Government Business Issue 23.3

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | VOLUME 23.3

Business Information for Local and Central Government INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

FLEET MANAGEMENT

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Sponsored by

FRAMEWORKS

MONEY SAVING OPPORTUNITIES

The latest framework agreement news from the Crown Commercial Service LANDSCAPING

CREATING A SCENE OF GREEN

Understanding the importance of green infrastructure on our environments

WATER MANAGEMENT

PUTTING RAINFALL ON THE FORECAST

With wetter winters and drier summers predicted, the role of water management is becoming increasingly important

st GT e t a l The d IT n a s new ts on star

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PLUS: FINANCE | STREET LIGHTING | FACILITIES SHOW | CIH HOUSING 2016

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1. Official EU MPG test figure shown as a guide for comparative purposes and is based on the vehicle being charged from mains electricity. This may not reflect real driving results. 2. Up to 32 mile EV range achieved with full battery charge. 541 miles achieved with combined full battery and petrol tank. Actual range will vary depending on driving style and road conditions.

3. Domestic plug charge: 5 hours, 16 Amp home charge point: 3.5 hours, 80% rapid charge: 30mins. 4. Government subsidised charge points are available from a number of suppliers for a small fee - ask your dealer for more information. 5. Congestion Charge application required, subject to administrative fee. 6. 7% BIK compared to the average rate of 25%. 7% BIK rate for the 2016/17 tax year. 7. Prices shown include the Government Plug-in Car Grant and VAT (at 20%), but exclude First Registration Fee. Model shown is an Outlander PHEV GX4hs at £38,499 including the Government Plug-in Car Grant. On The Road prices range from £31,804 to £43,054 and include VED, First Registration Fee and the Government Plug-in Car Grant. Metallic/pearlescent paint extra.

Prices correct at time of going to print. For more information about the Government Plug-in Car Grant please visit www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants. The Government Plug-in Car Grant is subject to change at any time, without prior notice. 8. All new Outlander PHEV variants come with a 5 year/62,500 mile warranty (whichever occurs first) and an 8 year/100,000 mile traction battery warranty.

Outlander PHEV range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Full Battery Charge: no fuel used, Depleted Battery Charge: 51.4mpg (5.5), Weighted Average: 156.9mpg (1.8), CO2 emissions: 42 g/km.

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

CONTENTS GOVERNMENT BUSINESS 23.3 07 GB NEWS

Trade Union Act passed; Right to Buy extension to cost councils £26m; and MPs call for more clean air zones

Contents

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55 SAFETY & HEALTH EXPO Safety & Health will engage delegates with exceptional keynote speakers, exhibitors and network opportunities

13 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT 58 LANDSCAPING

13

The Building Engineering Services Association’s Tim Rook looks at the changing world of energy pricing, and why effiency shouldn’t be abandoned

The growing importance of green spaces should not go unrecognised, says Denise Ewbank of the British Association of Landscape Industries

17 FLEET MANAGEMENT

61 CONFERENCES & EVENTS: ACADEMIC VENUES

ACFO’s John Pryor claims that whole life costs must be taken into account when looking at buying low-emission and alternatively-fuelled vehicles

21 TRANSPORT

The UK’s bus sector is transforming its stance on poor urban air quality to help tackle climate change. The Green Bus Journey reports on the issue

23 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Andy Lancaster, of the Chartered Institute of Professional Development, shares his advice and guidance for delivering agile learning

37

27 LIGHTING

Any plans for a low energy and sustainable future should have lighting as a key policy. Brendan Keely of the Society of Light and Lighting gives his advice for local authorities

58

31 HOUSING

The annual CIH Housing conference returns next month. With the housing sector in a tumultuous state of policy change, the timing of the 2016 installment could not be more apt

37 WATER MANAGEMENT

Kevin Reed, of the UK Rainwater Management Association, examines how better water management could prevent flood damage reoccuring in the future

47 FACILITIES SHOW

With a host of new and exciting features, the Facilities Show is the must attend show for anyone involved in facilities management

51 GEO BUSINESS SHOW

67

Join over 3,000 visitors from more than 50 countries at the fastest growing geospatial event in the industry, taking place on 24-25 May at London’s Business Design Centre

Government Business

Academic venues have more to offer han you think for the public sector.

Government Business explores the value of university settings to the modern conferencing market

65 CONFERENCES & EVENTS: VISIT MANCHESTER Named European City of Science for 2016, Manchester has a lot to offer this year as a conferencing option, but to fully appreciate the wonders of science you must see them first hand, says Andy Parkinson of Visit Manchester

67 CONFERENCES & EVENTS: VISIT LIVERPOOL Liverpool as a city has a lot of culture and history and, consequently, has a rich offering of conferencing venues for both business and leisure purposes

70 GT NEWS

Improved BT broadband; Liverpool ICT services contract; cyber attack warning for IoT; and new apps for Edinburgh

73 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Reflecting upon the ransomware attacks on Lincolnshire County Council, Des Ward, of Innopsis, addresses the issue of security in local authorities and threats to information sharing capability

77 IFSEC INTERNATIONAL

Government Business look at Engineers of Tomorrow competition in more detail

79 FRAMEWORKS

The Crown Commercial Service framework agreements provide access ISS to public sector Turn t UE 14.3 op bodies for the latest age 70 for provision of technogovernmen the government goods. t logy n ews GB look at the latest agreements

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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TRADE UNION BILL

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Trade Union Act passed despite criticism The government’s controversial Trade Union Bill has passed into law, despite accusations from unions that it posed a ’serious threat’ to industrial relations.

The government has argued that the Act will modernise unions and ensure that strikes only go ahead when there has been a ballot turnout of at least 50 per cent.

Current regulations direct that in public services, 40 per cent of eligible

members must give their support before industrial action can take place.

Employment minister Nick Boles said: “These changes will ensure people are only ever disrupted by industrial action when it is supported by a reasonable proportion of union members. The Trade Union Act means the rights of the public to go about their lives are fairly balanced with members’ ability to strike.”

Part of the proposals of the Bill involved stopping all council staff from paying union fees directly from their wages. However, the move was abandoned after Unison claimed it was a ‘malicious political manoeuvre designed to starve trade unions of money’.

The policy will now only apply to new members and READ MORE: will be phased tinyurl.com/gtmffgc in gradually.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS

Council pay deal goes ahead despite opposition

PUBLIC SPENDING

Government must improve scrutiny of public spending, PAC says A new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called on the government to improve its transparency regarding cost and performance data.

The watchdog argued that the increased use of outsourcing and devolution to local areas has undermined Parliament’s ability to hold the government to account. The report warned that the lack of sufficient financial data is a ‘long-standing’ problem that is preventing delivery bodies from being held accountable.

The PAC also outlined instances where departmental accounting officers allowed projects to proceed even though evidence suggested they would deliver poor value for money. It warned that the accounting

trend had resulted in a ‘damaging lack of transparency’ with regard to concerns over the use of public money.

Meg Hillier, chair of the PAC, said: “Any threat to effective scrutiny requires serious attention as it risks weakening Parliament’s ability, on behalf of the public, to hold the government to account for its spending.

“We are particularly concerned that accountability arrangements have lagged behind changes in the way government conducts its business. Data is persistently inadequate and there is an urgent need for greater clarity on lines of responsibility.”

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/jftgx4a

HOUSING

Empty homes at record low According to data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the number of empty homes is now at a record low.

This equates to a drop of over a third from 318,642 empty homes in 2004 to 203,596 in 2015. Figures also show an increase in the number of owneroccupied homes in the past year, after seven years of decline, starting in 2007.

READ MORE:

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A two year pay deal for local government workers will now be implemented despite Unite refusing to approve the offer.

Unite has maintained its opposition to the deal, which it criticises for only offering a ‘paltry’ one per cent pay rise to the majority of employees.

However, GMB and Unison have both agreed to the deal and Unite has conceded that the deal will go ahead as ‘it is part of a collective bargaining process and the majority of the other staff side unions had agreed to the offer’.

The pay deal has now been implemented by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since April 2016.

READ MORE:

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COUNCIL TAX DEBTS

Charities urge councils to call off bailiffs Councils have been urged to call off bailiffs pursuing vulnerable residents for council tax debts.

Charities StepChange and the Money Advice Trust claim that councils’ use of bailiffs is rising to match rising council tax debt.

Both charities argue that this threat of bailiffs causes extra stress and anxiety to those in debt and has called for councils to give residents ‘breathing space’.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has responded to the claims by saying that bailiffs are only used as a ‘last resort’.

READ MORE:

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Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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SOCIAL WORKERS

HOUSING

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Council gives £10k incentive to social workers

Right to Buy extension could cost councils £26m a year, says Shelter According to housing charity Shelter, the government’s Right to Buy extension is likely to cost the average council in England £26 million per year to fund.

The move is part of the Housing and Planning Bill and will force councils to sell properties that become vacant on the open market. However, Shelter has estimated that the new policy could result in 23,500 council homes being sold off across the country in just one year.

The money raised from the sold homes would subsequently fund discounts of up to £100,000 for housing association tenants taking up the Right to Buy. The charity’s analysis estimated the value of council homes likely to become empty in each area and compared the figure to the £4.5

billion per year required to fund the extension of Right to Buy. The findings revealed that the average amount was around £26 million, with councils likely to be hit hardest.

Meanwhile, a report conducted by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that the government’s plan to extend its Right to Buy policy lacks clarity.

In particular, the committee said that not enough details had been provided explaining how the extension would be funded and whether suitable replacement homes would be built. It also warned that the move could increase the incidence of overcrowding for those in need of accommodation.

READ MORE:

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FLOODS

New homes must be flood-proofed, LGA says The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that housing developers should be legally required to install anti-flood measures when constructing new homes.

It claims that mandatory anti-flood requirements would save millions of pounds in flood damage and protect thousands of homes located in flood-risk areas. Such measures would include raised electrical sockets and fuse boxes, sealed floors and raised damp-proof courses.

Councillor Martin Tett, environment spokesman for the LGA, said: “We are urging the government to make it a mandatory requirement for builders in at-risk areas to better protect properties from flooding.

For example, if fuse boxes had been on upper rather than ground floors, many families caught in the winter chaos may still have had power. For a household gripped by the horror and trauma of flooding, electricity can be a lifeline.”

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/zl2ewdp

Derby City Council has begun offering new social workers a £10,000 incentive, to be used towards a mortgage.

The incentive is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, with Derby claiming that the £200,000 deal will save money in the long term by reducing spend on costly temporary staff.

The plans mean newly employed social workers will receive a loan towards a mortgage, after passing a six-month probation period. If the employees keeps their job for over five years, READ MORE: they will not need tinyurl.com/j4lq2lx to repay the loan.

SPENDING

Poor outlook for council spending According to a new report by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and the New Policy Institute (NPI), councils could be unable to fund services such as parks, highways and refuse collection by 2020.

The report, entitled ‘Sustainable local government finance and liveable local areas: Can we survive to 2020?’ outlined that by 2020, local government spending will be at its lowest level since 1948. It also found that council tax will account for at least half of funds received by councils in England by this time. In shire counties, this figure is predicted to increase to 75 per cent, and is expected to be almost entirely reliant on council tax and READ MORE: business rates to tinyurl.com/ztzkqug fund services.

HOMELESSNESS

More action over homelessness, Crisis warns Homelessness charity Crisis has published a review of homelessness legislation, calling for councils to be forced to act sooner to prevent people from resorting to living on the streets.

Current regulations direct that councils in England only have to rehouse people at risk of homelessness when they are judged as ‘priority’ cases.

The review suggests that English law on homelessness should be changed to adopt parts of the Welsh system, where local authorities regard the duty of reverting homelessness as a priority and must act within 56 days of the prospect of people losing their home.

The proposals are aimed at making it more difficult for councils to refuse help to people accused of behaving unreasonably.

READ MORE:

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Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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KELTBRAY ASBESTOS SOLUTIONS – ASSURED EXCELLENCE WITHOUT COMPROMISE Keltbray Environmental Solutions is the specialist asbestos remediation division of Keltbray Group; UK leading specialist business, which offers engineering, construction, demolition, decommissioning, remediation, rail and environmental services.

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At Keltbray Environmental Solutions, which is in the top five by size in the UK, we are experts at the management and removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, such as lead, radiological, chemical and biological contamination. We operate within a wide range of sectors, including defence, local and central Government, transport, heritage, housing, commercial, retail, leisure and energy including nuclear.

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We are currently engaged at Guildford Cathedral, and at Battersea Power Station, where we over the past 12 months have carried out more than £22 million worth of asbestos management work.

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AIR POLLUTION

MPs call for more ‘clean air zones’ The Commons Environment Committee has called for more ‘clean air zones’, targeting polluting vehicle drivers, to be established across cities in England.

The Committee believes that more cities should be given the powers which have been granted to London, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton.

The power allows cities to charge a fee for high-pollutive vehicles to discourage such cars from operating in the city centre.

Last year the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) outlined plans to introduce five clean air zones by 2020, after the Supreme Court ordered that it must comply with European Union law limits on nitrogen dioxide in the air.

HOUSING

New homes ‘eroding’ green belt

Research from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) shows that 275,000 houses are now planned for England’s Green Belt, an increase of 50,000 on last year and nearly 200,000 more than when the government introduced it’s planning reforms back in March 2012.

CPRE’s ‘Green Belt Under Siege’ report illustrates that Green Belt boundaries are being changed to accommodate housing at the fastest rate for two decades. In the year 2015, 11 local authorities finalised boundary changes to accommodate development.

The 275,000 houses now planned are an increase of 25 per cent on 2015, and almost double the 147,000 houses outlined for Green Belt in Labour’s 2009 regional plans. There is particular pressure in the Metropolitan and

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West Midlands Green Belt.

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “Ministers have repeatedly been clear that demand for housing alone will not justify changing green belt boundaries,” he said. “Councils are already expected to prioritise development on brownfield sites, with 90 per cent of brownfield sites expected to have planning permission by the end of this Parliament.

“It means that in 2014-15 just 0.02 per cent of green belt was converted to residential use, and the green belt is actually 32,000 hectares bigger than it was in 1997.”

READ MORE:

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HEALTH AND SAFETY READ MORE:

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HOUSING

Public-private partnership generates £1bn for new housing A new partnership between Kier Living, Cheyne Capital and The Housing Growth Partnership has been launched to pool £1 billion in order to construct 10,000 new homes, in partnership with local authorities and housing associations.

The New Communities Partnership will provide public sector organisations with the option to choose between sale and/ or rental and offer an improved scope for affordable development. Rental homes will include discounted and market-rent solutions to help solve housing challenges faced by key workers, the disabled and the elderly, while homes built for sale will also include discounted sale units.

READ MORE:

tinyurl.com/z3hb69t

Premises should show food hygiene ratings, says LGA All premises that sell food products should be forced to display their food hygiene rating on the door, the Local Government Association (LGA) has argued.

Council environmental health teams score food outlets in their area on a scale of zero to five based on considerations such as cleanliness, food management

and cooking processes, but current laws mean that premises in England are not required to display this score to customers.

The LGA claims that this should become mandatory, as it can protect people from the risk of eating poorly prepared food in unhygienic kitchens and improve consumer confidence.

READ MORE:

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ENERGY

Getting a grip on the crazy world of energy pricing Plummeting oil and gas prices are not a reason to abandon energy efficiency, says Tim Rook, technical director of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) The topsy turvy world of energy pricing entered the realms of the truly bizarre at the start of this year when oil officially became cheaper than water. While energy companies were still not passing on the full benefits of plunging wholesale oil and gas prices to customers; with oil below $40 a barrel and some petrol prices below £1 a litre, it might seem that we are now in a period of ‘cheap’ energy.

However, as buildings tend to consume gas and power rather than oil and coal, it is the ‘spark’ spread and power price that matter most to our sector. With the spark spread relatively large for both gas and coal, low commodity prices are of more benefit to the power generators than consumers.

The volatility and uncertainty in the power markets means generators are looking to maximise profits that allow them to deal with the difficulties of demand side/frequency response and embedded generation. Therefore, power prices for building owners are unlikely to fall significantly in the long run.

Additionally, the risk of rising commodity prices is ever present.

The current lows are an anomaly caused by political instability and slowing global economic growth. Betting on continued low energy prices for the long term, i.e. the

life of a building, would be a high risk strategy, whereas building in energy efficiency is the low risk path.

So where does this leave the industry’s plans for making buildings more energy efficient?

CLIMATE CHANGE The world is already moving on from fossil fuels. We can’t carry on as we were in the wake of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris last December where 196 countries committed to limiting global warming to ‘well below’ 2oC and to ‘pursue efforts’ to keep it at 1.5oC. They accepted the target of cutting the current 46 billion tons of greenhouse gas emitted every year to close to zero by 2050.

The UK is one of those 196 and most experts believe that we will have to close all of our coal and gas power stations by 2035 to achieve the 1.5oC target. The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, said the treaty could make the large oil and gas reserves held by the giant energy firms ‘un-burnable’ in the long-term.

The government has stirred up the hostility of climate change campaigners and engineers alike by signing the Paris accord with one hand while cancelling a raft of carbon cutting measures, including energy efficiency initiatives like the Green Deal, with the other. However, one piece of legislation is still on the statute books and has the potential to make greater headway than all previous o efforts.

Under the terms of the Energy Act 2011, minimum energy standards are to be imposed on all rented residential and commercial properties from April 2018. This will make it unlawful to let any property with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G (i.e. the lowest two grades of energy efficiency).

Written by Tim Rook, technical director, Building Engineering Services Association

conventional generation, large renewables, energy storage and demand changes.

Therefore, buildings that can generate and operate in difficult grid conditions will have considerable value to their owners and occupants. In order to get to this point, it will be necessary to reduce power loads through efficiency measures; then supply new forms of generation and storage capacity.

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M expertsost that the believe UK will have to c l coal an ose all of its stationsd gas power achieve by 2035 to the 1 target .5 C

EFFICIENCY Selling energy efficiency on a purely financial basis was always a tough ask even when oil broke through the $100 barrier – so it is even less likely to succeed now. Energy costs still figured a long way down most corporate boardroom agendas even when prices were relatively high, but that doesn’t mean we should give up.

On a national scale, the sum of energy efficiency measures could mean the difference between having to build another Hinkley Point or not – a small matter of £24 billion – which in turn leads to the question of energy security. The country faces a huge ‘energy gap’ with demand for electricity likely to outstrip supply by more than 40 per cent by the middle of the next decade, according to a recent study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

There are also likely to be localised grid difficulties as generators try to balance

IMPLICATIONS The estate agent Knight Frank says this could have ‘very significant implications for landlords, and for occupiers who wish to assign or sublet space’ with ‘approximately 20 per cent’ of non-domestic properties thought to be in the F and G rating brackets.

It also points out that rent reviews taking place now could be affected and there will be an impact on dilapidations assessments.

Consulting engineering practice WSP believes the percentage of buildings affected will E

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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ENERGY  be closer to 35 per cent because many currently at E will have been downgraded to F by 2018, as EPC scoring tightens up to reflect more stringent Building Regulations.

Anna Walton, WSP’s lead on EPCs, said: “These proposals will have a significant impact on owners’ ability to lease their buildings. Many property owners are already reviewing their buildings and developing proactive strategies in anticipation of the regulations and getting ahead of the game, which is the right approach in our view.”

The British Property Federation (BPF) agreed that the standards would have a ‘significant influence on the future quality of the UK’s rental stock’, and that ensuring buildings have an E rating would ‘require significant investment’.

This is potentially seismic for British landlords and not something they can ignore if they want to stay in business.

It is also, therefore, a great opportunity for the building engineering services sector to promote the logic of upgrading services and putting proper maintenance programmes in place to start shifting the most energy inefficient buildings up the EPC scale.

As well as the short-term benefit of improved facilities for tenants, such upgrades could deliver extremely valuable demand reductions for the UK in the much longer term.

The way these buildings are heated is a logical place to start. Modern heating technologies allow building engineers to build flexibility into the system to get the most appropriate and energy efficient solution for all types of building. For example, many boilers include modulating burners that allow the boiler to operate at a capacity that is suitable for the demand level in the building at a particular time – it is no longer a case of the boiler have to be either on or off.

Variable speed drives that ramp up and down depending on demand must now be used on all commercial systems, but commissioning of these is crucial because in many buildings they are installed, but simply left fully on – which rather defeats the object.

Another important role of the building services engineer is the integration of heating systems with energy from multiple sources.

If the building has renewables then the hot water system can be configured to accept heat energy from that source first – only switching on the gas-fired boiler when required.

The world is already moving on from fossil fuels. We can’t carry on as we were in the wake of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris last December where 196 countries committed to limiting global warming appropriate sizing of individual components.

Full commissioning is essential and becomes even more critical if you are combining renewable and ‘traditional’ technologies.

This needs to be augmented by proper data gathering and analysis to ensure the building continues to perform as designed – and this could be incentivised via local authorities to make sure the necessary post occupancy analysis is carried out.

Looking for this kind of flexible approach tailored to the building in question, not only

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ensures long-term low running costs, but also extends the lifetime of the equipment by avoiding continual stop/start operation.

There is a big job to be done in getting thousands of rental properties up to scratch, but the industry has the tools and expertise to deliver better performing buildings – for the long-term benefit of both landlords and tenants. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.thebesa.com

RELIABILITY The separation of heating and hot water has long been recognised as providing reliability and can result in energy savings compared with traditional systems where a heating boiler generates hot water via indirect cylinders.

For many buildings this approach is still appropriate, but in most modern, well insulated buildings the requirement for hot water is higher than the demand for space heating – this should be factored into the design at an early stage to ensure

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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FINANCE

John Pryor of ACFO examines what to consider when looking at buying low-emission and alternatively-fuelled vehicles, using whole-life costs as the basis of good selection and value Funding is bespoke to individual organisations and while tax changes can trigger a switch in funding routes so can alterations in an organisation’s status and attitude. That might include, for example, its ability to borrow money and its own cash situation, its attitude to financial risk and its level of internal fleet expertise as well as changes in its VAT or corporation tax position.

Today contract hire (also sometimes known as operating lease) is the most popular fleet funding mechanism, followed by outright purchase. However, there are also many other funding options available including: contract purchase, finance lease, lease purchase and hire purchase.

Furthermore, some organisations have opted for a sale and leaseback arrangement with a chosen vehicle leasing company, while other businesses may opt for so-called flexible rental – effectively longterm rental without the constraints of a formal contractual arrangement.

ACFO is also aware of some fleets adopting ‘blended financial solutions’.

That means they are looking at the tax position of vehicles and leasing companies – leasing companies are unable to claim 100 per cent first year writing down allowances on low emission cars – as well as their own financial/tax position and ‘picking and mixing’ funding routes to maximise any tax benefits. It is not for ACFO to prescribe which funding solution is best for any individual organisation. Indeed, there is no one size fits all financial solution.

Instead, businesses should look at the legislation and their own tax and financial position and

take a view on how specific groups of vehicles may be funded, with cashflow improvements and tax savings the key benefits.

fortune and must be tackled. Fleet managers want to understand how costs are calculated and ensure they are transparent and fair. ACFO believes that in many cases vehicle drivers do not recognise ‘damage’, particularly in relation to stone chips and alloy wheel

Written by John Pryor, ACFO

Calculating the cost of effective fleet management

Fleet Management

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

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CASHFLOW BENEFITS Contract hire is the number one fleet funding mechanism because it delivers monthly fixed cost motoring with no residual value risk –

it is a known quantity that delivers cashflow benefits to businesses.

Although organisations must be aware of potential end-of-contract charges in respect of breaching pre-agreed mileage parameters and vehicle damage. Indeed, at an ACFO seminar last year delegates highlighted endof-contract charges, particularly those related to vehicle damage, as the ‘cause of the biggest degree of conflict’ between fleets and leasing companies.

The major problem is that there is no uniform approach by vehicle providers to the levying of ‘fair wear and tear’‑related charges, but they cost many fleets a

Tod contracay (also so t hire known metimes a lease) i s operating popular s the most mechan fleet funding ism by outr followed ig purchas ht e

scuffs, even though they resulted in a charge being levied.

Following the call for action at the seminar, ACFO deputy chairman Caroline Sandall has held a discussion with British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) representatives. They took away a number of action points, primarily around education and further supporting existing documentation as an interim step with the aim of enabling drivers to better understand fair wear and tear and the calculation of costs. We await developments with interest.

SALARY SACRAFICE Meanwhile, salary sacrifice is increasing in popularity as a funding option. A handful of major organisations have or are replacing their entire company car fleet with a salary sacrifice solution, although most employers provide car salary sacrifice as a benefit to staff who do not qualify for a company car.

Public and private sector interest in salary sacrifice schemes continues to grow, but it is not a new form of funding. Salary sacrifice is a flexible benefit offered to employees.

