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 (0)208 5452 779 info.uk@softwareone.com www.softwareone.com

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Advertisers Index

116950_178mm x 125mm_Gov_Bus_Mag_advert_Ad 30/01/2014 09:40 Page 1 BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Adisa 79 Air Structures International 94 Arcelor Mittal 92 ASE Corporate Eyecare 38 Ashgreen Business Services 93 Autocraft Equipment 72 BSI Group 62 Bushboard Washroom 26 Call Credit Information Group 52, 53 Care Charts UK 97 CentraStage 84 Clarion Events 50 CMG 72 Creative Pond Covers 96 Crowne Plaza Nottingham 20 Crystal Communications 70 D-Tech 6 Data Team Business Media 16 Dee Cee Upholstery 47 DMS Protective Equipment IBC Driver Check 68 Easy Fairs UK 28 Eco Plastic Wood 54

98

Eliesha Training 48 Euro Payment Systems 36 Fire Eye 80 Fireco 34 Flexitricity 65 Gaze Burvill 24 Gemini Adhesives 32 Global Experience Specialists 38 Green Tuning Automotive 74 Gresham Office Furniture 8 Harvest Healthcare 44 High Force Training 48 Hormann (UK) 29 IC Electical 65 Iconics UK 63 Labcold 64 Lexis Nexis IFC Lloyds Pharmacy 42 Macs Automated Bollard 25 Marriott Worsley Park & Country Club 60 Meautor 74 Mecho Shade Systems UK 18 Meridian Business Support 46 Natas E-Learning 97

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 21.2

Nexus Industries 40 NSXi 4 Office Electrics 88 OKI Systems UK 76, 90, 91 Old Thorns Golf Hotel and Country Estate 58 PASMA 38 Perfect Grass 96 PHS Group 39 Play Maintain 96 Portakabin 16 Rebo 36 Saniflo 46 Sarum Hardwood Structures 24 Senator International 12 Silver Monkey 88 Simplisys 86 Sixtyone Whitehall 60 Sky Bar Operations 56 Sofpave 24 Software One UK 93 Soladapt 86 SSI Schaefer 74 Stokvis Energy Systems 30 Swift managed Services 39 Teknomek BC

Telefonica UK 14 Terabyte IT 93 Test Direct 95 Text Help 48 The AA 66 The Albert Square Chophouse 58 The Energy Institute 64 The Leadership Trust 48 The Leicestershire & Rutland Hospice 47 The TCM Group 51 Titania 78 Transport Data Interchange 75 Truelight Sound & Vision 95 Trust K9 96 Ultra Force Group 36 Unique Windows London 97 Vansa2z 74 Venue Essex 60 Virtuoso 95 Wellbus 64 Xerox UK 10 Zaizi 95 Zaun 22 Zinc Group 30 Zipporah 93

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