Government and Business Services
We work closely with public sector organisations to deliver long-term, high-value contracts. It's an important and rapidly-growing part of our business.
Government and Business Services (GBS) provide design, management and business process outsourcing services to local authorities, education authorities, national government and private companies. We have over 4,800 staff working across the country and in 2007/08 delivered £267 million revenue.
We are responsible for delivering a series of large-scale, multi-functional and long-term partnerships with local authorities up and down the country, including in Liverpool, Oldham, Bath, Lincolnshire, Rochdale, Milton Keynes and Middlesbrough. Each involves a different balance and range of services, but typically includes transformation, property, ICT, corporate services such as finance and HR/payroll, highways, customer services, and revenues and benefits. Many of our contracts are ground breaking and are industry recognised and have received awards and commendations from the likes of the Audit Commission, Trade Journals and 4Ps.
We also transform teaching and learning environments through our work with local government in the City Academy and Building Schools for the Future programmes by combining our expertise in property, educational services, ICT and programme management.
Property
We currently manage thousands of public buildings such as schools, libraries and adult care homes on behalf of local authorities and public agencies, helping them to reduce costs and focus their energy on improving service quality. Combined, this public-sector portfolio is worth around £12 billion.
We combine the client focus and innovation you'd expect from the private sector with a real understanding of the everyday challenges facing the users of public services. Managed services contracts, typically lasting between three and 25 years, make up a large proportion of our projects in this sector.
Business outsourcing
The acquisition of HBS, a leading provider of business-process outsourcing services has not only added 3,000 people to the team, but has also given us a whole new range of capabilities - including ICT support, contact-centre management, payroll management and pensions administration.
Housing
We provide a full range of housing management services on behalf of local authorities, housing associations and government agencies.
Our portfolio in this area is extremely diverse and nowhere is this more apparent than our work with Hackney Council - where our activities have touched the lives of 12,000 tenants.
Collaborating with the community, local authorities and police, we've carried out several successful regeneration initiatives in the borough. For instance, we turned a disused launderette (and notorious crack house) into a highly successful mother and toddler centre. We've also been involved in rent collection, tenant liaison, estate visits and tackling antisocial behaviour.