However, what is new is that we finally know the outcome of the long-running debate on the International Accounting Standards Board’s proposals to bring all leased E

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Specialist Vehicles

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FINANCE  assets on to a company’s balance sheet.

The measure is intended to give a more complete picture of a business’s financial commitments and thus greater transparency as to the financial health of any organisation.

The new approach to lease accounting, called the ‘right of use’ model, differs substantially from the current standard, which does not require operating leases (contract hire) to be reported in company accounts. Finance leases and corresponding obligations to make lease payments have to be recognised on a company’s balance sheet.

Announced earlier this year, the new standard, following a 10-year review, becomes mandatory from 1 January 2019, but as with any other change to accounting standards, companies will need to ensure that they produce a set of comparative accounts for 2018.

Some businesses will be concerned that including vehicles that are on contract hire on their balance sheets will impact on their gearing and ability to borrow money.

However, our BVRLA colleagues are on record as saying that leasing and rental will retain their status as essential forms of vehicle finance despite the long-awaited publication of the new lease accounting standard. The BVRLA has also said that it is confident that its members will be able to adapt their business processes to help customers with the new financial reporting requirements.

The final version of the standard also includes some welcome major simplifications which mean that short term hire vehicles, informal vehicle extensions and ancillary leasing services such as vehicle maintenance and accident management, as well as excess mileage payments, do not have to be reported.

It also gives fleets the option to report leases on a portfolio level rather than individually.

The BVRLA has pointed out that the main value of contract hire comes elsewhere, sheltering companies from the risk of fluctuating vehicle values, providing them with extra flexibility and purchasing power and freeing-up precious working capital that would otherwise have been spent buying an asset. That is certainly correct but, nevertheless, businesses will need to ensure they report on their liabilities – rental payment arising under the lease – and their asset – the right to use the leased asset.

Initially, the new standard will only apply to public sector organisations and firms that report to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Publicly listed companies already have to make a note to the annual report, which reflects any operating lease rentals payable. Most UK firms report to the UK’s Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and will be unaffected until such time as they converge with the IFRS standard.

imperative that company car choice lists are compiled using whole life costs. Cost reduction remains fleet decision-makers’ agenda-topping issue so using whole life costs as the basis to select new vehicles versus existing models is a key parameter in the detailed analysis that must be undertaken alongside the wider business need.

At another ACFO seminar it was suggested that hundreds, and possibly thousands, of businesses were potentially ‘wasting’ money because they were

which the vehicle will be retained.

Whole life costs reflect all the projected, vehicle-specific costs associated with operating a vehicle over its fleet life, including depreciation (the total difference between the original cost and the residual value projected), funding, service, maintenance and repairs, VED, insurance, fuel (at least the fuel for the business mileage) and Class 1A NIC payments. Also VAT on the fuel scale charge for private use if this is provided. If the vehicle is contract hired,

Fleet Management

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Businesses should look at the legislation and their own tax and financial position and take a view on how specific groups of vehicles may be funded with cashflow improvements and tax savings the key benefits failing to use whole life costs as the basis for company car selection. In many cases that was because organisations did not employ fleet expertise, particularly in the SME sector, to manage, their company car operations.

Whole life costs represent the most effective way of operating and managing a fleet/allocation policy because it provides the best forward estimate of the real costs to the business, in delivering business mileage, over the period for

then the rental will normally include the depreciation, funding, service, maintenance and repairs and VED. Costs can be shown as per annum, per month, or per mile.

In conclusion, however organisations choose to fund their fleet vehicles there are a myriad of options that each require careful analysis.

There is no correct answer, but the cost of getting it wrong could be enormous. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.acfo.org

WHOLE LIFE COSTS Finally, irrespective of the funding mechanism adopted by fleet decision-makers it is

19

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AIR QUALITY

Following the Journey of the Green Bus Innovation and supportive policy over the last decade has transformed the bus sector from being a part of the problem of poor urban air quality to being an important part of the solution to tackling climate change. Government Business analyses the LowCVP report on the issue Buses have historically contributed up to a third of nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution in areas experiencing heavy traffic (more than a third in parts of London). However, over the last few years, an array of greener, cleaner busses have arrived on UK roads. Air pollution caused by vehicles is not a new issue, although its prominence has risen considerably in the last two years or so. Road transport is the main source of many air pollutants which impact local air quality – with NOx and particulates (PM) of growing concern.

Such pollution negatively effects basic health, as well as adding to the risk of heart and lung disease, and lowering life expectancy.

Following the news of successful bids for an estimated £7 million of Department for Transport (DfT) funding in January this year, 439 buses in England will be fitted with green technology to cut harmful emissions by up to 90 per cent. The Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015 will be awarded to 18 local authorities across England, enabling 439 buses with technology to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in pollution hotspots.

The move, which will significantly improve air quality in town and city centres with the upgraded buses, is set to complete more than one million greener journeys annually.

The Clean Bus Technology Fund is a core part of the government’s commitment to green transport which has seen £2 billion worth of measures introduced since 2011. The move will also add to the government’s £600 million investment in low-emission technology over the next five years, which aims to make almost every car and van zero emissions by 2050.

One area benefiting from green bus technology is Bristol, which has launched two state-of-the-art, low emission electric buses in partnership with the DfT, Bristol City Council and the University of West of England (UWE). The new vehicles run in areas of low air quality and use Geo-Fencing GPS

technology to run on pure electric mode, producing zero emissions. There are only five of such vehicles in the UK, with two in Bristol and three in London also on a trial basis.

The buses run quietly and can be recognised by their striking blue colour and ‘electricity’ branding. Furthermore, the buses can charge once they reach their terminus, UWE’s French Campus, via a special plate in the ground which enables them to charge wirelessly.

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, said: “This adds to Bristol’s growing reputation as a laboratory for change and an environmental innovator. These clean tech vehicles will help to reduce pollution and improve the health of the city, and are part of the continuing impact of our highly successful year as European Green Capital 2015.

“My goal is for Bristol to be one of the healthiest cities in the world and that has to start with us breathing clean air. I am confident this trial of new technology will pave the way for the future of electric buses in Bristol and beyond, adding to the many new sustainable transport initiatives that are currently taking place across the city.”

today. The Journey of the Green Bus explains how the last 20 years have transformed the emissions, efficiency and experience of buses.

Commissioned by Greener Journeys, the LowCVP report, The Journey of the Green Bus describes how innovation and supportive policy over the last decade has transformed the bus sector from being a part of the problem to being an important part of the solution to poor urban air quality, as well as contributing to tackling climate change.

A Low Emission Bus is defined as a vehicle which can achieve a reduction of more than 15 per cent well-to‑wheel greenhouse gas emissions compared with a Euro V diesel bus, as well as the Euro VI HD engine standard for pollutant emissions.

With latest research by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) showing that at least five regions in the UK are still facing an immense challenge in meeting European air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), this report is a welcome aid for the sector.

A new generation of buses is dramatically improving emissions and lowering health risks thanks to advancing technologies and stringent real-world testing. While there is much more to be done, the arrival and expansion of the green bus is making, and will continue to make, a vital contribution to improving air quality in the UK. L

The Journey the Gre of explain en Bus last 20 s how the y transfo ears have emissio rmed the ns and exp, efficiency eri of buse ence s

THE GREEN BUS REPORT Maintaining our ability to move around in ever more congested towns and cities is more critical today than ever before. While a wide range of transport options now exist, there’s no doubt that an effective bus operation can deliver one of the best solutions to the challenges of air quality, climate change, congestion, convenience and, of course, cost. Bus travel has evolved with the development of the green buses of

FURTHER INFORMATION www.greenerjourneys.com/wp-content/ uploads/2016/02/Journey-of-the-GreenBus-FINAL.pdf

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

15/04/2016 17:32

CIPD

Alice and the need for agile learning

Professional Development

Sponsored by

Andy Lancaster, of the Chartered Institute of Professional Development, shares his advice for learning and development professionals when delivering agile learning

SURVIVAL IN NATURE IS A SERIOUS MATTER The WWF estimates at least 10,000 species become extinct each year. However, the implications of the Red Queen hypothesis apply equally to the survival of organisations as they do to organisms.

Despite insolvency trends being lower now than after the 2008 stock market crash, significant numbers of businesses are still failing with around 40 companies declaring bankruptcy every day in 2015. High profile collapses of companies that had established household recognition demonstrate that no organisation can consider itself exempt. An inability to adapt to new methods, customer demands or technologies will inevitably result in further tragic withdrawals from the race.

In the midst of this quest for organisational effectiveness, workforce development is key. Staff must learn new ways of working, embrace new service demands and technologies, and thrive in a multigenerational settings with flexible work patterns and dispersed locations.

However, the learning that will support organisational change is not a traditional face-to-face offering with staff selecting from a menu of topics. Or the provision of hundreds of generic e-courses largely unused with little relevance to the business context. Or compliance training primarily concerned with box-ticking rather than underpinning culture change that improves risk. Organisations that will thrive must shift to an agile learning approach delivered at the heart of the business.

SO, WHAT MAKES LEARNING AGILE? Agile learning needs to address business needs with urgency. It needs to be accessed anytime, anywhere, unrestricted by ‘firewalled’ systems. It should include the learner at the heart of the design process, inviting learner‑generated content where possible. It should value peer discussion and support as part of the learning process, and be developed and deployed rapidly using the most appropriate media. Agile learning should also include the best of wider existing resources as part of the responsive solution, and not be governed by trainer or subject expert availability. Finally, agile learning doesn’t seek to be perfect when first deployed, but iteratively improved.

For organisations to move to agile learning requires change on two levels. Firstly, business leaders must embrace a wider view of learning delivery. Frequently, a formal course is the expected response to an organisational need as it is often a senior team’s historical learning method. Sadly, the L&D team can often fall victim to this stereotypical expectation.

Leaders must have a greater expectation of the imaginative and often more cost-effective learning solutions that can be offered.

Secondly, learning and development professionals must embrace and confidently

promote agile learning methods that will drive business improvement. L&D teams must shift to deliver agile learning that enables an organisation to move beyond the ‘red queen syndrome’ of simply running to standstill?

EFFECTIVE, AGILE LEARNING There are seven keys that L&D professionals should keep in mind when delivering effective, agile learning. Firstly, agile learning is responsive to business needs. Too often, the link between learning design and organisational objectives has been weak. Agile learning requires a proactive analysis of what is needed to support business change and improvement with solutions jointly agreed between business and learning leaders.

For this to happen, L&D practitioners must embrace a consulting role; that requires a new skillset for many in building rapport, developing business acumen and credibility and taking time to listen, question and observe before making recommendations.

Non-essential content will be ruthlessly retired – agile learning should resemble a carefully stocked and well-pruned garden, uncluttered to maximise growth and impact.

Secondly, agile learning is informed by data and metrics. Data in our world is exploding in volume, velocity and variety.

The exponential increase of metrics equally applies in organisations. Traditionally, L&D teams focus on their own data which typically relates to post-learning activities such as learner engagement or, at best, the illusive return on investment for programmes.

Conversely, agile learning is informed by metrics that precedes learning design.

The third key states that L&D professionals must therefore mine organisational data that reveals opportunities for business improvement. And, that hunt isn’t difficult with trends in recruitment and retention, sales, delivery, customer service and complaints and feedback from line managers all providing E

Organi that wi sations ll must sh thrive an agile ift to approa learning c at the h h delivered eart busines of the s

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Written by Andy Lancaster, head of Learning and Development, CIPD

Lewis Carroll was not regarded as a futurologist. A writer, most definitely, a mathematician and photographer yes, but a predictor of possible cultures and worldviews, not at all. However, Carroll’s vivid imagination in writing the Red Queen’s race in ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ back in 1871 seems to have glimpsed a vision of our increasingly fast-paced world.

“Well, in our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else – if you run very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.”

“A slow sort of country!” said the Queen.

“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.

If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

A century later, this weird, fictional event inspired biologist Leigh Van Valen’s Red Queen evolutionary hypothesis.

His proposition was simple; there is a relentless ‘arms race’ between co-evolving organisms which must constantly adapt to an ever-changing environment.

23

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2016

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

CIPD  insight for key learning interventions.

Agile learning is underpinned by neuroscience. It’s obvious that the brain plays a key part in learning, but L&D practitioners often don’t integrate the emerging findings of neuroscience into learning design. Learning interventions frequently constitute inflexible face-to-face sessions, and long ones at that, rather than transforming learning into a more engaging, brain‑friendly and personal experience.

Traditional learning relies on a model where one size fits all. Agile learning provides flexible methods that increase emotional engagement and personalisation for learners to increase impact and outcomes. It also recognises the need for spacing and bite‑sized content to avoid cognitive overload.

Fourthly, agile learning is facilitated through curation as well as creation. In a museum, curators invest time and thinking to select the best artefacts to enable visitors to explore a given topic. In a similar way, in agile learning, L&D professionals become learning curators who source and signpost existing resources for learners. Traditional learning often requires an in-house or externally contracted solution to be created from scratch. The drawback is the time taken for the solution to be made available, which can often take weeks or even months.

However, each day there is an information explosion of articles, audio and video clips, websites, blogs and podcasts being produced. Agile learning sees the curation of a rich patchwork of excellent existing resources as a means to provide relevant learning, quickly and cost-effectively. It also swallows a misplaced professional pride that resources created by others can never be as good as our own.

Next, it is essential to remember that agile learning is social as well as formal. Social learning can be traced back to prehistoric times where knowledge and skills were developed in the context of community. In fact, survival depended on such a learning method!

Formal classrooms, which are often the default setting for business learning, came about later more from necessity than thoughtful design and date back to times when learning resources were limited and cultures expected learners to be seen, not heard.

Agile learning promotes social interaction for learning, scaffolding environments to facilitate communities of practice to respond to needs. That may well be through recognising the value of informal face‑to-face interaction, or using social media platforms to provide learning opportunities through professional conversations within the organisation, or with relevant external groups.

Additonally, remember that agile learning is just in time, not delayed. In our fast‑paced world, we expect a quick response. In the past, communication via a posted letter arriving a few days later would have been acceptable. Nowadays, even an email is

considered slow compared to texting.

Customer service is judged by responsiveness; can you find what you need, when you need it? By these measures, traditional learning is often agonisingly slow, taking months from learning analysis to delivery.

Agile learning focuses on a shift to a highly responsive ‘just in time’ model where learning can be accessed by the learner at the point and time of need. This relies on the availability of curated content, social communities, digital delivery and an acceptance that simple, good enough solutions are really effective.

Finally, agile learning is digital-mobile not just face-to-face. Perhaps the greatest move to agile learning is the need for L&D is to embrace technological change. It’s hard to remember life before Google when phones were just for making calls rather than gaining information. The technological revolution means that learners can bypass traditional learning approaches with direct online access to videos, webinars and courses often presented by experts.

Agile learning unlocks the potential of accessible digital delivery by providing content when learners want it, be that at work, at home or whilst travelling. It creates low-cost, bespoke content using mobile phones and other devices, sets up online forums and signposts great content. It benefits from an organisation that takes a can-do approach to systems access and where possible enables the use of the learners’ own devices.

The new world of agile learning is not familiar to many organisational L&D functions. It requires fresh thinking and new competencies to leverage emerging approaches and technologies.

ACKNOWLEDGING CHANGE Learning professionals would be forgiven (possibly) for being somewhat alarmed at the radical change taking place and the transition required. That takes us back to Lewis Carroll and another strange exchange in his book ‘Alice in Wonderland’ entitled ‘Advice from a Caterpillar’: “The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar

took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. `Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation.

Alice replied, rather shyly, `I – I hardly know, sir, just at present – at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’ `What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar sternly. `Explain yourself!’ `I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, `because I’m not myself, you see.’”

Organisations that seek to embrace the changes required for their on-going success and performance will do well to implement agile learning. However, they will need L&D professionals that, unlike Alice, are not bewildered by the changes taking place around them.

Enlightening learning functions will transition to deliver agile learning by being responsive to business needs, informed by data, underpinned by neuroscience, using curation as well as creation, valuing social as well as formal means, providing just in time not delayed and digital‑mobile not just face-to-face solutions.

The famous scientist Charles Darwin is attributed as saying: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most responsive to change.”

How true this may be of organisations who embrace agile learning methods to drive organisational improvement and performance and a stark warning to those who don’t! L

Professional Development

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The theme for the CIPD’s Learning and Development Show 2016 being held on 11-12 May at London Olympia is ‘Drive growth through agile learning’. It provides the latest thinking to evolve agile learning practice through master classes delivered by thought-leaders, case studies provided by practitioners, interactive workshops and free exhibitions sessions.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cipd.co.uk/ldshow

The learning that will support organisational change is not a traditional face-to-face offering with staff selecting from a menu of topics

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Every day ISS employees work as an integrated part of each client organisation, ensuring that service value is created through The ISS Way of customising and delivering our service solutions. ISS is one of the largest Facility Service companies in the world with an ambition to lead Facility Services globally, and being a market sector leader in Public Sector outsourced services here in the United Kingdom.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Lighting

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Shedding some light on sustainability Councils should be considering lighting as an integral part of a their plans for a low-energy and more sustainable future, says Brendan Keely, of the Society of Light and Lighting

ENERGY SPENT ON LIGHTING Lighting is an extremely important area when it comes to sustainability in buildings because it is so ubiquitous and so costly as a result.

It is also all around us wherever we go, in our homes, offices and streets, so it must be

comfortable and practical for us to live with.

Energy spent on lighting buildings represents 19 per cent of UK energy use, which equates to tens of millions of pounds and 32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. LED lighting is widely accepted by the UK government and governments and climate organisations across the world as the most promising avenue for the future of lighting, and investment in the technology across the world is expected to grow to $160 billion by 2020.

And it’s for good reason: LED technology has moved forward unimaginably over the last decade, and is able to do things we wouldn’t have thought possible just a few years ago.

Since 2000, its efficiency has increased by ten times, which has in turn greatly increased the savings possible with the technology, both from a financial and carbon perspective. Commercially available LEDs can now boast energy savings of up to 70 per cent (80 per cent if accompanied by smart control systems), and have vastly improved lifespans.

For local councils, these are game-changing benefits in energy efficiency. The potential cost savings are obvious, as is their utility in meeting carbon-saving objectives, but they also make sense as part of the wider economic eco-system. Even the most advanced fluorescent lamps can’t match the lifespan of an LED, meaning they have to be replaced far less frequently, and their durability means that failure rates are low and they suffer less from decay in light output as they age. They also come in a variety of colours enabling them to more effectively mimic natural daylight in office environments, and streetlights can reduce light pollution by being much more directional – only providing light where it is needed.

on the whole system. No energy efficient solution is ‘fit and forget’, and the worst thing a council could do would be to assume that switching to LED is an automatic win.

Firstly, judging the performance of an LED is not as simple as looking at the values of the chip. It might have Ferrari performance on paper, but a lot depends on the effectiveness of the system it is designed into. It can only perform well in a luminaire (light fixture) that suits its strengths, making sure it is at the right temperature for example, and trying to get one to perform in a badly designed context will greatly reduce its performance and may even damage it over time – like taking your Ferrari on quicksand.

There are many different light sources and set-ups that best suit specific circumstances, so it’s vital an engineer designs the system to get the best out of the LED solution.

LEDs are just a light source at the end of the day, and there’s as much work to be done on the part of the user to get the best out of them as there is by the light itself – and for that you need a strategy around how they’re going to be used. Even optimising the lamp and luminaire to get a 10-15 per cent increase in efficacy isn’t much compared to the 80 per cent increase you can get by implementing a good control strategy. LEDs, unlike some sources, actually perform better when dimmed as less energy flows through them – this is a great advantage when implemented with other systems like motion sensors to turn the lights off when there’s nobody around, or to dim them when it’s brighter outside.

LEDs should not just be used as a direct replacement for older light sources – the irony is that LEDs can be so much cheaper that we then use too many of them, wiping out cost and carbon savings. Without controls more sophisticated than a light switch, that’s not an efficient solution, E

Lighting is m comple ore simply ‘ x than ‘off’, w on’ and i such as th factors colour t the light em and the perature co renderi lour ng

IMPLEMENT SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY All this being the case, there is a danger of complacency. LED technology is a growing and exciting area of the lighting industry, but it’s far from a ‘magic bullet’ solution. Like any technology, it has to be implemented properly, and with consideration for its impact

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Written by Brendan Keely, secretary of the Society of Light and Lighting

As we near the start of the next decade and the UK’s carbon emissions target deadlines begin to loom large, the government is stepping up its investment in sustainable policies designed to promote clean generation and greater efficiency. As well as a focus on renewables sources of power, these policies also include measures to improve the energy performance of the UK’s buildings, both current and yet to be built.

It’s a sensible plan, because buildings make up a large percentage of the UK’s carbon footprint – accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 70 per cent of electricity consumption, much of which is produced by carbon-heavy generation methods like gas, coal and oil power. The low-hanging fruit in this mission would seem to be its own buildings, and there are quite a lot of them. In 2011 the government calculated there were over 180,000 buildings in public ownership meeting a variety of needs, from football stadia to hospitals.

Though there is plenty of work for central government to do on this, two thirds of the total property portfolio is actually owned by 86 local councils around the UK, so these areas have been the focus of much of the work. Initiatives such as the Green Investment Bank have been rolled out to incentivise the take-up of energy efficient technology, and help regional bodies become greener.

There’s something in it for councils too, of course, when budgets are increasingly squeezed and opportunities for savings are welcome. On energy saving LED street lights, local councils in Durham and Stirling have savings of up to £30 million over 25 years projected. So emphatic is the support that Quirin Sluijs from the European Investment Bank (EIB) urged any local authority with the budget to ‘just do it’ at the European Commission’s conference on LED Lighting for Sustainable Smart Cities.

27

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SUSTAINABILITY  and a properly designed control system can do a lot to alleviate these issues.

MORE THAN JUST ‘ON’ AND ‘OFF’ The old adage that ‘you get what you pay for’ also applies here. Lighting is more complex than simply ‘on’ and ‘off’, with factors such as the light colour temperature and the colour rendering – and it’s not a purely artistic consideration, it also has the potential to impact on the well-being and productivity of the people who live and work in council buildings. Cheaper, poorer quality LED lights can perform less effectively in a number of ways, but one of the most notable is in light rendering – this is the way in which the light from the source accurately represents the colour of objects in a room.

Cheaper and poorer quality LEDs are less effective at this, and so the light in a room may appear ‘off’, which can have negative psychological effects for the occupants.

Similarly, the colour temperature of the light also has an impact. One of the benefits of LED lights is their ability to be tuned and even mimic natural ‘blue’ daylight far better than phosphorus or sodium lights, which have a distinctive yellow glow. This can be an advantage in daylight, helping to stimulate people with little or no access to natural light in the workplace, but it also has a similar effect at night. The blue

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No energy efficient solution is ‘fit and forget’, and the worst thing a council could do would be to assume that switching to LED is an automatic win rich white light can keep us stimulated and delay the onset of sleep as it delays the secretion of the sleep drug, melatonin. By reading our e-readers, watching films on the laptop or checking social media this can contribute to the delay in the onset of sleep.

PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED LED LED technology is the biggest advancement in lighting in recent times. Its efficacy is improving at a high rate, while at the same time costs are falling. It will be an integral part of the energy efficiency strategies of a wide variety of people, companies and governments for years to come, but it is important to remember that it can’t be taken on its own as a complete solution to the problem of efficiency in lighting.

In order to ensure that the technology is properly utilised, so that it is as effective and efficient as possible, local councils will have to ensure that it is professionally designed as part of a wider strategy that bakes efficiency into the design of their buildings. It’s not

as simple as replacing one technology with another like-for-like: it needs to be properly installed by an engineer following industry guidance, such as that produced by the Society of Light and Lighting and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, to be as effective as it can be, and ensure that it works harmoniously with the building, the occupants and the other systems in play.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.cibse.org/society-of-light-and-lighting

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Get in front of the ‘Q’ with Secured by Design Secured by Design welcomes the introduction of a security element within the Building Regulation as we have been campaigning for this for many years. Approved Document Q goes some way to improving security in the residential built environment, but does not include many of the elements that have contributed to the sometimes staggering improvements* in security that Secured by Design has delivered in communities around the country.

What does Approved Document Q ask for – and where?

Approved Document Q applies to all new dwellings, including those resulting from a change in use of an existing building, such as commercial premises, warehouse and barns undergoing conversions into dwellings. It also applies within Conservation Areas.

ADQ creates security requirements in relation to doors at the entrance to a building, including garage doors where there is a connecting door to the dwelling; ground floor, basement and other easily accessible windows; and any easily accessible roof-lights. The requirement is that the product must be shown to have been manufactured to a design that has been tested to an acceptable security standard.

