Since its launch in 2001, Capita Symonds’ ten-year
strategic partnership with Cumbria County Council has led to the
creation of 616 new jobs and has resulted in Best Value savings to
the Council of £9.5m.
These are the findings of a Value for Money
Report published for Council Members by Capita Symonds in July 2008
(updated July 2009).
Overall, the added value to the Council from
the partnership is projected to be at least £45m - made up of £7.5m
capital receipts, £19m best value savings (including risk
transfer), £8m fee savings and £11m investment into local economy.
In addition, the increase in direct value to the local economy from
new Capita Symonds employees is now £10m per year.
Key business achievements over the
first eight years of the partnership include:
- A new £6m Regional Business Centre at Kingmoor Business Park,
Carlisle – designed, engineered and project managed, and now
occupied, by Capita Symonds
- 616 new jobs created
- Best Value savings of £9.5m (> £2m above target) to
date
- Best Value savings over the length of the partnership projected
at c. £19m
- £7m investment
- New consultancies established in planning, heritage management,
IT & energy
- A new off-site ‘Revenues & Benefits’ administration
centre
- Turnover of Business Centre more than doubled to £33m per
year
- Recognition from Audit Commission of value of the strategic
partnership
- Savings and income from improved inspection of utility company
road openings
- Procurement savings through innovative procurement embracing
‘Rethinking Construction’
- Efficiency through improved use of technology
- Substantial savings in fee rates compared to national benchmark
figures (c. £9m)
- Disaster Recovery – played a key role in supporting the
Council’s responses to the Foot & Mouth crisis (2001), flooding
in Carlisle (2005) and the Grayrigg train derailment (2007)
The partnership
has also made a significant investment in its people, resulting in
high level of training and very low levels of sickness absence. Key
highlights include:
- Becoming the first UK
consultancy to achieve Investors in People ‘Leadership &
Management’ and ‘Work Life Balance’ modules in 2005, and has since
added the ‘People Management & Development’ module (2008)
- Becoming only the fifth private company in the UK to achieved
the Chartermark national standard for excellence in customer
service (2007)
- Achieving Lloyds Register Quality Assurance for BS EN ISO 9001:
Quality Management, BS EN ISO 14001: Environmental Management and
BS EN ISO 18001: Occupational Health & Safety Management
- Establishing Approved RICS, ICE, IHIE and CIBSE trainee and
graduate programmes for staff – over 60 staff currently
involved
- Establishing ‘BusinessWise’ – a two year programme to develop
key business skills in graduates delivered jointly by Capita
Symonds and the University of Salford
- Launching ‘evolve’ – a leadership development programme
accredited with the Chartered Management Institute and ‘aspire’ – a
programme to development staff with management potential
- Launching ‘Skills Centre’ – a development scheme focussed to
support staff who wish to develop their technical skills