How Secured by Design helps to get to the front of the ‘Q’ For many years Secured by Design has required that doors and windows are not only tested by the product manufacturer, but that independent third-party certification from a UKAS accredited independent third-party certification authority is in place. This requirement exceeds the requirements of Approved Document Q. The Secured by Design Award has now been expanded to include Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. In order to achieve the Gold Award, the property has to achieve the requirements of Approved Document Q and also show that the development layout and some ancillary security requirements, such as lighting and cycle storage, have been met. The Silver Award fully discharges the requirements of Approved Document Q and, in addition, requires certification from independent third-party certification bodies. Secured by Design Bronze is primarily for the refurbishment market but, where issued in respect of a new home with ‘bespoke’ products, it can also satisfy the requirements of Approved Document Q.

Secured by Design National Building Approval Secured by Design has also introduced a scheme called SBD National Building Approval (SBD NBA). This award is granted to developers who regularly build homes (and other buildings) to a similar design and specification in different locations. SBD ensures that the full requirements of ADQ are met (and exceeded) and issues a certificate confirming this. The certificate confirms that the doors, windows and roof-lights specified for use within the development are of the required standard. SBD NBA is at the same level as a Silver SBD Award and developers can extend this to Gold if the development also meets the standards for that award.

Visit us at CIH Housing 2016 in Manchester at stand G53 if you would like more details. * Research results and case studies are available from Secured by Design.

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

EVENT PREVIEW

Making room for a discussion on housing

Housing 2016

Sponsored by

The Chartered Institute of Housing annual conference and exhibition is the leading event in the UK housing calendar – and this year, Housing 2016 promises more innovation, ideas and inspiration than ever before. Government Business looks ahead to the show Taking place at Manchester Central from the 28-30 June, Housing 2016 will host the most current debate and innovation that will affect those in the housing sector this year.

With record numbers through its doors for last year’s show, and with the evolving nature of the sector, this year is expected to be busier than ever before.

In her welcome to the event, Terrie Alafat, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), noted that ‘this event truly is a forum for professionals from all corners of housing to come together and talk about big issues across the sector, and for us, as an industry, to be part of the solution’.

Those big issues have been widely publicised in the news – social housing rent reduction, the extension of Right to Buy and deregulation.

The uncertainty surrounding housing is sure to continue deep into 2016, making Housing 2016 the perfect opportunity for the sector to come together, take stock and re‑energise.

Over the three days the conference will examine and explore the political and policy environment, the economic outlook and the latest thinking across the sector.

CONFERENCE 28 JUNE Following Terrie Alafat’s keynote address, Mark Easton, the BBC’s home editor, will chair the discussion ‘One year in – what will the future policy and legislative environment look like?’.

With the help of speakers Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer’s chief political commentator, Isabel Oakeshott, former Sunday Times political editor, and Matthew D’Ancona, columnist at the Evening Standard, the session will be making sense of what the future political landscape will look like, whatever the result and what this could mean for housing.

In the Housing Management Theatre, Debbie Larner, head of policy and practice at the CIH, will be looking at ‘Making fixed term tenancies work’. Bringing together a blend of early adopters and local authorities, attendees will be presented with a variety of examples to help them shape their organisation’s approach to implementing this policy.

Mark Easton will return, alongside Cllr Peter Box of the Local Government Association (LGA), David Orr of the National Housing Federation and Kieth Exford of Affinity Sutton,

to explore ‘The future of the relationship between housing associations and local government’. This session will discuss what the relationship could look like in strategic and practical terms, how associations and councils can work together to deliver more homes of mixed tenure, tackle homelessness, deliver social care, and reduce costs.

After eight years, London will elect a new Mayor this month, with housing top of policy priorities. This session, chaired by Lord Kerslake, will provide delegates to hear how the new Mayor plans to deal with the capital’s diverse housing needs. Running at the same time in the Charter 1 Theatre, David Cowans, chief executive of Places for People will discuss ‘How to get to one million homes – what lessons can we learn from our international partners’.

of change’ will brings together four housing associations, to discuss the pros and cons of taking a more commercial or social approach to their mission.

Later in the day, Lord West, vice president of the LGA, will chair a discussion on ‘The impact of welfare reform on housing’, with speakers Alex Burghart from the Centre of Social Justice and Campbell Robb of Shelter. This session will take stock of the reforms and examine what future reforms could look like and what impact these will have on the sector.

Sarah Davis, senior policy and practice officer at CIH, will look at ‘Developing meaningful approaches to tenant engagement and involvement’. This session will bring together the key stakeholders involved in this agenda to discuss and debate what real involvement looks like and how it can be achieved and to answer the question – are we getting it right? Sarah will be joined on E

To examin and exp e politica lore the l environ and policy econom ment, the ic the late outlook and st th across t inking h sector e

CONFERENCE 29 JUNE The chair of the opening keynote on the conference’s second day will be Owen Jones, columnist for The Guardian, and a regular contributor to the New Statesman and The Independent. ‘Social or commercial mission: building a culture

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EVENT PREVIEW 500 of the Delegate of the Future nominees who attended Housing 2015 will have the opportunity to attend Housing 2016 as a delegate at a 25 per cent discount.

The uncertainty surrounding housing is sure to continue deep into 2016 and next year, making Housing 2016 the perfect opportunity for the sector to come together, take stock and re‑energise  stage by Jenny Osbourne, chief executive of TPAS, Nic Bliss, head of policy at the Confederation of Co‑operative Housing and Paul Hackett, chief executive of Amicus Horizon.

After Owen Jones returns to the stage to explore ‘The future of estate regeneration’, The Guardian columnist will chair ‘Devolution: fuelling regional growth, what opportunities does this present for housing?’. This session will bring together three chief executives, from different geographical locations (Cornwall, Birmingham and Manchester) who are at different stages of devolution to discuss what opportunities this shift in power could offer for housing and how these can be exploited.

In the 2015 Comprehensive Spending Review, the Chancellor announced the launch of five Right to Buy pilots. ‘What can we learn from Right to Buy pilots?’ will share some early emerging lessons and share useful and practical tips. The final session of the second day will target regeneration, with Ben Denton of Keepmoat addressing ‘Estate regeneration – taking people with you to build strong communities’. In any regeneration project it is essential that residents are engaged and on-board with plans from the very beginning. Bringing together a cross section of the sector, the speakers in this talk will showcase real examples of gaining community buy in to regeneration projects.

CONFERENCE 30 JUNE Isabel Hardman, assistant editor of The Spectator, hosts the final opening keynote n

the Exchange Auditorium, by asking ‘What will social housing look like in 10 years?’. Dr Peter Williams, director of the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, Geeta Nanda, chief executive of TVHA, Matt Prosser, chief executive of the Tri-Council Partnership and CIH chief executive Terrie Alafat will examine what social housing may look like in 10 years and how the sector should respond to this.

Touching upon David Cowan’s session from day one, Melanie Dawes, permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Robert Grundy, head of housing at Savills, Tom Ground, chief executive of L&G Homes and Trudi Elliott, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute will debate ‘How are we going to deliver one million homes? And is that enough?’.

BACK TO THE DELEGATE OF THE FUTURE Following its very successful launch in 2015, Delegate of the Future returns this year. To ensure younger housing professionals from all housing disciplines have the chance to explore new ideas and hone their thinking, this ground-breaking initiative will see 1,000 housing staff, who have yet to attend the sector’s flagship annual event in Manchester, offered a free conference pass for Thursday 30 June at Housing 2016.

CIH will be working once again with five of the UK’s most prominent social landlords in supporting Delegate of the Future, who have recommended six of their most promising colleagues to attend Housing 2016. Additionally, all

HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE & HOUSING Launched in 2015, the Health, Social Care and Housing Conference is returning to Manchester for 2016. Running alongside the main conference, the Health, Social Care and Housing sessions are aimed at professionals from social care, local authorities, extra care and housing. The event will run for three days this year and will focus on solutions around the integration of health and housing.

Day one of this conference programme, Tuesday 28 June, will see Domini Gunn, director of health and well-being at CIH, chair a session on ‘The real cost of poor housing’, with the input and knowledge of Professor David Ormandy of the University of Warwick.

Gunn will also be the chairperson for the session on ‘Innovation in housing design and construction to deliver health and well-being’, while the first day will close with a session on ‘Maximising the use and impact of adaptations and of technology to aid health and well-being’.

The second day will see Dr David Paynton of the Royal College of General Practitioners speak on ‘Integrating health, housing and social care’. The CIH’s senior policy and practice officer, Sarah Davis, will discuss ‘Health begins at home’, while there will also be a session on ‘Homelessness and health’.

Domini Gunn returns to this conference programme on Wednesday 30 to explore ‘Delivering change through a skilled, regulated and agile workforce’. The two other session on day three will see Martin Wheatley of the Smith Institute analyse ‘Developing your local housing offer for health and care: targeting outcomes’, and Robin Lawler or Northwards Housing deliver a talk on ‘Integrating health, housing and social care in action’.

HOUSING HEROES AWARDS The Housing Heroes Awards – launched with great success in 2009 – aim to shine the spotlight on the teams and individuals that make housing such a vibrant and caring sector. Many of the awards celebrate the ‘unsung heroes’ of the housing world – from the communications and frontline teams to the lifetime contribution from a tenant.

Jointly organised by Inside Housing and the CIH, the Housing Heroes Awards 2016 will take place at the Exchange Hall at Manchester Central on Monday 27 June, hosted by broadcaster, author and former MP, Gyles Brandreth.

The evening is the opening network dinner that welcomes everyone to Manchester before the CIH Housing Conference opens the next morning. The 2015 awards attracted over 700 people E

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ASSA saves Wilmott Dixon 40 hours a week in void properties, using its flexible CLIQ® Remote tool ASSA, part of ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions, solved access problems that Willmott Dixon was experiencing within void properties using CLIQ® Remote.

ASSA worked closely with Willmott Dixon’s void properties team to explore a solution to improve security and protect empty buildings’ assets, whilst using budgets more efficiently.

ASSA’s CLIQ® Remote system was selected and installed, providing an intelligent electromechanical locking system to allow only those with the necessary authority to obtain access to the private buildings.

ASSA’s CLIQ® Remote allows controlled key and access management without the complexity and cost of a hard-wired solution.

Richard Perry, Void manager at Wilmott Dixon, said: “CLIQ® Remote is saving us approximately 40 hours a week, as it has eliminated the need for our employees to share keys, consequently this has led to huge cost savings.

“Since we’ve installed the CLIQ® Remote system, all of our employees have been commenting on how much time it has saved

them. I would recommend CLIQ® Remote to anyone with key management issues.”

Simon Wilson, national sales manager of CLIQ® Remote, at ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, said: “We were pleased to be able to supply Willmott Dixon with a simple solution for their key management issues.

Crimes against empty properties are on the increase, partly due the rising value of metal and thefts of fixtures and fittings.

“The management of keys for access is not only time consuming but also intensely laborious too and the associated costs can become very high. CLIQ® Remote enables easy key management and helps alleviate these high associated costs, whilst

CLIQ Remote CLIQ Remote is an electromechanical cylinder with an additional level of security and flexibility, a natural choice for those looking to improve security and protect empty buildings’ assets. CLIQ Remote combines a high security mechanical platform with an advanced electronic function.

If you have any enquiries, please contact customer services Tel: +44 (0)845 070 6713 Email: sales@assa.co.uk www.assa.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

delivering a 100 per cent key controlled environment. Improving security on a void property also helps keep the neighbouring environment in good condition – meaning happy and healthy neighbourhoods.

“A copied or lost key is an immediate security threat, and replacing lock cylinders and keys combined with administrative work is highly resource-intensive. ASSA’s CLIQ® Remote system helps to minimise administrative work, allowing the administrator to grant access or to block lost or stolen keys remotely and conveniently.”

ASSA’s CLIQ® Remote has the functionality to create time defined user keys, allowing access for a specified period of time. This feature is useful for maintenance workers who may need to access properties outside normal opening hours.

For further information on the full range of CLIQ® products from ASSA, please visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0 845 070 6713 sales@assa.co.uk www.assa.co.uk/en/site/ assacouk/cliq-remote

EVENT PREVIEW  including housing industry figureheads and well-known figures from leading trade associations and government.

EXHIBITING The new one million homes target and objectives to build for housing associations means new opportunities for projects, developments and re-tendering of services.

Anyone with a product or service to offer the sector has an ideal opportunity right now to position themselves as the supplier of choice for new projects.

Housing 2016 is an opportunity in the calendar to meet with the whole value chain within the housing sector. Reach all of your target market in three days, meet with current clients and check out what the competition is doing.

At last year’s show, 66 per cent of visitors had decision making ability or influence.

Additionally, 191 of the top 250 housing association’s were present, with 63 per cent of exhibitors re‑booking their stand on site for this year.

Dennis Seal, of Buildoffsite, said: “Great event, superbly managed by really nice people who just happen to be totally professional in everything they do.” L

Housing 2016

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

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The Housing Heroes Awards – launched with great success in 2009 – aim to shine the spotlight on the teams and individuals that make housing such a vibrant and caring sector

FURTHER INFORMATION www.cihhousing.com

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RAINFALL

There are many ways in which flood damage can be mitigated. Kevin Reed, of the UK Rainwater Management Association, discusses how better water management could stop problems reoccurring in the future There are mixed views on the likely impact of global warming on climate change, but if the last few years are a guide, then these changes certainly need to be given serious consideration.

According to current forecasts, the UK should be anticipating a progressive drift towards wetter winters and drier summers, leading typically to the floods we have witnessed in 2015/16, and the water shortages in much of the south of England in 2012.

Interestingly, according to the latest report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is the water shortage side of the equation that is forecast to inflict most economic damage on the UK. This can be explained by the Environment Agency forecasts on the likely impact of changing weather patterns on summer and winter river levels; although at first glance the wetter winter, drier summer trends appear to hold good, closer inspection shows that even in winter river levels in much of central and south-east England, will in future be lower, even in winter.

Allied to already existing stresses on water-supplies throughout much of England south of the Humber estuary, and forecast population growth of c20-million over

the next 30-years, future water shortages can be anticipated with confidence.

BAD NEWS FOR FARMING Water-dependent industries such as the agricultural sector will be particularly hard-hit by these changes, and quite soon according to Environment Agency. Shortage of water is already an issue in the south-east of England, the footprint of which will spread quite rapidly even within the next few years.

With river levels falling, ground-water supplies diminishing, and a limit to the effectiveness of water-efficient farming methods, this could potential lead to a bleak future for much of the UK’s agricultural sector, a great irony given that other parts of the country will be coping with the damaging impacts of seasonal floods.

However, this preoccupation could easily lead to unintended consequences if the measure being taken to ameliorate floods have consequences which exacerbate later water shortages.

All concerned need to turn this equation around, by looking first at what needs to be done to assure future water supplies, then adding the additional measures required to avoid floods.

Agriculture is a very good example of what this would look like in practice, the only certainty of future supply being retention of winter rainfall for summer use. This is a practice already employed on many farms short of water, a practice that will need to become much more widespread if Environment Agency predictions are to be heeded.

A fortunate by-product of storing water in this way is that the water being stored can be removed from the flood side of the equation, thereby adjusting the manner, method and E

The underly issue in ing is that fthe UK water s uture are not hortages cu seen asrrently an issue

HORSE BEFORE THE CART For the time-being the UK seems to be pre‑occupied with the ‘flood’ side of the rainfall management equation, understandably given the distress that flood events cause.

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Written by Kevin Reed, director, UK Rainwater Management Association

Getting to grips with managing rainfall

Water Management

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

Water Management

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RAINFALL

 cost of down-stream flood defences. Only a very slight, and virtually cost-free, extension of simply storing water for agricultural purposes would be to use the reservoirs/ ponds concerned as attenuation devices.

This would mean that rather than simply filling them to overflowing, a set proportion of their contents would be allowed to leave at a controlled rate with which down-stream waterways can cope.

This would maintain capacity for the next rainfall event, giving an even more dramatic effect on the design and cost of flood defences down-stream, as it would help to manage peak flows.

TOWN AND ABOUT Similar principles are already employed extensively in the urban environment where it has long been a planning requirement that new developments do not add to the

downstream flood risk; with 20-million more people to accommodate and employ, the additional housing and commercial premises required will accentuate this requirement.

However, these additional people and their places of work will inevitably place a further strain on already stressed water supplies, something that therefore also needs to be taken into account

when attenuating rainwater to avoid flood risks. As with the countryside, any water taken out of the flood side of the equation, by retaining it for re-use as a non‑potable water supply for toilet-flushing, clothes‑washing and garden irrigation, helps to reduce the cost and complexity of the attenuation aspects of the overall system.

In an ideal world, designers should E

According to current forecasts, the UK should be anticipating a progressive drift towards wetter winters and drier summers, leading typically to the floods we have witnessed in 2015/16, and the water shortages in much of the south of England in 2012

FLOODEX - Peterborough Arena Flood defence and mitigation is a vital part of living in huge areas of the UK and becoming increasingly important. This is a showcase of deliverables, opportunities and tangible solutions that are achievable for all stakeholders, including builders, developers, land owners, drainage boards and local authorities.

FLOODEX is the trade event for flood defence and the water level management (WLM) sector looking at flood defence, prevention, mitigation and drainage. With flooding in Britain forecast to increase and predictions of an escalation of flood instances, it’s clear that Britain faces a major problem and a need to identify the most effective solutions.

FLOODEX is not just about flood prevention, but covers WLM holistically, as many believe an integrated approach is needed to future proof Great Britain against the devastating effects of large scale flooding.

FLOODEX will be presenting an integrated approach to WLM development, flood mitigation and prevention, looking at how building for resilience can offer social, health and financial benefits for thousands of people in the UK. Wednesday 18 May - 9am - 5pm Thursday 19 May - 9am - 4pm www.floodex.co.uk

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RAINFALL

Shortage of water is already an issue in the south-east of England, the footprint of which will spread quite rapidly even within the next few years  be aiming to specify combined attenuation/water re-use systems that produce water‑quality, environmental and amenity benefits at no greater life-cycle costs than would be required to tackle flooding risks alone, when all factors are taken into account.

HOW IT WORKS What this looks like in practice is best illustrated by taking a housing development example, although exactly the same principles apply to other building projects. As shown schematically, it is best practice to control as much water at source as possible, leading on a single dwelling to the surface water, other than rain falling on the roof, being retained on the plot by a combination of natural infiltration into the ground, permeable hard‑standings and, if needed, by incorporation of a property enhancing garden water features.

These features alone would be unlikely to be able to manage the rain falling on the roof, which is traditionally simply fed to underground soak-aways. Where the ground is insufficiently permeable to make this an effective solution, the water is temporarily stored underground instead, then released at a managed rate that downstream infrastructure can handle without causing a flood risk.

Adding an automatic pump and non-potable distribution pipe‑work to the equation, so the water can be re-used – thus saving scarce mains-water, adds very little cost which can be compensated by savings made on mains-water consumption. On a housing development with a mixture of low and high-density housing, any rainwater surplus to the requirements of individual larger properties can be diverted to provide an additional source of supply to higher density properties, where the consumption of non‑potable water exceeds the harvesting potential of their roofs.

Taking roof water out of the equation at these two levels minimises the amount surplus to re-use requirements, in turn reducing the land‑take needing to be diverted to the balancing ponds/swales, needed to complete the site-wide surface water management system.

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Bring in the Dutch...

The Hillblock represents a major advance in shoreline and river bank protection. It’s a highly innovative and unique revetment block that uses proven technology. The patented design of this concrete block is used to line slopes and significantly reduces the impact of waves and wave run-up compared to existing types of shore protection. The use of the Hillblock means that revetments require less, if any heightening.

The block’s geometry and weight not only make it cheaper to produce but also make the slope more stable, making them better for the environment and easier to place.

The development of the Hillblock represents a new standard in coastal protection.

The result: stronger dykes at lower cost.

For more information: info@hillblock.com

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● Dredging ● River Maintenance and Revetments ● Flood and Coastal Protection ● Specialist Disposal Facilities

The Land and Water Group are specialists in marine and inland waterway civil engineering. Operating specialist plant and equipment including the largest fleet of long reach excavators in the UK.

Flood Alleviation

Maintenance Dredging

● Wetlands and Reelbeds ● Vegetation Management ● Licensing and Consents

Specialist Plant Hire

Amphibious Machines

For further information 0844 225 1958 enquiries@land-water.co.uk www.land-water.co.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

RAINFALL  environmental policies, reduces companys’ water bills, and even contributes a few BREEAM points to the project.

On housing developments, however, the lack of clear drivers make progress less certain.

In the absence of prescriptive or coercive legislation, housebuilders are naturally reluctant to add costs to their projects which do not translate into higher asking prices, and the benefits of which, in the form of lower water bills, does not return to them.

This is quite different to the German experience, for example, where a combination of much higher water prices and favourable legislation make water re‑use a basic requirement in all new homes.

The underlying issue in the UK is that future water shortages are not currently seen as an issue; this is reflected by the recently issued national Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) Standard which makes no mention of the link between water re-use and flood avoidance.

This contrasts starkly with the Welsh government’s SuDS Standard and the Greater London Authority draft SuDS Action Plan, both of which identify water re-use as the number-one method of flood avoidance. E

The Integrated Water Resources Management FURTHER INFORMATION Conference www.ukrma.org

Water Management

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

Sponsored by

Now in its 5th year, the Integrated Water Resources Management Conference brings together those tasked with the sustainable management of water, land and natural resources to maximise economic, social and environmental welfare.

This event is relevant to all water industry heads, directors and senior managers representing regulators, water companies, contractors, solution providers, consultants and academia with responsibility for: ● Water resources ● Catchment management and strategy ● Innovation and R&D ● Strategic partnerships ● Water quality and pollution ● Climate resilience and flood risk ● Sustainability and environment ● Asset management and planning ● Strategy, finance, regulation and compliance Wednesday 14 September 2016, Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre. www.wwt-environment.net

The worst of all worlds would be to tackle floods in ways that do nothing to alleviate droughts, or even exacerbate them

Local rate call: 0845 094 1281 Head Office: 01158 559 496 Mobile: 07715 252528 Email: info@crocodilefs.co.uk Website: www.crocodilefs.co.uk Crocodile Flood Solutions provide the best, most reliable flood defence and protection products from around the world that comply with BSI regulations. We offer free site consultation service anywhere in the UK to help identify solutions for reducing the risk of future flooding. Whether you require residential or commercial flood solutions, our team of experts are on hand to offer you 24/7 client support. Trustpilot is an unbiased tool that validates our excellent customer service from free site survey to installation and aftercare.

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Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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

Specialist water & chemical storage

www.precolor.co.uk Email: enquiries@precolor.co.uk Tel: 01630 657281 Fax: 01630 655545

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

RAINFALL  AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN At some point the failure to give adequate recognition to future water supply issues will be recognised, most probably when a couple of drought events make it a political imperative. However, tackling water shortage issues cannot wait until the problem actually arises, as it will take time to build-up the water re-use capacities needed to help address the predicted future risks.

The problem is compounded by current structural arrangements which result in a wide range of organisations and bodies with ‘flood management’ in their remit, and hardly any (if any at all) tasked to address droughts; however, that is not an argument to establish some new drought management organisations, rather for the existing bodies to embrace water-supply and drought avoidance issues in their flood avoidance remits.

Floods and droughts are two sides of the rainfall management equation, both of which need to be borne in mind when tackling either.

Assuring future water supplies for a growing population, agriculture, industry, and the environment is an essential top priority which, when tackled, will have a direct impact on the management of flood risks.

The worst of all worlds would be to tackle floods in ways that do nothing to alleviate droughts, or even exacerbate them.

Hopefully, the enlightenment to managing rainfall already shown by the Welsh government and the Greater London Authority will become contagious nationally, before it is too late to rectify today’s oversight. L

Kevin Reed is National Specification Manager at Graf UK, a director of the UK Rainwater Management Association, and deputy chairman of the WATEF water re-use and surface water management committee.

Water Management

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

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Floods and droughts are two sides of the rainfall management equation, both of which need to be borne in mind when tackling either

Dyrhoff Ltd specialises in the design and supply of inflatable rubber dams and pneumatically actuated spillway gates, and is the European agent for the Obermeyer spillway gate system chosen as part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme. Over the last 25 years, Dyrhoff Ltd has been involved in the design and supply of over 100 rubber dams and spillway gates for applications such as flood control, hydropower, irrigation, navigation and recreation.

Dyrhoff Limited Unit 9 The Glenmore Centre Shearway Business Park Folkestone Kent CT19 4RJ office@dyrhoff.co.uk Tel: 01303 275900 www.dyrhoff.com

‘Whatever your flood control requirements, Dyrhoff will offer the best solution’

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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

The Key to your Security & Maintenance Needs.

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Wide Horizons – The aerial photography and surveying specialists Wide Horizons carries out surveying, inspection and auditing services for the commercial and industrial sectors.

The company’s professional team provides aerial surveying services for the built environment, utilities, agriculture and construction industry utilising unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as as providing consultancy services in the building surveying, property and construction sectors.

Wide Horizons has the capabilities to deliver detailed visual inspections and surveys of tall or awkward structures, commercial premises and historic buildings without the need for traditional access platforms.

Information is collated with the use of its team of fully qualified CAA approved drone operators.

This method, used alongside traditional ground based

46

surveying techniques provides its clients with a far more comprehensive survey report for their commercial roof or entire premises.

By combining the the use of drone technology with the expertise of surveying each client will be safe in the knowledge that all services undertaken will be carried out in a professional and competent manner while delivering better quality information in a safer, more efficient process than previously possible.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0145 584 8222 info@widehorizonslimited.com www.widehorizonslimited.com

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A MAJOR EMERGENCY?

Continuity West Ltd, In partnership with Crisis Commander Ltd, has developed the perfect system for you. Crisis Commander is a first class major incident management system which is used by over 300 organisations in 40 different countries. It is cost effective and intuitive to use and can be adapted to any organisational requirements.

http://bit.ly/21jyr4v Meet Philip West, our founder and Managing Director and a former Police Inspector of 28 years’ service who specialised in major incident policing. Philip is also a member of The Business Continuity Institute and an experienced crisis management consultant.

He now works with local authorities and NHS trusts to make sure their requirements under the civil contingency act are met.

T: +44 (0) 1225 220 052 E: philip@continuitywest.co.uk

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

EVENT PREVIEW

Facilities Show

Sponsored by

Inspiring excellence in facilities management Returning to ExCeL London for a third year, Facilities Show 2016 is set to be bigger and better than ever. With a host of new and exciting features, Government Business previews the must attend show for those involved in facilities management The ever expanding remit of a facilities manager relies on a reactive approach to the challenges and problems that arise in a day-to-day working environment. With exciting features including the BIFM Career Zone, an expanded Interiors Zone, and incredible networking opportunities at the only facilities management (FM) event to have the support of BIFM, Building Futures Group and many more, absence at the Facilities Show this year is simply not an option.

Colonel Tim Collins attracted attention on both sides of the Atlantic for his rousing speech to the troops before going into battle in Iraq. His autobiography, Rules of Engagement, subsequently went straight into the bestseller lists and he is now CEO of a security company. Tim is a naturally inspiring speaker, combining extensive experience of active service with broad knowledge of military and political history.

An authority on teamwork, leadership and motivation, his speeches show a clear parallel between military problem solving and the challenges faced by leaders in any walk of life. Tim will be the keynote speaker on the first day of this year’s Facilities Show.

On the second day, 22 June, Kate Adie, a household name as BBC chief news reporter, covering the Gulf War, the demise of the Soviet Union, the protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and NATO’s campaign in Kosovo, will present the keynote. While on the final day British Olympian James Cracknell will talk about his adventures, the build-up to both Olympics and how they were nowhere near

as straightforward as the public seemed to think. He reveals the highs and lows of his training regime, the different characters that make a successful team and what drives him to seek out new challenges.

progression to leader and beyond, looking at the skills needed to lead and inspire.

On the same morning, 21 June, Lucy Jeynes will discuss ‘Women in FM: Learn, grow and progress your career’.

The Women in FM Mentoring Programme has been running successfully since 2008, and there will be a chance to learn more about the scheme, its mentors and the valuable experience gained from taking part.

Other sessions on the first day include Fraser Talbot analysing ‘Facilities management qualifications’, a very popular session last year, and Jane Bell advising on ‘Keeping ahead of the curve in FM training and skills’. This session will explore how the balance of knowledge and skills is shifting in response to rapid change, and what could make you stand out from the crowd in the eyes of current or future employers.

Recognition and development are key themes on the second day of the BIFM Careers Zone. Julian Burton, a BIFM membership and qualifications assessor, returns to the Careers Zone in 2016 to discuss why you need to be maintaining your knowledge and skills through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in his session ‘Investing in yourself through CPD’. ‘Recognition in FM’ will be hosted by Tanya Horscroft, named the BIFM ‘Rising Talent in Facilities Management’ E

Back by popu demand lar is t BIFM C areers Zhe for thos one e l o o k in at CPD training g manag , skills or ement opportu career nities

EDUCATING THE SECTOR Facilities Show 2016 will have more speakers and more educational content than ever before.

Having consulted widely with the industry to find out what visitors want to hear about at the show, the 2016 programme is packed with ‘real world’ talks delivered

by FMs, as well as practical and strategic presentations by a few hand-picked industry experts. You will find three large seminar theatres on the exhibition floor, all with different content on each day of the show.

Additionally, back by popular demand is the BIFM Careers Zone for those looking at CPD training, management skills or career opportunities. Current ‘Facilities Manager of the Year’, Alan Russell, will lead a session on ‘How to lead and inspire’.

Focusing on his journey from apprentice to leader of a facility delivering a service to 70,000 passengers a day with a budget in excess of £27 million, Alan will share ideas on how you can plot your own career

Volume 23.3 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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TAYSIDE GROUP ‘The R&A worked closely with Tayside Security during the build and take down phases of this year’s Open to ensure a safe and secure environment for these important phases of the Championship. Their Senior Management and Staff provided us with a first class, reliable service’. Rhodi Price, Director of Operations, The Open Championship

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Robertson, the Infrastructure, support services and Construction Company has a long and healthy relationship with Tayside Group. Providing an exceptional service in the Security and Cleaning provision across private and public sectors, assisting to delivering outstanding results for our clients. It’s been a pleasure to work with Andrew and his team over the last 10 years and we look forward to continuing with the successful relationship.

Mark Blyth, Commercial Director,Robertson Construction “At Kinnes Shipping we know the importance of Security in the Shipping Industry and when we have a reqirement we look no farther than Tayside Security. We have been using their services for more than 25 years, safe in the knowledge that our clients will be afforded a service second to none. ” Murray Ross, Director, Kinnes Shipping Ltd

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Lynne Short, Property Manager, Graham & Sibbald

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Having only opened a brand new flagship office in Perth in July it was imperative that we appointed a local contractor who could maintain the property to the highest standards, Tayside Group provide a one stop shop for all our cleaning and maintenance needs, Andrew and his team continue to exceed our expectations”.

Barry Moynihan, Facilities Manager, Keir Services

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

EVENT PREVIEW  in 2015 for her impact and contribution to her organisation and the FM profession.

Other noticeable sessions include ‘Who exactly is a typical facilities manager in 2016?’, led by Martin Read. This illuminating session will use the very latest BIFM/FM World research to explain how today’s facilities manager differs from their historical counterparts. Additionally, Victoria O’Farrell will explain ‘How to get THAT job’. This session will help equip you to aim higher and work towards your dream job. Victoria will cover off how to set your sights higher, how to get noticed in the crowd of other applicants and how to get the right job.

The final day will see Ricky Plumb explain why facilities management is not just about looking after the facility itself but also the people within it. ‘FM and H&S - Not just abbreviations’ will help you understand the link between FM and health and safety, including the various training routes available.

This will be followed by a session entitled ‘Be the boss - how to start your own FM company’ which will inspire how best to take the next steps and set up your own company.

FACILITIES 2020 STRATEGY SUMMIT This theatre will provide thought leadership to prepare facilities management leaders for workplaces of the future. On the first day there will be a panel discussion on ‘FM in 2020’, which will question how the role of facilities manager will change over the next five years and what the biggest challenges are that we will face as an industry between now and 2020.

A second panel discussion will address ‘Managing the cultural shift that comes with flexible working’. How do you know whether flexible working is right for your business? And what should flexible working look like? Following the panel discussion the moderator will open this up to the floor and turn the session into an interactive group discussion with the audience.

The second day will see Linda Hausmanis exploring ‘Talent in FM - attracting, keeping, inspiring’. In this panel discussion Linda will be joined by an FM professional, an FM client and an FM service provider to take a 360 degree view of talent in FM. ‘Managing regional and international teams’ will be a further panel discussion which will question what are the challenges of managing teams across different regions and/or countries?; how do you manage cultural differences in teams?; how do you ensure effective communication with teams in different locations?; and how often should you meet in person?

‘Waste management and compliance’, a session on the final day, will look at the legal requirements to be aware of in relation to waste crime and duty of care; cases of businesses who have been fined; cost saving initiatives to handle waste more efficiently; and methods for improving waste management. Sustainability is something

that is getting more and more attention.

Leading the way in engagement can make an organisation stand out from the crowd, as well as resulting in significant financial savings with little investment. John Bailey and Jack Connors discuss this in their session on ‘Reduce the juice: engaging on sustainability’.

THE SOCIETY FAIR Results from a 2015 visitor survey highlighted that visitors are keen to be kept in the loop about all opportunities to meet and socialise with their peers in the FM industry. As a results of this, the organisers of the show have established the, new to 2016, Facilities Society Fair – a 232m² feature area, where visitors will be able ask questions, try a selection of mini hosted events, discover all of the groups they can join to meet their peers throughout the year and sign up to a society that they would like to become a member of. The societies can be run independently and don’t have to be part of an association to keep the feature area impartial.

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The fair will consist of 10 societies having a table, two chairs and a space for a pop-up banner around the edge of the fair. Each group will have someone manning their table across the three days, talking about their group, some of the events that they host, and also signing up new members. Amongst others, Property Affiliates, CIBSE, The Hill Club and FM North will be participating.

PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT SERIES The Facilities Show is part of UBM Live’s Protection & Management Series taking place from 21-23 June 2016 at the ExCeL Centre, London. The Protection & Management Series attracts 45,000 visitors and more than 1,600 exhibitors, and covers a number of shows including: Service Management Expo; Safety & Health Expo; FIREX International; and IFSEC International. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.facilitiesshow.com

A panel discussion on ‘FM in 2020’ will question how the role of facilities manager will change over the next five years and what the biggest challenges are that we will face as an industry between now and 2020

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

SmartPlanes, the UAS to rely on! A system for aerial surveying, remote sensing and surveillance, equipped with high resolution camera or other sensors that form an easyto-use and efficient tool.

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

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GEO Business Show

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EVENT PREVIEW

Storming its way onto the geospatial calendar Join over 3,000 visitors from more than 50 countries at the fastest growing geospatial event in the industry, taking place on 24-25 May at London’s Business Design Centre The highly anticipated and action packed GEO Business event, has been receiving nothing but critical acclaim from industry. Taking place in London from 24-25 May, GEO Business must be seen to be believed. The geospatial event is designed for everyone involved in the gathering, storing, processing and delivering of geospatial information and incorporates an international exhibition, a cutting edge conference, industry led associated meetings, a full programme of commercial workshops and various social events held over two days.

BENEFITING LOCAL GOVERNMENT GEO Business offers an extremely exciting conference programme and arguably the best value for money event within the geospatial calendar. Don’t take our word for it, listen to the feedback received from Elaine Munns, team manager, Strategic Planning Division at West Sussex County

Council, who recently registered.

She said: “Being from local government, I always assumed that this conference was aimed more at businesses and the private sector than anything we in local government may have an interest in. However, after looking at the programme, I plan to attend because it is obvious it will help me keep up to date with what’s going on in the GIS world including the direction the whole industry appears to be moving in. Secondly, it’s useful to me to see specific projects that have been undertaken – either so I can use the data if it’s open source, or more likely so I can consider doing something similar myself – it gives me ideas. And finally of course, the cost – £15 per day is extremely cheap.”

The exhibition, associated meetings, workshops and several social events are all free to attend. There is a minimal delegate fee for the conference, which has been kept to an

absolute minimum of £15 per day for those working in the public sector. It’s not surprising then, that registrations have been flooding in.

Space is limited so delegates are encouraged to register today to avoid missing out.

From humble beginnings as a UK centric show, GEO Business has won the support of an international audience and will cement its position as the industry’s premier event as it builds on the remarkable success of the previous two years. For the first time since its launch show, the event will be held outside of UK and international holiday periods, which has been welcomed by both exhibitors and visitors.

Caroline Hobden, event director, explained how GEO Business has E

The exhibiti associa on, ted meeting s, work and sev s eral sochops ial events a r e all free t attend o

51

FS 592068

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

EVENT PREVIEW  stormed its way into the industry event calendar in such a short period of time, attracting so much attention and headlines along the way.

She said: “This event is very much being driven by industry. We are out there listening and being guided by the trade associations, societies, exhibitors and visitors and are working tirelessly to develop an event where there is a real sense of ownership within the community. The support we’ve had, and continue to have, has been phenomenal and it’s this level of involvement that makes this show such a success. Expectations are high for 2016 and we are looking forward to delivering the best show yet.”

BEAT THE QUEUES The cutting edge conference costs only £15 per person, per day, and provides the chance to hear industry experts debate the impact of advances in geospatial technology and services. Industry leaders will also discuss the rapid growth of the industry and how it is shaping the future. There will be presentations from global leaders such as Google, Highways England, HS2, Thames Tideway, Land Registry and the Environment Agency to name but a few.

Some of the prominent sessions include presentations and debates on the role of geospatial technology and services in the digital world. This session will see Ed Parsons, geospatial technologist at Google, discuss the changing delivery of geospatial information to the mass consumer, as well as discuss the next stage of the Google platform.

Running along similar themes, Professor Gianvito Lanzolla of the Cass Business School will discuss the impact of digital transformation on future infrastructure, while Tim Williams, commercial director at What3Words, will share his thoughts on three words to help Building Information Modelling.

The second session of the first day concerns advanced geomatic solutions and their application in the workplace. Matt Blackwell, digital operations director at Contain, Alex Wrottesley, Geovation hub manager, and Martin McDonnell, chairman and CEO at Soluis will all share their knowledge as part of this session. This will be followed by a session on geospatial data,

From humble beginnings as a UK centric show, GEO Business has won the support of an international audience and will cement its position as the industry’s premier event as it builds on the success of the previous two years chaired by James Kavanagh of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Speakers include James Winch of the Land Registry, Ron Bloksma, an information constant at the Dutch Land Registry and Ellis Blackmore, a digital specialist at Ove Arup & Partners.

Day one finishes with a period dedicated to sustainability, infrastructure and the environment. Chaired by Steven Eglington, director at GeoEnable & AGI, the final meeting will hear from Kate Marks, from the Environment Agency’s Mapping and Modelling division, looking at innovative solutions and creative engineering at the forefront of flood risk management.

INNOVATION EXPLAINED Day two of the conference programme begins with a keynote on infrastructure delivery and the current state of the industry, delivered by Amanda Clark, president elect at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors & Partner EY. The following panel debate will ask how the geospatial sector will embrace the opportunity presented by the UK’s commitment to invest in large infrastructure projects.

Chris Preston, of Network Rail, will chair the lunchtime session on cutting edge innovation and infrastructure.

This will look at virtualising infrastructure,

by Ioannis Brilakis, of the Construction Information Technology Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and Skanska’s chief engineering surveyor Mark Lawton looking at how far we have come in the past thirty years and provides some insight as to what the future requirements will be.

The final meeting of the conference will look at pioneering developments in geospatial technology. This will see Mike Turpin, head of BIM at Capita Property and Infrastructure address an audience on photogrammetry surveying, Dietmar Backes, Teaching Fellow

GEO Business Show

Sponsored by

at UCL reveal a BIM case study on Stockwell building from the University of Greenwich, and Dan Paull of PSMA Australia tackle geoscape – capturing Australia’s built environment.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION At the free to attend international exhibition, visitors will be surrounded by products and services from approximately 200 multinational companies all under one roof.

There has never been a better opportunity to find a new supplier and see what’s new. The exhibition will also feature a brand new GIS Zone and UAV Zone.

The Associated Meetings are also free to attend. Focusing on the issues driving the geospatial industry forward, leading organisations are hosting various associated meetings to keep visitors one step ahead in this fast moving industry.

COMMERCIAL WORKSHOPS The show will also run a series of over 85 commercial workshops – a unique opportunity not offered by any other geospatial show.

Visitors have the opportunity to gain a full understanding of new solutions and capabilities and have more in-depth discussions on a one-to-one basis.

There will also be the opportunity for networking, as GEO Business will be hosting pre-show welcome drinks the night before the show opens, an ale trail on the opening day and the hugely popular gala dinner on the opening evening, where everyone can come together, loosen their ties a little and enjoy an evening of fine wine and food. L

Visitor numbers are expected to soar, so beat the quotes onsite and register online in advance.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.geobusinessshow.com

Volume 23.3 | 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 23.3

Safety & Health Expo

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EVENT PREVIEW

Join the UK’s largest health and safety show Help transform the health and safety profession from compliance to engagement this summer, with three days of exceptional keynote speakers, exhibitors and networking opportunities at ExCeL London.

Here, we look forward to this year’s Safety & Health Expo On the 21 – 23 June, Safety & Health Expo, the UK’s leading health and safety event, returns to London as part of UBM EMEA’s Protection & Management Series, the UK’s largest event dedicated to protecting and managing property, people and information.

As the only place in the UK where all key health and safety associations, manufacturers and distributors come together with industry leaders, Safety & Health Expo offers the latest technologies and services to help the profession remain compliant and stay up-to-date.

More than 13,000 visitors walked through the doors at Safety & Health Expo in 2015, and 2016 promises to be an even bigger event with over 300 stand-out suppliers attending including Evac + Chair International, Cirrus Research Plc, Safety Media, ATC Risk Management Services Ltd, RRC International and Praxis42, amongst many others.

The Safety & Health Expo Meetings Service – a complimentary matchmaking tool introduced to Safety & Health Expo in 2015 – will enable visitors and exhibitors to search and connect with each other before the show, allowing them to effectively manage their event schedule.

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION A big challenge that many health and safety professionals face day-to-day is that of staying compliant and up-to-date with the latest health and safety legislative changes as well as implementing effective health

and safety training solutions. Safety & Health Expo provides an ideal opportunity to trial and test eLearning services, personal protective equipment, fire protection solutions, lifting and handling aids and more.

The latest innovations and product launches will be unveiled from companies including Arco Ltd, Draeger Safety UK Ltd, Skyguard Ltd, The Safety Knife Company, Ultimate Ear Protection and more. The product trail will help guide you to these latest products as they’re launched at the show.

Keynote addresses from Colonel Tim Collins OBE, Kate Adie OBE and James Cracknell OBE – inspirational speakers who have all shown grit and determination in the face of adversity – will headline a packed programme of 80 hours of CPD-accredited seminars.

The Inspirational Speaker Series will be hosted in the Keynote Theatre at ExCel London.

Colonel Tim Collins OBE will speak on Tuesday 21 June from 11.30 – 12.30, Kate Adie OBE will speak on Wednesday 22 June from 11.30 – 12.30 and James Cracknell OBE will speak on Thursday 23 June at 11.30 – 12.30.

A programme of sector-specific case studies, best practice, training and legislative updates will take place in the

six theatres at the Safety & Health Expo, including the Keynote Theatre, Occupational Health Theatre, Lone Worker Theatre, Fleet Safety Theatre, FPA Fire & Evacuation Theatre, and the Training and Careers Zone.

Commenting on the line up, Charlotte Wright, senior content manager for Protection & Management, said: “A wealth of 18-month research with the safety, security, fire, facilities and service management communities has resulted in the most focused programme that the Protection & Management Series has ever seen. Stages this year will welcome a mix of inspirational stories from our keynote speakers with practical and insightful sessions from professional experts and trainers.”

Other key sessions taking placing in the Keynote Theatre include ‘a revolution in health and safety enforcement’ led by experts Simon Joyston-Bechal, director, Turnstone Law; Kizzy Augustin, senior associate, Pinsent Masons LLP; and Peter McNaught, legal adviser, HSE. The ‘Safety Talks: Health, Safety & Brexit’ session will also be presented by Kizzy Augustin, and ‘Safety as an Economic Factor’ will be led by David Snowball, head of Field Operations, HSE. The Training & Careers Zone, a new theatre for 2016 will offer practical training for those looking to progress their career in health and safety.

Learn how to deliver the perfect interview and presentation, receive top tips directly from recruiter and understand the options for qualifications.

Also new for 2016, The FPA Fire & Evacuation Theatre will cover issues and E

Safety & Healt h Expo pr o v i d e s an ideal op p o r t u n to tria ity eLearni l and test personang services, l equipmprotective ent a more nd

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EVENT PREVIEW  likely scenarios faced by professionals responsible for fire safety and evacuation. Topics covered will include Fire Risk Assessments, the RR(FS)o, evacuation during terror threats and evacuating the public.

THE PROFESSIONAL CLOTHING SHOW The exciting addition of the Professional Clothing Show this year will create the most comprehensive offering for PPE, workwear and corporate clothing within the UK, with leading companies from across the industry already confirmed to participate including: Tranemo; Cintas; Dimensions; Portwest; Hunter Apparel; Sugdens; and Keela International, to name a few.

The Professional Clothing Show will sit at the heart of Safety & Health Expo alongside the popular SHE Live! Platform, a dedicated catwalk showcasing a range of new personal protective equipment, workwear and corporate clothing products as well as live demonstrations from key suppliers.

These demonstrations will include sustainability in the PPE industry, future innovations in workwear, wearable tech and PPE innovation.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS As well as being the key event for health and safety professionals to ensure they’re up-to-date with critical health and safety issues, Safety & Health Expo is also an opportunity to celebrate all the fantastic projects and accomplishments from the last year.

For 60 years, the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards have recognised and celebrated excellence in safety performance.

These internationally‑recognised awards – taking place on 21 June – have become a very sought after accolade, as they offer organisations the opportunity to prove their ongoing commitment to raising standards and celebrate success. The Best New Entry Award is sponsored by Safety & Health Expo.

The prestigious BSIF Safety Awards recognise excellence within the safety industry, excellence in customer service, and product innovation. The winners from each category will be announced at a high profile reception, also on the 21 June 2016.

Alongside The Professional Clothing Show, the respected Professional Clothing Awards will recognise companies and individuals bringing the latest innovations and achievements to the professional clothing industry with a glittering black tie gala evening event on Wednesday 22 June.

On 23 June, a celebration of up-and-coming talent within the profession will be celebrated in conjunction with UK Health and Safety Week.

Future leaders of the profession will be recognised at the Rising Star Awards ceremony at 12.30 in the Safety & Health Expo catering area. This initiative, supported by the British Safety Council, RoSPA, IIRSM, BOHS, and the Association for Project Safety, identifies key figures new to the profession who are already making an impact in their role. The NEBOSH Young Persons Awards, in association with NEBOSH, and the LOcHER Project Awards, in association with Safety Groups UK, will also be presented at this event to recognise new and emerging health and safety talent.

WOMEN IN HEALTH AND SAFETY A key element at Safety & Health Expo is the opportunity to network and meet with your peers. Last year’s event saw the successful launch of the Women in Health & Safety networking group, which has grown exponentially over the last 12 months.

In recognition of the impact this group has had, this year’s event will be our biggest networking event yet. #SHE1000 will see hundreds of women coming together from professions and industries involved in the protection and management of people and buildings. Open to both men and women, visitors can attend a workshop with networking expert, Heather White, while gaining the opportunity to extend your network.

IOSH 2016 CONFERENCE The flagship IOSH conference will run alongside Safety & Health Expo on 21-22 June, attracting senior safety and health professionals and forward-thinking business leaders. At the third international conference focused on leadership, delegates will find out how

to inspire and influence internal and external stakeholders to integrate safety and health into the fabric of an organisation.

Hearing first-hand from those who have successfully influenced change, and most importantly how they succeeded so that you can do the same within your organisation.

With more than 60 international experts speaking including Dr Walter Eichendorf, deputy director general of German Social Accident Insurance, Malcolm Staves, corporate health and safety director of L’Oreal and Keith Hole, senior health and safety adviser for Procurement, Engineering and Construction at Southern Water Services along with a keynote from Sir Clive Woodward on successful leadership, the IOSH 2016 conference will once again drive forward safety and health excellence.

Safety & Health Expo

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FIRE, FACILITIES, SECURITY AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT Safety & Health Expo will be presented once again as part of UBM EMEA’s Protection & Management Series, where you can discover new solutions to meet your all of your project requirements, across 1,500 suppliers. Your badge will give you access to all market-leading within the Protection & Management Series, including Facilities Show, IFSEC International, FIREX International and Service Management Expo, attracting more than 45,000 attendees annually at ExCeL London on 21-23 June.

Safety & Health Expo is supported by all the leading UK health and safety associations including: the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH); British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF); Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA); British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS); and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). L FURTHER INFORMATION www.safety-health-expo.co.uk

The world’s first job control system that helps you to reduce accidents The most cost effective way to speed up jobs and control safety is to implement Your Safety PAL to improve job awareness, reduce time spent with on-site safety briefings and allow workers and colleagues to improve job control.

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FURTHER INFORMATION As a business director, Your Tel: (+44)7702 832103 Safety PAL helps protect you safety@yoursafetypal.com from legal action, with a www.yoursafetypal.com seamless system that ensures

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Landscaping Written by Denise Ewbank, British Association of Landscape Industries

Sponsored by

PARKS

The benefits of public green space Amid all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, the need for green spaces should not be ignored or degraded, says Denise Ewbank of the British Association of Landscape Industries Every December the great and the good of the UK landscape industry gather in London to celebrate the achievements of members of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI). These are the landscape contractors and designers responsible for creating and maintaining many of the country’s managed landscapes.

The BALI National Landscape Awards, which this year will celebrate their 40th anniversary, are possibly amongst the most visually stunning of all industry awards. In the hands of industry professionals, maintained green space in all its forms – from private urban gardens to public realm landscapes and parks – makes for spectacular viewing, whether at first hand or projected on the big screen at an awards ceremony.

The value of green space to people and to the environment is irrefutable. Research on the impact of plants and green infrastructure on patient recovery times in hospital, for example, is unequivocal in asserting that recovery is hastened when patients can see greenery, whether inside or through windows.

And, when physical access to green space is possible – for example, in a landscaped hospital courtyard – this effect is amplified.

Live planting in office buildings has long been

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used to create ‘natural’ screens that offer the added benefits of improving air quality and reducing levels of stress and anxiety, which in turn improves the concentration of those working in a plant-enhanced environment.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPING Victorian town planners realised the importance of providing public access to managed green space as a means of mitigating the effects of intensive industrialisation. The public parks that they designed and that we now treasure and enjoy in towns and cities across the country have been exemplars for countries to emulate around the world.

The industrialisation of the Midlands and the North of England in the 18th and early 19th centuries brought agricultural workers in from the countryside to live and work in increasingly over-populated and polluted cities. The need for green space was ignored in the rush to build mills, factories and high density housing and the resulting

impact on human health of this scramble to industrialise the country was enormous.

Some enlightened industrialists believed, however, that by looking after the welfare of their workers they would see productivity increase; Titus Salt, a successful woollen mill owner in West Yorkshire, was one such man.

In 1851 he built Saltaire, his mill town on the River Aire near Shipley. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is dominated by mills but provided workers with good housing, community buildings, and landscaped parks where they could escape the incredible noise of their working environment and enjoy the beautiful open space provided for their well‑being.

Bournville Village in the Midlands is another example of an industrialist – John Cadbury – realising the benefits of giving his workers access to good living conditions, including landscaped public open space.

In the 21st century, the incorporation of green infrastructure is a pre-requisite of urban

Live g in plantin ldings ui office bbeen used g has lon te ‘natural’ to crea that offer screensed benefits the add roving air of imp ality qu

planning, both to provide an environment for town and city dwellers that encourages social cohesion and to mitigate the urban heat island effect. In recent years we have witnessed some stunning examples of public realm landscape design that have addressed both these objectives, and none has a higher profile than the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

GREENING THE GAMES BALI members – landscape and grounds maintenance contractors, and members providing products and professional consultancy services such as soil analysis and design – were instrumental in helping to deliver the Olympic Delivery Authority’s vision for the park in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. And they continue their involvement with the transformation of the park into legacy. At the BALI Awards in 2012 four BALI landscape contractors were jointly awarded the BALI Commemorative Award for Outstanding British Landscaping Excellence for their work in creating the Olympic Park landscape.

The transformation of 560 acres of former industrial land, much of it contaminated, in Stratford, East London, was nothing short of a miracle. BALI engaged with the Olympic Park architects, LDA Design with Hargreaves Associates, Arup and Atkins, as members of the landscape industry’s ‘Greening the Games’ campaign, at the earliest stages of planning to ensure that the landscape design could be delivered by the industry.

Not only did the planners and landscape architects have to deliver a beautiful public space capable of coping with many thousands of visitors to the Games on a daily basis but they also had to consider its ongoing utility once the Games had ended.

According to the Park’s official website, since 2013 it has received over four million visitors. It seems they succeeded in designing a space within London’s city sprawl that is a magnet for residents, visitors and tourists alike, as well as being a focus for sporting and community‑led events and activities. In addition, and in common with London’s other

Landscaping

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The public parks that the Victorian’s designed and that we now treasure and enjoy in towns and cities across the country have been exemplars for countries to emulate around the world green spaces, it is both another lung for Britain’s most populous city and a haven for wildlife.

PUBLIC PARK PERFORMANCE As the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park takes the title of the largest public urban park to be created in the UK for over a century, Eastside City Park in Birmingham is the first public park to be opened in that city for over 130 years. It featured as a BALI award‑winning scheme in the Soft Landscaping Construction (costing over £1.5million) category at the 2013 BALI National Landscape Awards.

Eastside City Park adds 2.73 hectares of green space to Birmingham city centre, extending Park Street Gardens through to Cardigan Street and taking in a former car park in front of Millennium Point. The public was heavily involved in the selection of the final design and now this wonderful landscaped space with extensive manicured lawns, paved pathways and carefully selected tree species, including geometrically clipped hornbeams, is used by residents, visitors, business people and students.

AWARDING SUCCESS The BALI National Landscape Awards are awash each year with examples of outstanding landscape design in public open spaces. Many are in city and town centres but there are business parks such as the Capability Green Business Park in Luton that provide employees with a wonderful working environment. Created some twenty years ago and recognised at the 2015 BALI Awards for the exceptional quality of the ongoing maintenance by the incumbent BALI contractor, the judges said ‘this is a fabulous piece of public landscaping that illustrates how important good grounds maintenance is to

the overall effect and impression of a scheme’.

And therein lays the nub; with all public realm landscaping, it is only as good as the level and quality of the ongoing maintenance.

Local authorities are dealing with swingeing cuts to their budgets and councillors are taking decisions now that are already having an impact on the standards of maintenance in our public green spaces. BALI grounds maintenance contractors working predominantly in the local authority sector have historically nurtured a partnership working approach with their clients and this has brought major benefits in terms of value for money and user experience.

Many contracts have enabled apprentices to be employed within the regular teams, making an important contribution to addressing the landscape industry’s serious skills shortage, and the constant requirement to find cost savings has, to a point, encouraged innovation. The introduction of the National Living Wage, however, whilst benefitting those working in an industry that is considered to be in a ‘low pay’ sector, is putting additional strain on grounds maintenance companies working on fixed local authority contracts.

ENCOURAGING EVERYONE In the 2014 ‘State of UK Public Parks’ report it states that an estimated 34 million people visit the country’s parks over c. 2.6bn visits.

For some people, a public park is their only accessible green space. In a country that started the municipal park movement as a response to the industrial revolution, it would be a travesty if one of the most treasured features of every town and city was allowed to fall into a state of dereliction for the want of funds to maintain it.

There was quite a brouhaha in the news recently about Stoke Gifford Parish Council making a charge for parkrun participants to run through its local park. The ethos of parkrun is to encourage everyone and anyone to take advantage of their local green space and get out there and exercise, and with the barrier of a charge completely removed. Adults pay taxes and an entirely valid proportion of those taxes filters its way to local authorities.

It is absolutely essential that public parks continue to be funded and provide free access to individuals and families. They are a fundamental resource that not only benefits society but also gives us the right to claim that, despite increasing urbanisation, we still live in a ‘green and pleasant land’.  FURTHER INFORMATION www.bali.org.uk

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The oldest public museum in the world boasts a variety of beautiful venues for evening events in the heart of Oxford.

We can also arrange private viewings of our world class collections for you and your guests.

For more information please contact an Event Manager: 01865 610406 events@ashmolean.org www.ashmolean.org/services/venuehire

Photos kindly provided by Paul Rogers and John Cairns

Christ Church OXFORD

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Halloween and Christmas Tea Parties in the Great Hall

A UNIQUE CONFERENCE LOCATION ◆

A joint foundation of College and Cathedral – Christ Church is an inspiring place with an exciting history

◆

An attractive setting with beautiful gardens and meadow bordering the rivers Isis and Cherwell

◆

At the heart of the city with shops, theatres and museums nearby

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Tours of Christ Church and an opportunity to visit the Picture Gallery

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A range of function rooms to suit different conferences and events

◆

Outstanding catering in the Great Hall

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Buttery bar with wines from the College’s well-stocked cellar

◆

Accommodation in comfortably modernised bedrooms, many with ensuite facilities

25 October, 5 December, 8 December 2016

Spring Special Interest Weekend Royalty and the Reformation 23 - 26 March 2017

or book Bed and Breakfast with us during the University vacation For further information about holding a conference or attending an event at Christ Church please contact: Telephone: (01865) 276174 or (01865) 286877 e-mail: conferenceoffice@chch.ox.ac.uk

www.chch.ox.ac.uk

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GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

Located in the heart of Oxford, Pembroke College, founded in 1624, is a lively, forward-thinking and ambitious intellectual community.

Tucked away just off the main thoroughfare of St Aldate’s, this hidden gem of the city, with its dedicated team and fresh and professional approach to events, provides a convenient and inspiring environment for meetings, dinners and conferences for up to 170 delegates.

For more information on what Pembroke can do for your meeting or event, please contact the team at the details below.

01865 286098 conferences@pmb.ox.ac.uk www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/conferences

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ACADEMIC VENUES

Seeing the potential in academic venues

Conferences & Events

Sponsored by

Abden House, drawing room

With state-of-the art audio visual support, a combination of old and new facilities and an array of on-site accommodation options, academic venues offer a viable venue for modern conferencing. Government Business explores the value of university settings to the sector Universities across the UK provide a wide range of venues and settings, reaching both ends of the design spectrum. Certain universities, steeped in rich history and tradition, possess architectural surroundings that would befit any occasion, while the majority of newer universities offer a range of state of the art facilities and technologies. While it is mainly students that benefit from this variation, most academic venues provide a perfect location for the meetings, conferences and events market.

In addition to meeting facilities and services, academic venues typically offer accommodation. During the summer vacation many universities have a vast amount of bedrooms available, but many of the larger, more established universities offer facilities and overnight accommodation all year round – enabling them to stay on par with other conferencing venues. This vast range of accommodation options within a campus setting make academic venues a viable option for residential conferences, and gives organisers the ability to offer a variety of options for delegates with differing budgets.

MORE THAN JUST A CLASSROOM Many academic venues have iconic and historic buildings offering a special

setting for smaller meetings and larger conferences and events. They are constantly investing in their facilities and increasing service standards to rival and compete with hotels and conference centres.

Typically, you’ll find lecture theatres and venues equipped with modern audio-visual equipment and comfortable furniture and fittings. The same quality standards are evident in the kitchen too; catering options are often prepared by award‑winning chefs, creating innovative menus with a passion for local produce, healthy eating and sustainable working practices. The commitment is the same front of house as well, service staff are professionally trained and have a sincere commitment to customer service.

Clients and agents are utilising university venues more and more as positive experiences generate an increase in confidence from the market. Alongside good communications programmes and the industry pulling

together, changes in perceptions are starting to happen – the days of chalkboards and curly sandwiches are a thing of the past.

ACADEMIC DISTINCTION Close ties with learning excellence and the ability to link with academic colleagues to enhance events adds further value. For event organisers looking to attract speakers who are experts in a specific academic field, universities often offer a wealth of relevant resources – for example, a medical conference can enjoy a keynote speech from an esteemed lecturer in the field.

With ongoing research being carried out, the unique resources that universities offer become more fitting for a conference. Experts in their own field are also often keen to showcase the university where they are based and conference teams based at universities can help organisers to find a relevant speaker from sources on campus.

More often than not, any profits generated from conferences held at academic venues E

You’ find lec ll theatre ture venues s and with mo equipped visual edern audio and comquipment furniturfortable ea fittings nd

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A perfect backdrop for your event...

Chicheley Hall offers the perfect space to think, talk and share ideas in inspirational surroundings, away from the everyday bustle of the office.

With 9 fully equipped meeting and training rooms including a tiered lecture theatre suitable for 100 delegates it’s the ideal venue to hold your next event.

Unique conference venues in Ambleside, Carlisle and Lancaster, providing the perfect setting for your meeting, event or conference.

Excellent facilities and great value. Easily accessible by road, rail and air

Contact us now: Chicheley@deverevenues.co.uk 01234868650 www.deverevenues.co.uk De Vere Venues Chicheley Hall, Chicheley, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 9JJ

Where Business and Science Meet.

Host your meeting at Culham Conference Centre and be inspired in one of our fully equipped meeting rooms, set in a beautiful rural location, shared with the world’s leading fusion research centres, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.

Inclusive Day Delegate Rate, just £32.50pp

Information & booking: Ambleside: 015394 30224

e: amconferences@cumbria.ac.uk

Carlisle: 01228 616 317

e: conferences.carlisle@cumbria.ac.uk

Lancaster: 01524 384 460

e: conferences.lancaster@cumbria.ac.uk

www.cumbria.ac.uk/conferences

Now available for hire! The University of Sunderland in London. Conferences, events and meetings in the heart of Canary Wharf Contact UniSpace on: 0191 515 2666 unispace@sunderland.ac.uk www.unispacesunderland.com www.london.sunderland.ac.uk @unispaceteam 20% off bookings using the code: UOSL2666 valid until 31/08/2016 University of Sunderland in London, 197 Marsh Wall, Docklands, London. E14 9SG

www.culhamconferencecentre.co.uk info@culhamconferencecentre.co.uk 01235 466885

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ACADEMIC VENUES  are directly reinvested back into the university. This revenue means buildings can be updated, whilst research programmes and other learning facilities benefit from a boost in resources, helping to pave the way for the country’s next generation of business and thought leaders. Offering conferencing options becomes not just an additional service, but a source of revenue.

FAIR PRICING While many venues have clearly had to adjust their pricing strategies as a consequence of the recession, academic venues have largely avoided entering a rate slashing competition.

Excessively reducing rates invariably leads to a compromise on standards and investment in areas of the business such as staff, improvements and maintenance. This is a concession it is unwilling to embark upon as they know customers have come to rely upon and expect high levels of service.

That said, some clients have been lured away by the prospect of lower rates. However, the majority of these customers have since returned as they recognise that despite a slight differential in a 24-hour rate, the inevitable compromise on aspects like service standards, cleanliness or quality of food, plus the creep of additional costs for extras, has had a detrimental effect on their event’s objectives.

For event organisers looking to attract speakers who are experts in a specific academic field, universities often offer a wealth of relevant resources – for example, a medical conference can enjoy a keynote speech from an esteemed lecturer in the field The academic sector now rightfully accounts for a significant percentage of the multi-billion pound events, conferences and meetings sector. The combination of expert staff, the advantages of a university setting, a core focus on quality content and attractive rates have shown organisers that academic venues are the ideal solution for their delegates – whatever the question.

SPARSHOLT COLLEGE CASE STUDY Based on Sparsholt College’s scenic campus just ten minutes from the culturally rich medieval city of Winchester, just under an hour from London by train and 30 minutes from Southampton Airport, Sparsholt Conferences and Events is a conveniently located and superbly connected rural venue.

Surrounded by the Hampshire countryside,

Conferences & Events

Sponsored by

the academic venue offers a fantastic combination of locations and facilities of varying sizes, making it ideal for both business and private functions.

Sparsholt College offers boardrooms, training rooms and a large conference venue, with all presentation and audio-visual equipment free of charge. There is also en‑suite accommodation, on-site catering and event coordinators to help where necessary.

Sparsholt College is a flexible conference and events venue with staff who work tirelessly with their clients to ensure that every aspect of their event runs smoothly, customising venue, catering, accommodation and team building packages to suit their needs. L FURTHER INFORMATION conferences.sparsholt.ac.uk

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New Manchester Event Venue Mixing history and modernity, from an Italian renaissance building dating back to 1872 comes Eclectic Hotels newest offering, King Street Townhouse.

Located in Manchester city centre within the Upper King Street Conservation Area, the former Manchester and Salford Trustee Bank has now been lovingly converted to become a stylish and luxurious ‘baby grand’ hotel.

King Street Townhouse consists of 40 bedrooms, each of which has been individually designed to the highest specification for an unrivalled stay in the heart of the city. The hotel has a range of meeting and event spaces available for private hire; the Mezzanine Lounge, first floor Work and Social Hubs and sixth floor South Terrace and Lounge. Both a desirable and flexible venue able to accommodate anything from dining for two in the Tavern restaurant to large celebrations of up to 150 guests on the 6th floor and heated South Terrace which offers incomparable views across the city.

For event enquiries please contact our team on 0161 667 0707 or email RuthPollitt@eclectichotels.com 10 Booth Street | Manchester | M2 4AW | www.kingstreettownhouse.co.uk

Manchester Conference Centre is an unbeatable venue offering all year round, purpose built meeting and conference facilities and hotel rooms. Boasting 2 professional tiered theatres, 16 meeting rooms, exhibition space and 117 bedrooms.

Our venue is able to accommodate all conference, meeting and event needs.

The Bridgewater Hall

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Enquire with the team at: meet@manchesterconferencecentre.co.uk or telephone: 0161 955 8181

The Bridgewater Hall is not only one of Manchester’s most iconic music venues, but also a modern and inspiring conference and events facility, home to unique spaces, catering options and AV equipment. With stunning foyers overlooking the City Centre, modern conference and meeting rooms, and the magnificent Auditorium, we can hold events for up to 1800 delegates.

Contact the Conference & Events Team Tel: 0161 950 0000 Email: conferences@bridgewater-hall.co.uk www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk

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VISIT MANCHESTER

A performing robot orchestra, a journey of discovery into the miracle material of the 21st Century and an artistic take on artificial intelligence — these are just some of the wonders of science coming to Manchester this summer The reason? Manchester has been named European City of Science for 2016 as part of its role in hosting the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in July. It’s the first time the title has been bestowed on a UK city and the nomination of Manchester is particularly timely: this year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of John Dalton, the pioneer of modern atomic theory. Dalton started the tradition of science education in the city that still thrives today.

Indeed, Manchester is still a world leader in many aspects of scientific research – smart textiles, digital health and advanced materials are just three key focus areas for the city at the moment – and it is hoped that the European City of Science tenure will inspire the next generation of Manchester scientists. Young people across Greater Manchester will have an opportunity to share their own passion for science on 6 July 2016, which has been designated Manchester’s Great Science Share day.

Annie Keane, director of the European City of Science programme, said: “The aim of European City of Science is to get people excited about science. Manchester has a great history and a bright future, and science is crucial to that. As a city, it has always been open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.”

SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION Manchester has had a long‑standing relationship with scientific innovation throughout history. The

city where science first met industry has been home, at various points in time, to atom‑splitting Rutherford, AI-researching Turing and, more recently the pioneers of super material graphene, Geim and Novoselov who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

Some 25 Nobel Prize winners have previously researched their breakthroughs in Manchester while scientists from the University of Manchester are amongst those now working at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Even the popular TV scientist Professor Brian Cox lectures at the University of Manchester.

THE EUROSCIENCE OPEN FORUM The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), taking place on 23-27 July, is Europe’s largest scientific conference; a gathering of the world’s leading scientific brainboxes.

Over 4,500 big thinkers representing 90 nationalities are expected in Manchester for five days of discussion and lively debate around the latest advancements and discoveries in the sciences, humanities, science in business and careers.

The hosting of ESOF is a global recognition of Manchester’s unique science credentials and is a hugely important milestone in

the city’s quest to position itself as a world leader in the field. However, organisers are keen to stress that ESOF is not only a great opportunity for scientists to learn and collaborate; it also offers terrific potential for businesses to engage with cutting edge science and technology.

As ESOF programme director, Vicky Rosin explains: “The year as European City of Science is a great opportunity for us all to think big and work together to bring Manchester alive with science and really capture people’s imagination.

We’re focusing on the connections between science, engineering, business, technology, arts and culture rather than boundaries between them.”

She adds: “There will be thousands of eminent researchers, scientists, policy advisors and business leaders from all over the world in Manchester during the week of ESOF. The collaborations and the connections we can bring and introduce businesses to are really very wide-ranging.

There are people and organisations at ESOF which businesses do not ordinarily come into contact with and that’s incredibly exciting.”

Written by Andy Parkinson, Visit Manchester

Welcome to the European City of Science

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PUBLIC PROGRAMME ESOF will open with an event at the Bridgewater Hall on Sunday 23 July and will be accompanied by a citywide festival, Science in the City (22-29 July), which will take science onto the streets of Manchester through ESOF workshops, E

will with an open the Brid event at on Sund gewater Hal l will be ay 23 July and acc by a citompanied festival ywide , Scie the Citynce in

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VISIT MANCHESTER  performances and experiences. These events will explore the ways in which science continues to transform our lives.

As well as a bespoke programme of events commissioned for the Science in the City festival, organisers are also working with a wide range of partners across Greater Manchester and beyond, to encourage them to host programme public‑facing science events and exhibitions throughout 2016. The first of such events is The Imitation Game, an exhibition running at the Manchester Art Gallery until 5 June which responds to the question first posed by Alan Turing in 1950: ‘Can machines think?… Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?’.

Another is an exhibition devoted to tackling climate change.

Climate Control, a programme of exhibitions and events at the Manchester Museum, runs from May to October 2016. It will allow visitors to explore the causes of climate change, the complexity of the subject, and what they can do about it.

The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) – the museum that celebrates the spirit of innovation indelibly printed into Manchester’s DNA – is to host a major exhibition about the discovery of graphene in Manchester. It opens on 22 July, just in time for the ESOF conference and it is hoped that the exhibition – developed in collaboration with the National Graphene Institute in Manchester – will tour afterwards to spread the word globally about Manchester’s new miracle material. bluedot (22-24 July) is a new three-day festival that promises to fuse artists, speakers, scientists and performers into an event unlike any other. It will take over Jodrell Bank, the University of Manchester’s iconic observatory, in the days leading up to ESOF. The eclectic lineup includes music by the legendary Jean-Michel Jarre; recording of an episode of Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage with Prof. Brian Cox and Robin Ince; and a full science and culture programme.

The European City of Science programme of events will draw to

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a close in October with the tenth Manchester Science Festival and a performance by the aforementioned robot orchestra. This will feature humans and robots performing together with real instruments and guided by a conductor — think Joy Division meets Kraftwerk meets the Last Night of the Proms.

The designation of European City of Science should give everyone in Greater Manchester – residents and visitors alike – a unique opportunity to be part of something very special. As Annie Keane puts it: “We want to showcase the city’s achievements across all dimensions of science as well as demonstrate how it connects with everyday life and the questions we all have about the future”. L FURTHER INFORMATION manchestersciencecity.com esof2016.eu

Five scientific event venues in Manchester Manchester is throwing a lot of weight behind its mission to attract scientific conferences to the city. Alongside ESOF this summer, the city will also host the 24th Biennial Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research and XXIV International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry 2016. The three conferences equate to over 8,000 delegates between them. Here are five suggestions for event planners seeking a venue with a scientific edge.

Manchester Central The city’s flagship convention centre is the venue of choice for large scale events (including ESOF) due its central location and capacity to hold up to 10,000 delegates. Its history as a former railway terminus – with vaulted arches and iconic station clock – further add to its appeal. manchestercentral.co.uk | @mcr_central Museum of Science and Industry The award-winning museum is an obvious choice for science lovers, providing guests with the opportunity to meet and dine amongst some of the world’s oldest exhibits from the world of science and engineering including the world’s first stored computer. msimanchester.org.uk | @msievents Concorde Conference Centre Located on the fringe of Manchester Airport at the popular Runway Visitor Park, the Concorde Conference Centre offers the unique opportunity to hold an event under the wings of the world-famous Concorde. The venue can host up to 750 for events that will undoubtedly live long in the memory of guests. manchesterairport.co.uk/runwayvisitorpark Manchester Museum A venue with a real difference, here delegates can dine with the dinosaurs or meet amongst the animals in Living Worlds gallery.

A new space, The Study, opened in late 2015 and offers an innovative and high quality research and learning environment for Museum visitors, from curious teenagers to academic. manchester.ac.uk/museum Mechanics Institute A grade II* listed building which is best known as the birthplace of the TUC, the Mechanics’ Institute was originally established so that artisans could be taught the basic principles of mechanics and chemistry. The venue can host up to 180 delegates. mechanicsinstitute.co.uk

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

VISIT LIVERPOOL

The city of The Beatles, culture and sport, UNESCO World Heritage site and host of the International Festival for Business in 2014 and 2016, Liverpool is a world-class destination for both leisure and business travellers Liverpool is always a city that tries to do things differently, and the same applies to conferences. As well as modern purpose‑built facilities, there are unique venues such as cathedrals and art galleries which can be used for conferences and meetings.

Combined with a vast cultural offering, which is all centrally located, organisers can ensure that their event is easy to organise and affordable – giving delegates the best experience both inside and outside their event.

Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool) is a state-of-the-art, international conference centre situated at the heart of Liverpool’s Waterfront and just a stone’s throw from the popular Albert Dock area, which has revolutionised the city’s conference offering since it opened in 2008.

Over the last eight years it has established a reputation for catering to public sector meetings and conferences of all sizes, with a 1,350 seat auditorium, tiered seating for up to 10,000 delegates and 21 meeting rooms. Clients include Cyber UK in Practice and Liverpool City Council, which has held its leaders’ conference there several times.

The venue’s offering was further enhanced in September 2015 with the launch of

Exhibition Centre Liverpool, the city’s biggest development for conferences since the original ACC Liverpool opening. Connected to the existing ACC Liverpool complex by a bridge, Exhibition Centre Liverpool offers 8,100 sq. m. of flexible and accessible space, comprising three separate and sub-divisible halls, each 2,700 sq. m., which can be used separately or in combination. In its first six months it has welcomed a diverse range of events, including many public sector meetings. The first year of Exhibition Centre Liverpool will culminate in the second instalment of the International Festival for Business in June 2016, when it will play host to 80 events and welcome thousands of delegates from around the world over a three-week period.

Exhibition Centre Liverpool is also integrated with a 216‑room Pullman Hotel. The pedestrian bridge which links the three venues means it is the only purpose‑built interconnected arena,

convention and exhibition centre in Europe.

A mile or so up the river is the Rum Warehouse, which opened in June 2014 to restore one of the city’s most recognisable buildings that had lay unused for many years. It has more than 1200 sq. m. of event spaces, meaning it is a popular choice for meetings of up to 1,000 delegates. The original features have been carefully restored and the whole venue is flooded with natural light and views over the serene dock.

One of the Rum Warehouse’s biggest assets is the attached Titanic Hotel, which has established itself as one of the most popular in the city and means that delegates can have a seamless experience, as well as saving on transportation costs between accommodation and meeting venue.

The is well city for its cknown with mo ulture, museum re national s other U than any K outside city o London f

Written by Joe Keggin, Visit Liverpool

A revolutionary city of history and culture

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A CITY OF CULTURE The city is well known for its culture, with more national museums than any other UK city outside of London. What is less well known is that all of these museums can be hired E

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

0151 263 0363 info@theisla.co.uk www.theislagladstone.co.uk

A warm welcome awaits your delegates at the University of Liverpool The intelligent choice to accommodate your meetings and events throughout the year in Liverpool city centre

The Isla Gladstone Conservatory is one of Liverpool’s most iconic venues set within private grounds and just 10 minutes from Liverpool Lime Street Station. The ideal venue for: · · · · ·

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A venue to inspire and motivate delegates,The Venue at the Royal Liver Building offers a range of meeting and event spaces within one of Liverpool’s most iconic settings.

Host a meeting, corporate event or celebration before the glittering lights of Liverpool, where impressive views, excellent service and sumptuous catering combine to create the perfect event space.

The Venue at the Royal Liver Building, Pier Head, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 1HU events@royalliverbuildingvenue.co.uk | 0151 559 1950 royalliverbuildingvenue.co.uk

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VISIT LIVERPOOL  for meetings and conferences, offering some truly unique backdrops for your event.

One of the most visible is the Museum of Liverpool itself, a stunning £72 million structure at the heart of the waterfront, between the Three Graces at the Pier Head and Albert Dock. With its modern galleries overlooking the Mersey, it can host up to 1000 for a drinks reception or 200 in theatre style.

The Merseyside Maritime Museum is also blessed with terrific views over Albert Dock itself and the rest of the Waterfront, and up to 150 diners can enjoy the food offered by the acclaimed Maritime Dining Rooms. Elsewhere in the city are the classical surroundings of World Museum, Walker Art Gallery and Lady Lever Art Gallery in picturesque Port Sunlight.

The use of prominent arts venues for meetings is a recurring theme across the city. When the new Everyman theatre was opened in 2014, it won acclaim from audiences as well as the RIBA Stirling Prize, for the UK’s best new building. It also attracted a lot of interest from meetings organisers looking for a stunning, award-winning backdrop that is truly emblematic of the city.

A short walk away from the theatre is FACT, a contemporary digital arts centre and cinema.

As you’d expect, FACT’s AV credentials are top notch, and it’s particularly popular with meetings making heavy use of visuals.

Then down on Albert Dock is Tate Liverpool, the home of modern art in the north. In its distinctive river-side gallery, small meetings and drinks receptions mix with artwork from the likes of Picasso, Matisse and Man Ray. Another iconic venue on the city skyline is the Royal Liver Building, the most recognisable of the Three Graces and home to the infamous Liver Birds. On its first floor is The Venue, an extremely malleable place for meetings and events which can accommodate up to 200 guests and offers breathtaking views over the Mersey.

AN ACADEMIC OFFERING Liverpool is home to three universities – University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University.

All three offer conference facilities which are very popular with public sector clients due to their affordability and flexibility.

The University of Liverpool offers year-round availability and a choice of location, either a few minutes’ walk from the city centre or four miles away in a peaceful suburban parkland setting. The MIA Silver accredited Foresight Centre is just five minutes’ walk from Liverpool Lime Street, the city’s main train station, and combines historic original features with the latest AV technology and video conference facilities across its 14 meeting rooms.

In addition, the university has a recently refurbished Guild of Students, hosting dinners for up to 300 people and main plenaries for a maximum of 900 as well as multiple theatre, seminar and exhibition spaces.

In the summer months, it can even offer

Combined with a vast cultural offer, which is all centrally located, organisers can ensure that their event is easy to organise and affordable – giving delegates the best experience both inside and outside their event accommodation in student flats in-between terms, giving an easy option to organisers.

Liverpool has plenty to offer for delegates in their downtime outside of the conference.

It’s all extremely compact and walkable, and contains more national museums and galleries than any other UK city outside of London – all of which are free to enter. This is in addition to galleries such as Tate Liverpool, FACT and The Bluecoat. From the 9 July to the 16 October, Liverpool Biennial 2016 – the UK’s largest contemporary art festival – will transform the city and is a must-see for delegates.

SPECTACULAR SETTINGS Liverpool is also well equipped for conference dinners. Liverpool Cathedral is perhaps the most spectacular setting, regularly being transformed into a venue for dinners seating up to 1000 people. Its neighbours on Hope Street include Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, the Philharmonic Hall, the Everyman theatre and a host of the city’s best bars and restaurants – all of which are well suited to conference dinners and offer an excellent way for delegates to spend time too.

Of course conference organisers must also look at accommodation – whether you want a posh bed for the night, a country house hotel or are working on a tight budget, Liverpool has it all.

Titanic Hotel isn’t the only hotel connected to a conference venue. The newest in the city is Pullman Liverpool, next to ACC Liverpool. The 4-star hotel is an ideal spot

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for delegates attending conferences at ACC Liverpool. Although it specialises in business travellers, it is also an ideal location for exploring the city in downtime, located just next to Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE. Liverpool also has all the big-name hotels.

In the commercial district there’s Radisson Blu, a contemporary four-star hotel Titanic Hotel, Stanley Dock with fantastic facilities.

Along the waterfront, Hilton Liverpool is situated in a landmark building, ideally located for venues such as ACC Liverpool and FACT while Malmaison, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express all have waterfront options.

Increasingly, conference organisers are looking at alternative to traditional hotels.

One of the popular options in Liverpool is serviced apartments, of which the city has a wealth of options. Try BridgeStreet in Liverpool ONE, the Richmond or Epic, which has premium-yet-affordable options in the historic Ropewalks district.

We realise this is a lot of information, but Liverpool Convention Bureau is here to help you. We have years’ of experience working with public sector clients. For each meeting or conference we offer services including finding a venue and booking accommodation, helping to develop your bid, and arranging familiarisation visits. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.ch.visitliverpool.com/ convention-bureau

Exhibition centre Liverpool

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NEWS IN BRIEF £10.3m ICT services contract for Liverpool Liverpool City Council has signed a £10.3 million ICT services framework agreement with a number of technology suppliers, which will deliver hardware and software services to organisations across the city.

The contract has been launched as a replacement to a previous contract and is set to run for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend the service for another year.

Computacenter, one of the service providers signed to the contract, is present on each of the 6-lot agreements, excluding the support and maintenance category, which was awarded to Newcorp Computer Services Limited.

In addition to the framework contract, the council has also announced two separate ICT contract awards, including a learning management system with New Media Warehouse, valued at £260,000. Furthermore, HP has been selected to supply hardware and monitoring support for its existing network security infrastructure.

BROADBAND

BT to invest £6bn for improved UK broadband

BT has announced that it will invest £6 billion into improving the UK’s super and ultrafast broadband infrastructure.

The programme is part of the telecompany’s pledge to extend super fast broadband coverage to include more than 95 per cent of the UK by 2020. BT is aiming to bring ultrafast broadband to at least ten million homes and business within the same period.

Business parks, high streets and new housing developments will benefit from the expanded fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection.

The remaining eight million properties which do not receive FTTP connections will be upgraded to the pre‑existing copper infrastructure that runs from the property to their local cabinet, a system which has been dubbed ‘G.fast’ by BT. Gavin Patterson, BT CEO, said: “The

UK is a digital leader today and it is vital that it remains one in the future. That is why we are announcing a further £6 billion of investment in our UK networks, subject to regulatory certainty. Networks require money and a lot of it. Virgin and BT have both pledged to invest and we will now see if others follow our lead.

“G.fast is an important technology that will enable us to deploy ultrafast broadband at pace and to as many homes as possible.

Customers want their broadband to be affordable as well as fast and we will be able to do that using G.fast. FTTP will also play a bigger role going forward and I believe it is particularly well suited to those businesses who may need speeds of up to 1Gbps. My ambition is to roll it out to two million premises and our trials give me confidence we will.”

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National Audit Office to review Crown Commercial Service The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched a review into the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).

The review will examine whether the CCS, which replaced the Government Procurement Service in 2014, is achieving value for money.

It will focus on the CCS’s performance in procuring goods and services which are common across government departments, as well the degree to which departments and the CCS are working together efficiently and effectively.

The review marks the first time that the work of the CCS has been reviewed by the NAO and is expected to be completed by Autumn 2016.

The last similar NAO review was into the Government Procurement Service itself in 2013.

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FRAMEWORKS

CCS launches telematics framework The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has launched a new vehicle telematics framework which could save public sector bodies £3 for every £1 invested, and improve fleet safety and efficiency.

Telematics enables fleet managers to monitor things like fuel consumption, vehicle tracking and driver behaviour.

This data can then be used to look at ways to make significant cost reductions based on the whole life cost of vehicles.

The benefits of vehicle telematics for public sector organisations include the ability for vehicle tracking to support the management of risk, driver safety, work planning and vehicle usage.

A better understanding of driver behaviour can then help improve safety by identifying driver training needs.

The agreement was developed in conjunction with police, ambulance, local government and central government customers and features a range of suppliers, all of which are small and medium sized businesses.

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CYBER SECURITY

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cyber attack risk on councils growing, Socitm says

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm), has warned that the current local forums set up to protect councils against cyber attacks are failing to work against threats.

The local government IT leader group has warned that the UK Local Resilience Forums which bring together councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) should consider that the threat of cyber-attacks to local business development is increasing. It also highlighted that only half of local authorities belong to the government founded Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership.

It warned: “Cyber resilience is generally seen as an ‘IT security’ matter in local government,

not often treated as a major business and service threat, with top executive and political ownership. This needs to change.”

Socitm added that as local government becomes increasingly involved in the delivery of public services and sharing of data, so does its risk of suffering large-scale cyber-attacks.

The group has suggested that local and national government develop a more ‘symbiotic relationship’ to tackle cyber threats, with councils given more responsibility for cyber resilience.

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INTERNET OF THINGS

IoT to be increasingly subjected to cyber attacks Information technology research company Gartner has warned that by 2020, more than 25 per cent of identified attacks in enterprises will involve Internet of Things (IoT).

Despite this, Gartner warns that the IoT will account for less than 10 per cent of IT security budgets.

The company has said that worldwide spending on IoT security will reach $348 million in 2016, a 23.7 per cent increase from 2015 spending of $281.5 million. Spending on IoT security is expected to reach $547 million in 2018.

Although overall spending will initially be moderate, Gartner predicts that IoT security market spending will increase at a faster rate after 2020, as improved skills, organisational change and more scalable service options improve execution.

It also expects security vendors to be tasked with providing IoT security features due to such a limited budget.

Ruggero Contu, research director at Gartner, said: “The market for IoT security products is currently small but it is growing as both consumers and businesses start using connected devices in ever greater numbers.

Gartner forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 per cent from 2015, and will reach 11.4 billion by 2018. However, considerable variation exists among different industry sectors as a result of different levels of prioritisation and security awareness.”

Contu continued: “The future of cloudbased security services is in part linked with the future of the IoT. In fact, the IoT’s fundamental strength in scale and presence will not be fully realised without cloud-based security services to deliver an acceptable level of operation for many organisations in a cost-effective manner. By 2020, Gartner predicts that over half of all IoT implementations will use some form of cloud-based security service.”

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

Edinburgh council backs health and well‑being apps Edinburgh City Council has begun to market a selection of mobile apps that emerged as finalists in its civic challenge programme.

The apps emerged as finalists in the region’s annual EdinburghApps challenge, with each of the four projects being pitched at a recent event. One of the apps, agameofwalks, developed by Sustrans, uses gasification to encourage children to travel by foot.

While Meet and Eat, developed with the NHS, helps to bring strangers together for meals along with Open Doors, which is a social media app for elderly people.

The fourth app, ChatterCare provides a platform for people with cognitive difficulties to share information and experiences. It is the third year that the council has run the challenge, which is aimed at promoting the development of new digital solutions to support services.

Claudette Jones, Edinburgh’s chief information officer, said: “This year’s teams are at an early stage of product development. Some are happy to share their ideas, hardware and software. Others are already thinking how their minimum viable product will develop into a fully commercial product.

“We have learnt a lot through the development of this programme, and are keen to see where we can take it next. We will be exploring different options, including how new solutions could be shared with other local councils, how to work on new developments with our new ICT partner, CGI, and how sharing our data can inform challenges we put forward through EdinburghApps.”

Jones added: “Externally, it encourages the growth of relationships and partnerships with partners in various sectors, as well as a recognition of the talent being developed through Edinburgh’s universities and the wider technology hubs.”

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CYBER

Managing threats in a digital world In light of the ransomware attacks on Lincolnshire County Council’s computer system, Des Ward of Innopsis analyses the issue of security in local authorities, and offers advice on the potential threats to council’s information sharing capability The reports of a cyber attack against Lincolnshire County Council over the past few weeks has highlighted a technique used to encrypt data on a computer and then demand payment to unlock it again. This isn’t the first high-profile use of this technique within the public sector; MP Chi Onwurah had her Parliamentary account affected in late 2015.

The impact of these attacks are often discounted and the value demanded by hackers often determines the seriousness; but, with 300 systems affected in Lincolnshire County Council and their frontline services having to resort to paper, the impact can be far beyond the money demanded.

Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for criminals to use this technique, commonly called ‘ransomware’. Indeed, with 40 per cent of malware attacks targeted at the public sector in the UK, and new Data Protection guidelines on the horizon, what can organisations do to prevent themselves from falling victim to attack or foul of increasingly stringent information management obligations? Is a concentration on cyber the right focus or is a more holistic approach required to meet the needs of public sector organisations in the digital era?

Make sure tha you dep t patches loy an update s to sof d regular t ly, inclu ware ding applica tion softwar e

THE RISE OF RANSOMWARE Ransomware has been a technique used by criminals since 2006, but it has gained popularity through the existence of software that automates the process to the extent that very little skill is required to execute the attack at all.

Ransomware is often deployed using malware that exploits a weakness in the application or operating system software on a device to install, run and encrypt the files.

It would, therefore, be logical to assume that a good anti‑malware solution can be used to detect these attacks and prevent against them; but as the Lincolnshire Country Council example shows, their protection software didn’t pick it up. This is likely to have been because malware is fighting a constant battle to bypass the signatures within the anti-virus software installed within organisations. So what can you do about this to reduce both the likelihood and impact of this happening?

DEPLOY PATCHES Make sure that you deploy patches and updates to software regularly, including application software. A good starting point

KEEP ANTI-MALWARE UPDATED Of course, you should be looking to ensure that anti-malware software is kept updated, with attacks changing every day I’d always recommend looking to deploy signatures every 24 hours. That said, you need software that doesn’t just rely on signatures (i.e. matches against known attacks) but looks at what’s happening across your network as well (also called heuristics).

This approach will provide more effective protection.

You should also note that anti‑malware will not provide long-term protection against unpatched weaknesses due to the nature of the changing techniques being used.

Written by Des Ward, director and information governance specialist, Innopsis

is to subscribe to alerts and notifications from the vendors, although if you have a link to an advisory organisation (such as a WARP within the public sector) then this can be useful to understand when weaknesses are being exploited.

There is good guidance within the Public Services Network Code of Connection (PSN CoCo). Also, it is recommended that you agree timescales for application of patches with any suppliers you have.

Some malware installs itself using features within applications (e.g. macros and Visual Basic) that you don’t require, at least for most users. Always ensure that software is configured in a manner that disables features that you don’t need.

It is also useful to set your email software to view plain-text by default as this highlights a lot of the spam emails. It’s also recommended to ensure that administrator accounts aren’t used for daily tasks, use normal user accounts instead and run another account for special tasks (this can prevent malware being installed in some cases).

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EDUCATE USERS Ransomware usually requires someone to do something (i.e. click on a link or attachment), so it’s important to ensure that your users think about the email they have received.

Typically, there are tell‑tale signs such as: the web address being wrong, hover over the link or right-click and view the source to see if the link matches the text in the email; the language used in the email being incorrect, with spelling mistakes; information that you would usually expect in the email being said to be in an attachment; the email coming from someone you E

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CYBER  haven’t heard of; or an email demanding that something happens urgently. More guidance is available on Get Safe Online.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY STRATEGY It’s tempting to treat this as a solely technical issue, yet it is easier to ensure that you have a sound, tested business continuity plan that caters for your business when you don’t have access to systems or data.

This plan should identify how much data you can lose access to before it presents an issue to the business processes, which should ensure that you backup information that is critical to maintaining your operations.

Testing this plan is crucial to ensure that you can get it back when required to maintain delivery of services, which is a legal obligation under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 for both the public sector and its suppliers.

UNDERSTAND YOUR INFORMATION It’s tempting to merely look at the recovery aspects when disasters happen, but an increasing strategic shift to Cloud services is also uncovering another elephant in the room – the rise of dark data – data created as part of everyday business that’s not used elsewhere.

The recent report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on The big data dilemma raised some interesting challenges to be addressed in the areas of data sharing, open data and data protection. There is much to commend from the findings, but is the answer really about looking at data by itself? Are we missing areas that are still to be addressed prior to exploiting the full ‘big data’ potential from the information held within organisations.

THE RISE OF DARK DATA The reported fact that 90 per cent of the data in the world has been created in the past two years is of note, given that a report from Veritas last year showing a typical organisation in the UK has 59 per cent of data it is protecting, maintaining and storing, without knowing what information is held within it.

There is therefore a real issue surrounding data as a whole. It is envisaged that maintaining 500TB of this ‘dark data’ is wasting around £1 million of protection and storage costs. How can you start to look to exploit the opportunities afforded by big data if you are wasting time and money trying to both protect and extract useful information from it?

This challenge increases when you become reliant on Cloud services to store your information off-premises. Outages in Cloud services are becoming more common and data loss is now a real possibility (the recent example from 123 reg is a forewarning of what might happen with websites being deleted and some still not recovered over a week after the event).

Business continuity needs to look to continue key operations, but it is not always clear where information is situated

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or even if you are exposing your risk from suppliers using a single platform.

So, how can you start to look at the information in your organisation when the unstructured information within dark data is increasing at an alarming rate?

LOOKING AT COMMON ATTRIBUTES One way of looking at uncovering the information hidden within data is to start to look at the attributes we require and standardise them. We often use common data formats to ensure compatibility, yet they are rarely recorded. Beyond this, we have common reporting requirements for things such as tax, organisational returns and medical records; yet we appear unable to capture these for reuse in other situations.

When we look at the myriad of questions

Mapping the flows of information allows you to understand where ownership should lie, and this should rarely be a line manager.

Officers of an organisation bear the legal responsibility for management of information and, whilst they can certainly delegate daily management to someone else, they cannot delegate accountability for how it is managed.

SUMMARY The management of risks in a cyber world are neither new or evolved from the information security approaches of the past, understanding the information within organisations is not only a legal obligation but is crucial to reducing the exposure from the use of digital and Cloud services.

The varied technologies being sold to manage cyber threat and incident

With 40 per cent of malware attacks targeted at the public sector in the UK, what can organisations do to prevent themselves from falling victim to attack or foul of increasingly stringent information management obligations? that suppliers are asked to complete just to prove they are viable, there are improvements that can be made rapidly. Better still, when we start to look at attributes from a vendor‑agnostic standpoint, we often find easier ways to search for similar information types within our unstructured data.

DOCUMENTING FLOWS Once you know the types of information within your organisation, it becomes easier to understand and map where the information is created, and where it flows inside and outside the organisation.

management are only ever going to perform efficiently when you understand the information and where is stored, and what the requirements are for its protection, accuracy and accessibility.

The emergent benefit of this, of course, is that you then have the information at hand to transform your processes to take advantage of digital services; that has to be the key driver to any programme of work rather than merely protecting against cyber threats. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.innopsis.org

Get the best products in the industry at the leading security exhibition and be secure The global stage for security innovation and expertise

3 Pre-book 1-2-1 meetings with the suppliers you really want to do business with the “Meetings Service�

3 Learn from experienced security professionals and develop your knowledge by attending free seminars 3 Grow your network through connecting with over 27,000 of other leading security professionals 3 See the evolution of security systems in the Smart Zone, looking at Home Automation & Smart Buildings 3 Addressing the demand in physical and perimeter security, visit the dedicated zone to find the right product for your business

REGISTER TO GET YOUR BADGE TODAY AT IFSEC.CO.UK/GBM_PSI Your badge also gives you entry to:

Supported by

Organised by

Part of

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

EVENT PREVIEW

IFSEC International

Sponsored by

Come and meet the engineers of tomorrow IFSEC International, organised by UBM EMEA, has announced that all places on the prestigious Engineers of Tomorrow annual competition are now filled. Government Business looks at the competition in more detail

Over the 21-23 June 2016, 64 of the fire and security industry’s brightest young engineers will head to IFSEC International to put their skills against each other in a live installation challenge at Europe’s largest security exhibition.

Engineers of Tomorrow is part of Apprenticeships for Fire & Security, an initiative that places apprentices into careers in the security industry and supports their development. Supported by IFSEC, CSL DualCom, NSI, SSAIB and Skills for Security, the scheme has already helped launch the careers of more than 3,000 young apprentices.

At the heart of the installation apprentice and young engineer industry, the competition will provide participants with a global stage to compete against their peers and represent their company. Companies involved include: Fidelity Integrated Systems; Abel Alarm Co; Highgrade fire&security; Chubb F&S; CBRE; Tyco; Red Alert; VocalVale; H+J Martin; Ambush Security; Wessex Alarms; Captstan Security; Secure One; CIA; SES Yeovil; William Hale; Custom Alarms; and the defending champions Tel Cam Security Systems and Kings Security.

THE COMPETITION The apprentice engineers will participate in the 90-minute live challenge that takes place on the lively exhibition floor at IFSEC International. They will then be assessed by a leading panel of judges from the security inspectorates, NSI and SSAIB, and points are

allocated based on performance in the various disciplines. Heat winners and their employers will be invited to the prestigious Security & Fire Excellence Awards, taking place on Wednesday 23 November 2016 where the final winner will be announced and awarded a £1,000 cash prize.

Commenting on the competition, Simon Banks, group managing director at CSL DualCom Group, said: “The huge take-up for IFSEC’s Engineers of Tomorrow competition is in line with the Industry’s demand for better skills.

The fire and security sector is committed to apprenticeships providing results for their businesses quickly, whilst creating a lasting professional workforce for the future. The competition allows employers and apprentices to showcase their skill sets on a world stage.”

again be presented as part of UBM EMEA’s Protection & Management Series, the UK’s largest event dedicated to protecting and managing property, people and information.

The series incorporates major events including IFSEC International along with FIREX International, Facilities Show, Safety & Health Expo and Service Management Expo.

The series of events annually attracts more than 40,000 attendees over three days to ExCeL London and is the centre of excellence across security, fire, safety and facilities.

T compet he provide ition will with a gparticipants to comp lobal stage e their pete against represe ers and nt compantheir y

UNDER ONE ROOF IFSEC International will host over 600 global leading suppliers under one roof across the three days at London’s ExCeL this summer, with the likes of Tyco, Milestone, UTC, Texecom, Salto, Paxton, Hikvision, Dahua, Assa Abloy, AXIS, Canon, CAME and Marshalls to name a few already confirmed. This year the show will also welcome more than 65 new exhibitors.

IFSEC & FIREX International will once

REGISTER Find out more information about IFSEC and register to get your badge to see the Engineers of Tomorrow Competition in action at ubmlive.com. As entry is now closed, new entries for this year’s competition will no longer be accepted. However, you can register your interest for 2017 online. The competition is the perfect opportunity to raise your company’s profile and prove your skills on a global stage by competing at IFSEC 2017. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.ifsec.co.uk

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Government Data Deserves Covata® End-to-End Encryption Share, Store and Protect Your Files Contact Us for Your Free Trial

Covata was founded in 2007 with the mission of protecting your data by securing it wherever it resides. Covata’s Safe Share solution secures your files at the point of origin, before they are shared or distributed into the cloud, onto mobile devices, and through business applications.

Covata Safe Share is available on G-Cloud 7 as a secure file sharing application that is approved for the UK Public Sector.

Government agencies rely on Covata to share their sensitive data internally and with external stakeholders.

“Covata should attract attention for its ability to secure data in dynamic work environments, whether on mobile devices across geographical locations, or within the organisation as a proactive way to keep sensitive data encrypted.”

https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/7427475545690211

Rik Turner Sr. Analyst Ovum

info@covata.com | covata.com

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

PROCUREMENT

Saving money for the public sector

Frameworks

Sponsored by

Wor with oveking organisa r 1,400 public setions in the services ctor, CCS’s by moreare provided than supplier 2,600 s

The Crown Commercial Service brings together policy, advice and direct buying; providing commercial services to the public sector and saving money for the taxpayer. Government Business analyses the latest agreements, including Vehicle Telematics and Insurance Services The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) brings policy, advice and direct buying together in a single organisation to: make savings for customers in both central government and the wider public sector; achieve maximum value from every commercial relationship; and improve the quality of service delivery for common goods and services across government.

Working with over 1,400 organisations in the public sector, CCS’s services are provided by more than 2,600 suppliers.

The CCS is responsible for: managing the procurement of common goods and services, so public sector organisations with similar needs achieve value by buying as a single customer; improving supplier and contract management across government; increasing savings for the taxpayer by centralising buying requirements for common goods and services and bringing together smaller

projects; and leading on procurement policy on behalf of the UK government.

The CCS is in place to make sure that small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to government contract opportunities, making it easier for them to do business with the government, and making sure that 25 per cent of government’s spend, either directly or in supply chains, goes to SMEs. Additionally, CCS makes sure that departments publish details of future projects and contracts on the Contracts Finder website every six months, giving businesses the

confidence and time to invest in relevant skills, labour and capabilities to win these contracts. It works to obtain simpler, more flexible EU procurement rules in Brussels to support economic growth by making the procurement process faster, less costly and more effective for both business and procurers; this will affect more than £45 billion of central government spend (more than £230 billion for the UK public sector) every year.

This will help commissioners of public services to become more effective through the Commissioning Academy E

The CCS is in place to make sure that small and medium‑sized enterprises have access to government contract opportunities, making it easier for them to do business with the government Volume 14.3 | GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

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PROCUREMENT  and use commercial intelligence more effectively to improve the value gained from contracts across government.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS As a guide for suppliers and buyers there is a standard set of terms and conditions for framework agreements and call-off contracts for goods and services bought under the agreement. The template for call-off contracts forms the basis of the terms and conditions in individual further competitions and can be supplemented or refined with additional terms to suit the requirement.

All CCS suppliers must submit monthly management information (MI) returns. This is done online through the MISO system. You will need to include the unique reference number (URN) for each customer listed on the return.

Failure to submit MI returns correctly or within the agreed timescales may incur admin fees.

The CCS is updating its internal Customer Relationship Management system and as a result the weekly downloadable list of URNs will be changing. The existing sheet of four tabs will reduce to three, listing all live URNs with customer details, a second detailing merges and a third detailing name changes. Legacy tabs will be added for the time being showing older changes that are not present on the new system. The sub-sector is now known as organisation type and is

Based upon the data provided from fleets who are already using vehicle telematics, CCS expects customers to be able to save £3 for every £1 invested being updated to better and more accurately describe the organisation within its sector.

CCS has signed a preferential public sector pricing agreement with Huddle for secure cloud collaboration tools. The agreement for cloud collaboration tools will help teams securely share files, manage projects and collaborate on content, projects and programmes of work.

With UK data centres to protect the sovereignty of organisations’ data, and the ability for users to maintain a full and transparent audit trail of all activities, Huddle provides a secure platform for managing information that is rated as ‘official’ under the Government Security Classification Policy. The technology is already used in many central and local government organisations, as well

Frameworks

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

Sponsored by

as other public sector bodies, including the NHS and a variety of arm’s length bodies and charitable organisations. Huddle’s public sector-specific pricing is available to all public sector bodies that purchase through G-Cloud on the Digital Marketplace.

INSURANCE SERVICES Insurance is a relatively new area for many public sector organisations, and, likewise, public sector is a very new area for many suppliers. With this in mind, CCS has developed a framework agreement and a number of guidance packs which provide information on the procurement call-off processes.

Developed in conjunction with YPO, NEPO and ESPO, this collaborative arrangement enables customers access to a wide range of insurance and insurance brokerage services.

This includes liability, travel, personal accident, property and contraction, and motor. Through the partnership with the aforementioned collaborators, CCS has ensured that the market received the right message to deliver efficiencies on behalf of the public sector.

The agreement has been divided into four lots. Lot 1 covers the provision of insurance and a number of support services, with 27 suppliers. Lot 2 covers the provision of insurance brokerage and a number of support services, and contains E

It’s A Balancing Act… Driving Digital Transformation in the Public Sector Make smarter decisions Optimise delivery of information Maintain secure & efficient data protection Deliver operational efficiencies using our secure cloud services - IaaS, BaaS, DRaaS, PaaS, SaaS Celerity manages and secures petabytes of highly sensitive public sector data

With the need to transform citizen services to become more convenient and accessible whilst streamlining operations for the organisation, a ‘balancing act’ is needed to resolve critical tradeoffs imposed by the ongoing budget constraints facing the public sector today.

Celerity partners with organisations to help make smarter decisions by delivery of cloud tools and managed services that secure, manage and protect information, driving transformational change with predictable outcomes.

If you would like to discuss a project you are considering please contact Celerity at:

e: gcloud@celerity-uk.com t: 01772 542450 www.celerity-uk.com An SME, G-Cloud7 approved supplier

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Are you moving your servers to a new Hosting Environment / Managed Serviced Datacentre???

Do you know what server’s you actually have, are they located in a server-room or under desks or on top of cupboards??

Do you have weeks if not months for a team of people with clipboards collecting server information from all of your server rooms? With the possibility of inaccurate data collected, and the potential of bringing a server or a rack down if your rack cabling is a nightmare.

ISI Software Europe can help. From a single location either on your premises or remotely within the cloud we can collect ALL of your server hardware and software information within days. All 100% accurate and 1st time. No having to going back to make sure that serial number is correct.

So ISI Software Europe can provide:

1. 100% accuracy on your 1st attempt 2. Potential savings of a 1/3 on a manual audit and completed within days and not months 3. A possible 40% savings on your electric / heating / cooling and infrastructure budgets 4. Creation of a Public or Private Cloud Readiness documentation 5. G-Cloud 7 approved company

We can also optimise your virtualisation environment. As we are independent, we can tell you how it should look, rather than the way you are told it should look by the Hypervisor specialist company.

Do you need to run a virtualisation project to migrate your servers to the Datacentre, we can also help there too.

Why would you NOT use the accurate and easy solution???

Email: John.Roberts@isisoftware.co.uk

Sales Helpline: 0808 145 8407

www.isisoftware.co.uk

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

PROCUREMENT  12 suppliers. Lot 4 covers the provision of brokerage and associated support services for the MoD only, while Lot 5 covers the provision of compensation claims handling and associated support services.

This agreement follows on from the first successful Insurance Services agreement (RM958). The new agreement has additional objectives, including: delivering an expanded scope of insurance classes to public sector organisations; ensuring fitness for purpose; and to be more flexible and more user friendly.

The first Insurance Services agreement produced over £10 million of savings for customers, with CCS predicting similar savings figures to be achieved in this agreement.

CCS is hosting a customer event in London on 12 May for customers wishing to learn more about using the Insurance Services II Framework Agreement. To book a place please email insurance@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Frameworks

Sponsored by

The Merchant Acquiring Services agreement has been designed to help government and public sector organisations access the services they need to accept payments by debit and credit cards and other payment method

VEHICLE TELEMATICS An important part of mature fleet management is the collection and analysis of vehicle telematics data to reduce fleet costs, support employers’ duty of care obligations, increase productivity, improve vehicle security, manage legislative compliance and reduce carbon footprints. Vehicle telematics also supports the whole life cost management of vehicles by providing live, operational data. E

Delivering powerful applications and processes to support the delivery of solutions for improvement ISI Snapshot is designed to aid executives in reducing overall data centre costs while maintaining or im‑ proving performance.

Snapshot is an agentless tool, and has been used by major corporations world‑ wide including IBM, Cisco and Thomson Reuters to name a few. It has saved customers millions of Pounds while helping them improve efficiency, prepare for the use of cloud or managed services, consol‑ idate data centres, virtualisation projects, technology updates, software license usage and vendor negotiations and manage‑ ment of remote locations and systems.

ISI Snapshot will scan and discover the current operating systems across the physical and virtual environments down to the appli‑ cation level. It provides a breakdown that is sophisticated enough to identify Linux and Windows variants including all versions of Red-HAT, Windows 7-10 and Windows Servers 2003-2008-2012, and legacy OS’s such as Windows NT-XP-Vista-2000 and dependen‑ cies both locally and in remote locations.

Over 100 reports are provided to make the data understandable and easy to use. Further analysis is available through Snapshots companion application, X-Factor.

Snapshot is 100 per cent accurate on the first attempt, why bother with those error-ridden clip board projects.

X-Factor provides an easy but powerful way to evaluate different alternatives to virtual‑ isation, such as combinations of CPU speed and number of cores, storage use, and VM density. It is designed to tell you what you need regardless of what you currently have.

X-Factor can tell you what servers are not being used but are still switched on, it can tell you what servers need to stay physical and which ones should be virtualised into your

new hosting environment and it can tell you how many VM Hosts and how much storage that you require. It allows you to quickly compare vendor proposals or see what growth capacity is needed.

X-Factor is an independent mod‑ elling platform that supports consolidation projects regardless of the virtualisation technology being evaluated (VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix, etc.) eliminating the dependency on vendor tools. Using X-Factor you can do the exact same modelling but give a more accurate mapping of what you really need. Once you have this, then you can decide what configuration is best for you.

X-Factor is a web-enabled applica‑ tion that combines the data collection capabilities of Snapshot with a series of software modules designed to analyse, model, design, plan, and document user defined server consolidation scenarios.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0808 145 8407 John.Roberts@isisoftware.co.uk isisoftware.co.uk

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

W W W. F LO W M O. C O

DRUPAL SPECIALISTS DELIVERING

Web & Mobile Applications, CMS-Driven Web-Platforms.

Builders of bespoke web-based software / Experts in the design and build of large content-managed websites / Experienced in integrated mobile application builds / Provision of data driven webservices / APIs / Open Source / G Cloud 7 and CCS suppliers.

01637 873714 S A L E S @ F L O W M O. C O @ F LO W M O C O TREVENA HOUSE, 11 TREVENA TERRACE, NEWQUAY, CORNWALL TR7 1LJ

Do you need a Managed Technology Solution to improve business efficiency?

With a 45 year technology and communications heritage, and as an approved SME supplier to G-Cloud 7 under all four lots (PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, Cloud Services), the team at Vysiion believe we can help you meet your managed technology needs.

Straddling connectivity and colocation through to intimate managed ICT support, and in both public and private sector markets, Vysiion’s experience on development and delivery is worth putting to the test.

To find out more about Vysiion solutions contact us or visit the website: Caroline.Andrewes@vysiion.co.uk or 01249 446500

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PROCUREMENT  The Vehicle Telematics agreement has been developed to help organisations manage their fleets more effectively by improving safety and efficiency through the use of telematics technology. Telematics enables fleet managers to monitor things like fuel consumption, vehicle tracking and driver behaviour, with the monitored data then available to identify ways to make significant cost reductions based on the whole life cost of vehicles.

The agreement was developed in conjunction with police, ambulance, local government and central government customers and features a range of suppliers, all of which are small and medium sized businesses.

Efficiencies and reductions in expenditure in fleet budgets will be recognised through a reduction in fuel consumption, maximising vehicle usage, reduction in accidents and a reduction in insurance premiums. Based upon the data provided from fleets who are already using vehicle telematics, CCS expects customers to be able to save £3 for every £1 invested.

The benefits of telematics for public sector organisations can be of large significance.

Vehicle tracking supports the management of risk, driver safety, work planning and vehicle usage, and can provide a potential reduction of insurance premiums. Driver safety is such a key benefit. Telematics can provide a better understanding of driver behaviour, which

will help improve safety by identifying driver training needs. There is also the potential for a reduction in fuel consumption and efficiency, changed by driver behaviour management. This can also sway possible future vehicle selection.

For vehicles which are in private user schemes, telematics can help distinguish between operational and private use to help with expenses and HMRC tax returns, while it supports duty of care and regulatory compliance, for example, tracking drivers who drive for long periods of time.

PROCESSING PAYMENTS EFFICIENTLY The Merchant Acquiring Services agreement has been designed to help government E

Frameworks

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

Sponsored by

The Vehicle Telematics agreement has been developed to help organisations manage their fleets more effectively by improving safety and efficiency through the use of telematics technology

Digital strategy, consultancy, design and development services Racoe can offer your organisation an enhanced procurement strategy ● Compliant ● Better value for money ● Only pay for implemented projects Procurement by Specialists Public bodies may have a procurement team; Racoe believes that in today’s marketplace where margins / budgets are ever tighter, maximising procurement can only be achieved by using spend specific specialist in every field.

We have the confidence to work with a client, on a no win, no fee arrangement, we apply a gain sharing model to implemented strategies.

info@Racoe.co.uk www.Racoe.co.uk 02380 000823

Formed in 2012 and based in the Cornish surfing heartland of Newquay, Flowmoco is a digital development studio with a heavyweight technical team. The company specialises in mobile applications and content-rich responsive websites for enterprise and the public sector, many with complex transactional or systems integration requirements.

Flowmoco is often asked to get involved in projects at the early concept stage. They consult through architectural analysis invariably with a commission to deliver and then support the newly engineered systems.

Repeat business across multiple projects is common with many clients. Equally happy working with marketing departments who need a technical expert on-side, or enterprise clients who want a nimble, responsive and agile team to extend their delivery capabilities.

With a fondness for Open Source

and a specialisation in Drupal, they have delivered platforms for Santander Corporate banking, Vodafone, The Royal College of Nursing, British Council and various NHS trusts.

Kevin Bath, managing director of Flowmoco, says: “In our view the flexibility and power of Drupal is unrivalled in its sector. Together with the Open Source model, this ensures that a greater portion of our client’s budget can be spent where it will really make a difference – creating a product that correctly matches their precise business requirements and use-cases.”

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01637 873714 sales@flowmo.co www.flowmo.co

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

Stratia Consulting are an approved supplier of Cyber Security services to Government, Defence and Industry.

Stratia Consulting are one of the first companies to be certified under the new CESG Cyber Security Consultancy scheme. We provide the following services: Risk Assessment ● Risk Management ● Security Architecture Security Officer ● Cyber Security ● Policy & Standards Information Assurance ● Audit Review ● Cyber Essentials Plus Cloud Security ● Research Initiatives ● ISO 27001 0800 644 0193 ● info@stratiaconsulting.com

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GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | Volume 14.3

PROCUREMENT

 and public sector organisations access the equipment and services they need to accept payments by debit and credit cards and other payment methods.

The agreement replaces the previous DVLA and GBS Merchant Acquiring contracts and aims to formalise the use of debit card, credit card and alternative payment methods, which many organisations already use and which are already secured by the financial institutions.

The agreement provides CCS and its stakeholders with the opportunity to: refresh the existing requirement for key customers, whilst also taking advantage of some market changes and new innovations; introduce and attract new/ more bidders, including SMEs, to increase

competition; increase savings opportunities both in terms of process efficiencies and a reduction in fees with much greater focus on secure transactions, delivering significant savings from reduced Interchange fees; standardise the service delivery; and complement and support growth of the CCS Merchant Acquiring Service offering.

Benefits of the new agreement include: improved pricing – reduced rates for processing payments and the hire of chip

and pin terminals, and lower set-up costs and management fees; additional discounts for all participating organisations through the aggregation of spend and transaction volumes; operational efficiencies and enhanced business processes; and it complements and supports the Government Digital Service payment platform. L FURTHER INFORMATION ccs-agreements.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Benefits of the new agreement include: improved pricing - reduced rates for processing payments and the hire of chip and pin terminals

SOFTWARE

Enabling an accelerated adoption of cloud services Fedr8’s application analysis suite is a software that accelerates digital transformation and cloud adoption by providing information that enables decisions and action to be taken that will allow you to deploy your business critical applications to cloud platforms.

Some of the benefits of using Fedr8 include a 90 per cent reduction in discovery time, a 50 per cent reduction in cost of discovery and a 50 per cent reduction in the time and cost of remediation.

As you embark on your digital transformation to become a more agile organisation, open new business opportunities, deliver better customer service or reduce the cost of application development and delivery you will need to answer some key questions. Fedr8 can answer the following questions: should

Frameworks

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

Sponsored by

I move my application to the cloud or PaaS?; can I move my application to the cloud or PaaS?; how much of the application will need to be refactored?; how much will refactoring cost?; and how much time will refactoring take?

By pinpointing the specific lines of code that generate warnings Fedr8 accelerates the remediation activity whilst also reducing technical debt within applications.

For further information, please email or telephone.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01252 912888 info@fedr8.com www.fedr8.com

Helping businesses to thrive in the age of information Stratia Consulting is a specialist cyber security consultancy with a successful track record of providing information security and assurance services to government, defence and industry.

Stratia is a founding company on the CESG Certified Cyber Security Consultancy scheme and a Gold Certification Body for the government Cyber Essentials scheme. Its founding leadership team consists of experienced and principal security consultants with a collective experience of over 50 years within the public, private and defence sectors, including at CESG, the Information Security arm of GCHQ. Complementing the delivery Stratia’s services isa passionate and highly qualified team of consultants and subject matter experts who together can collectively provide the appropriate resources to assist at strategic or tactical levels.

The company’s founding

values ensure that it remains vendor agnostic; Stratia provides pragmatic and cost effective security advice to drive or maintain a given client’s organisational objectives and a proven ability and experience of advising clients on the effective use of cloud computing solutions.

Indeed many of Stratia’s consultants are CESG Certified Professionals (CCP), ISO27001 Lead Implementers and Cyber Essential Assessors, skilled in the provision of secured deployments of Her Majesty’s Government online services.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 644 0193 andy.barber@ stratiaconsulting.com www.stratiaconsulting.com

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Products & Services

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

HMG certified cyber security consultancy

What the confirmation of the EU GDPR means

By engaging an SME company with CESG certified cyber consultancy status, such as C3IA Solutions, executives and other risk aware business leaders can access the knowledge, skills and experience to help them develop their options for investment. Very recent examples of security breaches demonstrate that cyber related risk is more complex than can be managed by organic long term security advisors, nor can it be left to the IT department alone to mitigate.

By taking a consultancy approach, the customer can be assured that risk analysis will be tailored to the needs of their organisation and that they will benefit from lessons learned and best practice from other market sectors, bringing a fresh and up to date perspective. Innovative ideas for risk management will be developed, through the holistic approach that a certified consultancy has had to demonstrate that it employs.

Perhaps most importantly, by

“With confirmation of the European GDPR by the European Parliament, organisations – both in the private and public sector – have until 2018 to implement the data security measures needed to ensure compliance.

For the public sector specifically, this requires a change in tactics without draining the taxpayer’s purse or causing unnecessary complexity and collaboration issues within government.

“There are three core components that are now vital.

Firstly, encryption is no longer an optional extra. It provides the last line of defence against would-be snoopers and all personally identifiable information (PII) should be encrypted. The second component is identity.

True data control involves knowing who has requested access to data, when, and from what geographical location to create a comprehensive audit trail; a requirement of the new

engaging a certified consultancy, the executive will benefit from the knowledge transfer that takes place as the certified consultancy acts as a customer friend.

This customer friend relationship allows the executive to have access to the advice and support that is required at a level of engagement that suits their financial and risk management needs.

For more information please visit the C3IA Solutions website, or call to speak to a consultant.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01202 721123 Info@c3iasolutions.co.uk www.c3ia.co.uk

legislation. Finally, organisations must set internal policies that specifically outline how data can be used, for example, whether data is allowed to leave the EU or whether it can be downloaded, as well as the ability to revoke access if required. Preparing for EU GDPR shouldn’t be a daunting prospect, as even basic adoption of these three elements will set them well on their way to ensuring compliance.”

For more details, please contact Rebecca Bourke or visit the website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 207-901-1293 info@covata.com www.covata.com

The efficiency of a managed technology solution

How secure are your information assets?

Is your data really safe?

Vysiion has a 45 year heritage in delivering connectivity, communication and technology solutions for the public and private sector.

The Vysiion team’s expertise is focused in four distinct areas, namely Critical Communications Infrastructure, Enterprise Solutions and Cloud, Colocation and IT Support Services. The team is able to design, implement and support a wide range of IT, Communications and Power Control solutions and deliver a comprehensive end-to-end service to the public, private, enterprise, international and UK utilities sectors.

Vysiion covers every aspect of your project life-cycle from consultation through to delivery.

As your ICT requirements evolve the service provides does too. The company is also well-established on the G-Cloud frameworks in all four lots (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Cloud Services) – putting it in the

Celerity is a specialist IT and business consultancy based in the UK, providing value added consulting, enterprise infrastructure, cloud and managed services.

With a proven record of successfully delivering IT integration and business solutions, Celerity bridges the gap between customer and IT vendors providing access to best of breed services via cloud, managed and traditional routes.

A trusted partner and approved G-Cloud 7 supplier, Celerity currently manages and secures petabytes of highly sensitive data for government, defence, health, financial and commercial organisations globally.

Celerity Intuition and Custodian services address these common issues by providing resilient, cost‑effective, managed and cloud services that remove complexity and cost of running internal services for IT service management

perfect position to help the public sector leverage new efficiencies from emerging technology.

The Vysiion Solutions team integrate fully managed ICT services, including a 24/7 ITIL underpinned service desk and complement this with strategic partnerships with preferred and recognised technology partners, ensuring Vysiion delivers the right solution for your organisation.

Vysiion wants to help you transform; leveraging the efficiencies and cost savings available from proven new and existing technologies.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01249 446500 caroline.andrewes@vysiion.co.uk www.vysiion.co.uk

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

and data management.

Celerity understands that things change. Clients’ evolving requirements are met through a structured, yet flexible approach that mitigates risk.

Having received a wealth of accolades and industry recognition for delivering exceptional results and service, Celerity provides benefit from collaborative relationships that have been developed over many years of success.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01772 542 450 www.celerity-uk.com

FIRE RETARDANT PRODUCTS

HR Prof - The eco-friendly fire retardant

Approved and tested internationally, the unique patented technology permits HR Prof to help extend the lifetime of treated wood, transforming it into a more fungal, blue stain and fire resistant substrate.

Once absorbed into the surface of the wood, HR Prof combines chemically within the cell structure, but does not form a surface finish, which allows the wood to breathe naturally. In the event of fire, carbon char is restricted to the immediate area restricting the spread of flame.

HR Prof achieves Euroclass B-s1-d0 on: Spruce, Pine, Western Red Cedar, Scotch Larch, Siberian Larch, Thermowood and Oak, on Birch plywood C-s1-d0.

HR Prof treated substrates were tested at SP Technical

Research Institute in Sweden and passed the rigorous NT 053 external use weathering tests, where fire retardant treated wood is exposed to 1000hr accelerated weathering by cycles of rain, drying, and UV light, before fire testing according to the cone calorimeter.

HR Prof is for use both internally and externally, is easy to apply by spray, brush, roller or vacuum, specified on many large projects throughout the UK, including Olympic Stadiums, schools, universities, airports, hospitals, and many other public and private buildings.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 7833 228 sales@fireretardantuk.com www.fireretardantuk.com

ASBESTOS

HEATING

Energy efficient heating and hot water systems

SuperGreen Europe Ltd offers a range of revolutionary, energy efficient, infrared heating and hot water solutions. The company’s flagship product, InfraStore – the only infrared thermal storage system in the world and finalist in the RBS Bristol Go Green Challenge - offers unprecedented performance and savings on energy bills. The unique, patented technology offers potential for completely carbon neutral heating and hot water when combined with a solar array or other renewable energy source, and each system has this ability as standard.

Real time and simulated testing has proven that an InfraStore system can provide all heating and hot water requirements for a three bedroom, two-bathroom

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house for as little as £480.00 per year. InfraStore’s incredible new government approved, intelligent, self-learning control system gives the user unrivalled monitoring capabilities (including energy usage and relative humidity) and also allows InfraStore to learn how the user likes to heat their property and adapt itself accordingly. It also monitors occupancy to reduce wasted energy use when the user is no longer present.

Due to the bespoke nature of the systems, the scope for application is huge, being able to create a system for virtually any domestic or commercial situation.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0113 252 9534 www.supergreenuk.com

TRANSPORT

Ensuring the clean delivery Reduced emissions and of asbestos removal financial benefits in a ‘Can’ Clarke’s Environmental is a licensed asbestos removal contractor with over 10 years’ experience. With offices in England and Scotland, Clarke’s provides services to both the public and private sector. Services include: asbestos removal, transport and disposal, quill blasting, and cotech solutions.

Working closely with independent UKAS accredited analysts, Clarke’s provides the complete package or one stop shop for all asbestos abatement and removal services.

The company’s clients include Blue Chip companies, local authorities, housing associations, universities, the Ministry of Defence, police authorities, prisons and many domestic and commercial customers.

Clarke’s holds various framework agreements including

NEUPC, Scotland Excel (local authorities) and for a number of large housing associations.

Clarke’s Environmental is part of HCH Holdings (established for over 90 years) which includes HCS Mechanical (commercial and domestic plumbing and heating).

Working collaboratively, HCS Mechanical Services and Clarke’s Environmental provide a unique service called Cotech Solutions. By utilising highly qualified heating engineers, boiler technicians and electricians all skilled in asbestos removal, this service enables the company to quickly and safely restore heating, water and electrical supplies where asbestos may be present.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01609 781016 Tel: 0141 883 2408 enquiries@ clarkesenvironmental.co.uk www.clarkesenvironmental.co.uk

GreenUrban provides solutions to enable a safer, purer environment which increasingly makes better business sense too.

The company’s original ecoTrap exhaust cleaned up any older diesel engine particulates (designated as a class one carcinogen by the World Health Organization) which cause ill health and early death.

GreenUrban has supplied thousands of these exhausts that continue to save the public purse £100,000’s annually in health damage cost savings from fleets.

EU exhaust emission standards mean newer Euro level diesel engines should improve the NOx issue now. In response, GreenUrban has designed a complete range of retrofit exhaust technologies addressing PM and NOx emissions.

Boasting a whole range of fleet upgrades, including safety and cost saving enhancements, designed to reduce corporate risks and Opex costs, GreenUrban

provides financial benefits in addition to emissions reduction.

Additionally, GreenUrban’s engineering capabilities can also help maintain the more sophisticated exhausts fitted to modern local government fleets, such as refuse and utility vehicles.

GreenUrban is happy to provide free no obligation support to any UK regional government body to identify opportunities to improve environmental impact and safety or reduce operational costs, for bus, truck or public utility fleets.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01768 480 111 info@greenurban.co.uk www.greenurban.co.uk

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CONFERENCE & EVENTS

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Welcome to the AJ Bell Stadium, the NorthWest’s newest hub for First Class service in sports, events, conferencing and the home of Rugby League and Rugby Union.

As the newest inspirational landmark for the City of Salford, the stadium is swiftly becoming the go-to venue for state-of-theart facilities accompanied with an unrivalled level of service and excellent value. Boasting stunning pitch-side views, accompanied with the iconic Greater Manchester skyline, the AJ Bell Stadium can guarantee an event with a lasting and memorable impression be it for two or 1,200 guests at a time.

With comfortable surroundings, excellent motorway links and an abundance of free parking on-site, the hospitality

From the moment you walk through the doors, you will be won over by the Abbey’s beauty, history and tranquillity.

Missenden prides itself on delivering outstanding customer service and strives to deliver a ‘home from home’ atmosphere. This combined with the delicious and varied catering options, ensures that you and your guests have a memorable experience.

Missenden Abbey has 22 conference rooms, ranging from small one-to-one interview rooms to a 100-seat theatre-style conference room. The Abbey understands how important the environment is for the learning experience and with this in mind, have ensured that all meeting rooms have natural daylight, air conditioning is available in five of our large meeting rooms and there is free Wi-Fi throughout to ensure you can keep in touch as and when you need.

Not only can Missenden provide

State of the art hospitality in Salford

team ensures every event is an astounding success.

Specifically designed to inspire and motivate, The AJ Bell Stadium is placing itself firmly within the heart of the Salford Community, through working with local community groups and local sporting teams we offer a full range of professional standard sporting pitches and conference and meeting facilities.

For more information, please contact the events team today via the details below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0161 786 1580 ajbellstadiumevents@ azure.uk.com www.ajbellstadium.co.uk

Offering a world class hospitality package

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

CONFERENCE & EVENTS

Hulme Hall is a perfect venue for corporate meetings and conferences with its own large private car park and four different sized rooms on one level giving ten thousand square feet in total for your sole use if you require. It can accommodate for between 30-300 delegates.

Early morning tea/coffee and breakfast or bacon rolls are available on request. It also provides mid morning tea and coffee with biscuits; a hot and cold luncheon with soft drinks; afternoon tea with homemade cakes, or simply tea/coffee and snacks.

Port sunlight village is a picturesque village located within the motorway system of the M6, M56, M53 and the A41, with beautiful buildings and gardens and many hotels within a short distance. Hulme

Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, offers two self-contained conference centres on one site, available year‑round. The College is easily accessible from major road links and also benefits from free on-site parking – a major plus for a Cambridge venue.

Buckingham House is a modern and flexible conference centre.

A registration desk is sited in the inviting Foyer, which leads to the refreshments servery, Lecture Theatre (seating 140) and Seminar Room (seating 60). Both rooms have HD projection. Sliding doors open onto an attractive outdoor deck and additional syndicate rooms are available upstairs.

The Kaetsu Centre is a light-filled, elegant building, comprising eight flexible meeting rooms and Foyer. Its Lecture Theatre seats 150 delegates and includes a range of AV equipment

the facilities and space for day delegate packages and team away days, but Missenden Abbey also has 57 bedrooms on-site to accommodate residential stays (including a delicious full English breakfast).

Missenden Abbey is located in the picturesque village of Great Missenden (former home to children’s writer Roald Dahl), that benefits from a main line train station just a short walk from the Abbey.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01494 866811 sales@missendenabbey.co.uk www.missendenabbey.co.uk

Creating a setting to meet Offering two conference each of your objectives centres in one

90

Hall prides itself on the quality of its menus, with a new chef at the helm of the service.

Hulme Hall is also available for weddings, christenings, sportsman events, charity events, dinner dances, funeral receptions, all corporate events, masonic events, ladies evenings ,prom nights and much more.

Please call of email for more information.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0151 644 8797 enquiries@hulmehall.com www.hulmehall.com

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

and theatre-style lighting.

The College has a total of 159 en suite bedrooms, singles and twins available, including 35 in Buckingham House and 12 in the Kaetsu Centre.

Freya Vaughan, marketing & events officer, said: “These two self-contained conference centres are very popular with clients wanting their own dedicated space for all aspects of their event, including registration, formal sessions, break-out activities and refreshments.“ FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01223 762267 www.murrayedwardsevents.com

TRAINING

TRAINING

Target HR and Training Ltd aims to ‘improve business performance and working lives’ through its wide range of training courses. As well as the company’s outsourced HR consultancy and HR administration services, Target HR can help you improve productivity and service quality, retain staff and reduce costs, through its comprehensive and inexpensive suite of training courses.

A member of Target HR’s qualified training team can come to your workplace and deliver tailored training to groups of all sizes. Topics include: leadership and management development, various HR and Employment Law modules, presentation skills, influencing, communication, customer care, sales, time management, performance management, stress management, team building, train the trainer and Microsoft Office.

The company also offers one to one coaching from an ILM

In today’s demanding workplace, it is important to invest in developing skills that can help unlock the full potential from your people while delivering organisational benefits.

Negotiation is a skill for life, and Red Sheet® is a proven planning tool that can help you boost results and be more effective in any negotiation. Implemented across public and private sector organisations worldwide, the Red Sheet approach combines personality, process and a repertoire of tactics that will help you stay in control and transform your negotiation capability to deliver impactful results. Highly interactive Red Sheet training events equip delegates with the skills and confidence to deliver a winning performance every time.

The Red Sheet methodology is available at two levels: Full Red Sheet for high-value, complex or team-based negotiations

How to get the best out Targeting business performance improvement of your staff

Level 7 qualified coach and is also accredited to facilitate the SDI - Emotional Intelligence model. SDI is a globally used development tool which increases self awareness and helps develop emotional intelligence. It is a great stand alone team building module, but also underpins many of the relationship based training courses above.

A full list of courses with details of content can be found on the Target HR and Training Ltd website.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +44 7533 161310 info@target-hr.co.uk www.target-hr.co.uk

or Red Sheet Lite for simple, day-to-day negotiations.

Both methodologies are also available as part of a complete online eLearning solution.

Ideally suited to sales, procurement, HR or finance teams and internal negotiators, Red Sheet training courses can be tailored or delivered to a mixed group to maximise cross-functional sharing and interaction.

Red Sheet is part of Positive Purchasing, a specialist training and consultancy business focused on transforming procurement capability worldwide.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0845 331 3312 www.redsheetnegotiation.com

TRAINING

TRAINING

Counter fraud and investigation training

Offering a complete and valuable service

RNA Training is the leading provider of accredited counter fraud training. The compnay’s director, Robert Naylor, started the company in 1995 and has gained a reputation for delivering effective investigation training to many customers in both the public and private sectors.

Chalk and talk is not what RNA Training does - it creates exciting learning programmes which involve learners. RNA Training is the preferred supplier

by Civil Service Learning (CSL) through Capita to design and deliver fraud skills for benefit fraud investigators and managers for the DWP. This includes the delivery of Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist Training and training for investigation managers.

The company’s Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist Programme (ACFS) is approved by the Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board (CFPAB) of the University of Portsmouth.

People are our most valuable assets. Often spoken but seldom adhered too when at the coalface of reactive work pressures and the reality of client and colleague demands.

Revera understands the pressures of the changing workplace and works with you to identify your specific needs.

Most importantly, the company has partnered with organisations in public and private sector environments, understanding best practice within each, and the realistic need for working flexibly within regulatory frameworks as well as the challenge of trying to motivate people when resources are limited.

Revera prides itself on understanding the real business challenges facing companies, universities and charities when trying to attract, develop and retain top talent. With 20 years’ experience working within public sector bodies and universities; Revera understands

Delegates successfully completing its 14 day programme achieve the ACFS award worth 40 Level 4 Credits on the National Qualifications Framework.

The ACFS qualification is the recognised benchmark for counter fraud in the wider fraud community. The delegate course fee of £1,950 plus VAT offers exceptional value for money.

For more information, call Lilian Buchanan via the contact details below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Lilian Buchanan: 07831 516538 www.rna-training.co.uk Naylor & Osborn Ltd T/A RNA Training, 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU Office Tel: 0207 608 5124

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the politics and leadership challenges in these environments, coupled with nearly ten years’ experience in the charity sector aiding with restructures, relocation and redundancies.

For its partners, the company has designed and implemented training strategies, delivered training events and team sessions to refocus the minds and the talents of the team members.

Revera provides the best solutions for you in terms of talent management and development, allowing businesses to concentrate on being able to declare with pride that people are their most valuable assets.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07989 302750 www.revera-consulting.co.uk

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Products & Services

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Enabling managers and staff to fulfil objectives

ActusTM Performance Management Software is designed to revolutionise the annual appraisal cycle and create year round conversations that are meaningful and engaging.

By encouraging employee engagement through setting achievable objectives, ActusTM helps you to increase focus and productivity. Easy to use and highly cost effective, the software is securely hosted in the UK Cloud and quickly available via G-cloud or Digital Market place, created by the Crown Commerical Service.

The ActusTM software encourages better quality conversations all year round, not just at appraisal. This saves HR valuable time administering staff appraisals and development, freeing them up to focus on developing and retaining talent. Government professionals value the way the system encourages staff to take ownership of documenting

performance appraisal and development actions.

This supports a culture of more regular, open discussion about performance and development, removing the need for lengthy annual appraisals by allowing employees to have quality discussions with their managers throughout the year.

The software is designed and owned by culture change experts Advance Change who offer full support and training. ActusTM is completely configurable, meaning that it can very simply fit the needs of your organisation.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01582 793 053 www.actus.co.uk

Experience 45 years of dedication

Starting as Tayside Security, Tayside Group has always made its goal to offer highly efficient and effective security services.

It is the longest established independent security company in the East of Scotland, celebrating it’s 45th year in business in 2014.

Dedicated to ensuring your peace of mind at all times, it makes it easy for you to enjoy thorough security. Over the years since Tayside’s establishment, it has offered security to a wide range of local councils, NHS trusts and businesses, including wind farms and maritime operations.

It now offers a complete facilities management service for the public and commercial sector bringing its efficiency and expertise for

PROCUREMENT

PROCUREMENT

ProcureMe provides a wide range of procurement services to the public and private sectors. The company’s unique selling point is that it adds value and reduces risk in every procurement project it undertakes.

This approach has led to clients and employing organisations saving millions of pounds and significantly reducing risks to their organisations.

ProcureMe has direct experience of managing procurement functions within the further and higher education and social housing sectors, transforming results, strategy, compliance and perception.

Procurement based fraud and corruption is not something people like to admit to, but it is unfortunately more common than you would think.

ProcureMe has experience in investigating and eradicating fraud within organisations and can provide totally confidential

The latest EU procurement legislation is intended to change the procurement landscape across the whole of Europe. The UK implementation will also add additional requirements that must be applied by all UK public sector organisations.

But how can organisations make sure they’re ready?

The focus is on opening up competition and delivering better value. However, the directives also mandate a range of specific process requirements leading to achieving ‘full electronic procurement’ by October 2017.

The regulations introduce new types of process, set targets for timescale reductions, define key stages to increase competition and outline sanctions for non-compliance. eProcurement specialist Nextenders think that the changes are actually an

ProcureMe - adding value and reducing risk

92

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

support in this area.

Professional Procurement is a resource some organisations feel they cannot afford. ProcureMe can provide support for an individual project, or on a more regular and retained basis.

Public sector organisations of all sizes have a duty to demonstrate VFM, and compliance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015. ProcureMe can ensure you do this in a cost effective way.

Cost reductions of 85 per cent in the provision of services and goods aren’t unknown and demonstrate the potential for increasing your delivery during times of reduced budgets and resources.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 07500 736830 www.procureme.co.uk

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

all your facility management needs, from cleaning to maintenance and much more.

Effective management support is an essential ingredient of every security contract, whatever its size or scope. With all of its services combined together with one port of call, it’s even easier for you to enjoy total peace of mind.

From utilities to general cleaning to dedicated manned security, Tayside Group offers it all. Visit the company website or call today and take the first step towards a more efficient facilities management.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01382 730166 www.taysidegroup.co.uk

Meeting the challenges of the EU Public Procurement Regulations

opportunity to make step changes in UK public procurement.

Nexprocure, their next-generation eprocurement platform, is data-centric, workflow-based and automates key elements of the procurement process.

Alongside the ability to embed the new procedures in your procurement process, it saves time and increases the ability to monitor, manage and measure compliance and performance.

You can find Nextenders on G-Cloud, or contact the company via the details below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0203 740 2260 www.nextenders.co.uk

RECRUITMENT

ASBESTOS

TempBuddy’s awardwinning SaaS software offers real-time deployment, rostering and visibility of your contingent workforce allowing you to drive efficiencies, monitor spend and mitigate risk.

Whether you manage your temporary workforce internally or outsource to a recruiting specialist, TempBuddy can help you get the best workers to the right place at the right time, paid promptly and accurately using smart mobile technology.

TempBuddy’s intuitive workforce platform, developed specifically to cater for the demands of the contingency market, is linked to a mobile worker app facilitating realtime data exchange. You will benefit from knowledge of the best available talent, ease and speed to deploy workers, optimum fill rates and improved worker retention.

Addison Green Limited is a licensed asbestos removal contractor with vast experience in delivering bespoke solutions to clients with issues arising from asbestos.

Working closely with each individual client, its management team has established good working relationships with a number of longstanding clients and aims to continue to consistently provide a high standard of work from all aspects of the business.

The company’s ever-growing client base means it now employs more than five teams of asbestos removal operatives, fully experienced in a wide range of asbestos removal projects, all of which are overseen by fully qualified site supervisors.

Addison Green Limited’s three year asbestos license enables it to remove both licensed and unlicensed asbestos materials in commercial and domestic properties.

Refreshing the temporary recruitment procedure

Risk is mitigated through compliance management, whilst biometric, geo-targetted verification of your casual, temporary and contract workforce enhances security.

Time capture is fully automated removing the need for paper timesheets and the risk of human error, with simple integration to your pay and bill system.

The company’s vision is to make flexible work easier and more rewarding. TempBuddy invites you to take an on-line product demo, so you can see for yourself the benefits and efficiencies the intuitive software delivers.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0203 627 6323 info@tempbuddy.com www.tempbuddy.com

Affordable and reliable asbestos solutions

Working throughout the UK, Addison Green Limited can assure you with bespoke advice to ensure that both best practice and cost efficiency are achieved on every site which that is worked on.

Addison Green Limited specialises in: commercial; housing; local authorities; universities; colleges and schools; and retail sectors.

Services include: HSE approved removal; asbestos management and consultancy; and asbestos waste collection and disposal by the Environment Agency.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01430 803 045 www.addisongreen.co.uk

FLOOD PREVENTION

FLOOD PREVENTION

Specialist water-resistant and water proof clothing

YGGS - Who else can move the earth for you?

AJ Group is a company with traditions,which has been in the market for 15 years. It is a worldwide leader in the production of waterproof clothing, creating professional high quality products in each production step.

AJ Group has a long record of designing and producing waterproof garments, thigh and waist waders. It only uses developed quality fabrics, developed by the company, such as Plavitex.

It offers a range of different fabrics, ensuring the right product for the right client. The products are used wherever protection against rain and bad weather conditions is required.

Products are also ideal in flood conditions when the priority is to protect and save human life, health and property. Thigh and waist waders work well in such conditions, to guarantee dry feet and also a dry body.

To ensure increased safety these

YGGS LTD is a Nationwide Earth Retention Contractor which specialises in Gabion and Land Reinforcement services. Each project is specifically designed to ensure that it is built to last the test of time, and the harshest of weather conditions.

YGGS employs specialised soil retention techniques to provide effective flood defence structures.

YGGS Ltd. was formed by Craig Douglas, after working in construction for over 15 years. With the experienced he has gained, Craig set up the company with the aim of providing a comprehensive range of groundwork solutions, both commercial and residential, for small and large scale groundwork projects. The projects incorporate a range of earth stabilisation services, from soil erosion protection and coastal

products are also available with a metal toecap and midsole which are irreplaceable where protection from water is not the only need.

AJ Groups can provide an instant response to your request.

It can quickly respond to customer’s queries and orders.

This is possible because it maintains an extensive inventory which it regularly updates.

The company’s highest priority is client satisfaction and aims to deliver ordered products within 24 hours.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: +48 510 146 430 info@ajgroup.pl ajgroup.pl/en/

Products & Services

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reinforcement, to embankments and slope reinforcement.

YGGS LTD is a Nationwide Earth Retention Contractor specialising in all aspects of Gabion Walling, Crib Walling, Earth Folding, RECo Panelling and similar installations.

From start to finish, YGGS LTD can manage your project to ensure that the job is completed to your satisfaction; the company is dedicated to completing jobs safely and to a very high standard.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01422 416344 yggsltd@hotmail.com www.groundworkandgabions. co.uk

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Advertisers Index

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Addison Green

93

Green Urban Technologies

Advance Change

92

Herschel Infrared

AJ Bell Stadium

90

High Peak Scaffolding

AJJ SP.Z.O.O

93

Alliance Group Solutions

Revera Consulting

91

RKE Group

44

52

RNA Training

91

Hillblock BV

42

Scorpion Safety

56

36

Hotel Football Old Trafford

64

Seat

ASE Corporate Eyecare

54

HSS Hire Services

80

Secured by Design

Ashmolean Museum

60

Hulme Hall

90

SKS 46

Assa Abloy

34

IBS Engineered Products

38

Smart planes Steinbeis Papier

IBC

C3IA Solutions

80, 88

IMS Access

54

Celerity

88, 81

ISI Software

82, 83

Stratia Consulting

4 30 50 8 86, 87

CFH Docmail

18

ISS Mediclean

26

Strengths 22

CHAS 2013

56

iStorage 72

Supergreen 89

Cherith Simmons Learning

22

Johnson and Starley

Target HR

Christ Church

60

Keltbray 10

Tayside Group

CKL 56

Land & water

42

The Bridgewater

64

Clarke Environmental

89

Leasowe Castle

68

The Cartwright group

18

Conference Oxford

60

Magna tech LED

29

The Foresight Centre

68

Continuity West

46

Metasphere 41

The ISLA Gladstone

68

Miles Group

40

The training foundation

24

90

The Venue at the

68

Turner and Townsend

54

Covata

78, 88

35

91 48, 92

Crocodile Flood Solutions

43

Missenden Abbey

Culham Science Centre

62

Mitsubishi

Devere Venues

62

Murphy Surveys

50

UBM Information

6

Murray Edwards

90

University of Bath

24

Dyrhoff 45

Netzsch Pumps & Systems

38

University of Cumbria

62

Eclectic Hotels Collection

Nextenders

92

University of Sunderland

62

Edina 14

PAL Software

57

Vertex Modelling

50

Elephant Kiosks

24

Pembroke College

60

Vysiion

Energy & Utilities Alliance

20

Pendulum Hotel

64

Wide Horizons

46

Envirox Energy

12

Positive Purchasing

91

Wilo

28

Precolour Tank Division

44

Worcester, Bosch Group

35

92

YGGS 93

DMC Group

Fedr8

64

86, 87

IFC, 3

76, 77

84, 88

Finders International Probate

75

Procure Me

Fireretardant

89

Progarm 56

YHN Business Services

32

Flood Haven

40

Quarry One Eleven

Your Total Coach

22

Flowmoco

84, 85

Ford 16

94

89

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE | Volume 23.3

50

Racoe 85 Renault

BC

Ziferblat 66

FROM £31,749 - £42,999 Including £2,500 Government Plug-in Car Grant

7

WITH A 5 YEAR WARRANTY

8

1. Official EU MPG test figure shown as a guide for comparative purposes and is based on the vehicle being charged from mains electricity. This may not reflect real driving results. 2. Up to 32 mile EV range achieved with full battery charge. 541 miles achieved with combined full battery and petrol tank. Actual range will vary depending on driving style and road conditions.

3. Domestic plug charge: 5 hours, 16 Amp home charge point: 3.5 hours, 80% rapid charge: 30mins. 4. Government subsidised charge points are available from a number of suppliers for a small fee - ask your dealer for more information. 5. Congestion Charge application required, subject to administrative fee. 6. 7% BIK compared to the average rate of 25%. 7% BIK rate for the 2016/17 tax year. 7. Prices shown include the Government Plug-in Car Grant and VAT (at 20%), but exclude First Registration Fee. Model shown is an Outlander PHEV GX4hs at £38,499 including the Government Plug-in Car Grant. On The Road prices range from £31,804 to £43,054 and include VED, First Registration Fee and the Government Plug-in Car Grant. Metallic/pearlescent paint extra.

Prices correct at time of going to print. For more information about the Government Plug-in Car Grant please visit www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants. The Government Plug-in Car Grant is subject to change at any time, without prior notice. 8. All new Outlander PHEV variants come with a 5 year/62,500 mile warranty (whichever occurs first) and an 8 year/100,000 mile traction battery warranty.

Outlander PHEV range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Full Battery Charge: no fuel used, Depleted Battery Charge: 51.4mpg (5.5), Weighted Average: 156.9mpg (1.8), CO2 emissions: 42 g/km.

All-New

Renault MEGANE GT Feel the drive

4CONTROL – 4 Wheel Steering Technology Launch Control & Multi-Change Downshift 8.7” Touchscreen Multimedia System with Satellite Navigation

To book your test drive, call the Renault Business Hub on 0800 731 7066 today.

The official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the All-New Renault Mégane GT: Urban 36.2 (7.8); Extra Urban 57.7 (4.9); Combined 47.1 (6.0). The official CO2 emissions are 134g/km. EU Directive Regulation 692/2008 test environment figures. Fuel consumption and CO2 may vary according to driving styles, road conditions and other factors.