Apprenticeship Levy Best Practice

4 examples from BSA Member Corndel of Apprenticeship Levy best practice:

Adecco have started 30 of their furloughed staff on apprenticeship training programmes to prepare them for their return to work post-Covid-19. These apprenticeship programmes have been specifically adapted and personalised to support furloughed Adecco staff at this difficult time. [Read More].

80 apprentices from 36 organisations attended the online webinar last week: Building Connectivity and Trust in a Virtual World. This webinar had been built specifically to help apprentices to adapt to the new circumstances that learners find themselves in. Apprentices were able to submit questions which were answered live by an expert panel. The next webinar in the series has already had 120 apprentices sign up. [Read More]

All UK employers and apprentices are now able to access a dedicated bank of resources on home working, remote management, workplace well-being and resilience. They are available publicly here.

Employers and apprentices are now able to undertake the new Dev Ops Apprenticeships remotely. Dev Ops will be a critical skill set in the post-Corona economy. Corndel has adapted our Dev Ops apprenticeship so that it can be entirely delivered remotely during this health crisis. [Read More]

BSA Letter to Cabinet Office on Coronavirus and contract management

The BSA has written to Clare Gibbs OBE, Director, Outsourcing Programme, Cabinet Office, to discuss Coronavirus and contract management.

The BSA has raised the industry response to the virus; what more it can do to help; and, in particular, the issue of the virus in relation to existing public sector contracts.

We will update members with any developments regarding this.

 

BSA Policy Discussion Paper: Improving public procurement for SMEs and VCSEs

The Business Services Association has produced a discussion paper on the subject of government spending with SMEs and VCSEs. The paper explores the ways in which the Government can both continue and expand upon their support for SMEs and VCSEs via government procurement, beginning by looking at existing barriers in current practice. It also contains recommendations following discussions with BSA VCSE and SME members.

Read the full discussion paper here.

 

BSA Letter to the Chancellor ahead of Budget 2020

The BSA has made its submission ahead of the March Budget 2020. The submission calls for a series of reforms in public procurement and continued investment in the country’s physical and digital infrastructure, as well as looking at the business environment.

Read the full submission here.

BSA submission to independent HS2 review

The BSA has submitted its response to the Oakervee review in which it emphasises the benefits of continued investment in infrastructure and the importance of rebalancing the UK economy.

The BSA has long made the case for continued efforts to upgrade, extend and modernise the UK’s physical and digital infrastructure. HS2 forms a vital part of this. It represents significant commitment and investment in a modern Britain, not only in improving connectivity but also in enabling a rebalancing of the UK economy and securing the future of the construction and infrastructure sector.

We believe HS2 will bring about significant investment in local economies and help to drive truly inclusive growth, particularly in the North of England and the Midlands.

You can read the full submission here.

Case Study: Bouygues Energies & Services and Kent County Council

In 2015 Bouygues Energies & Services (BYES) partnered with Kent County Council (KCC) to reduce street lighting energy consumption.

The council wanted to reduce consumption by at least 60% whilst maintaining lighting standards in accordance with BS5489:2013.

This case study demonstrates that by working in partnership our members and county councils can share in innovation and deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and costs.

You can read the full case study here.

BSA comment on latest IfG Report

The BSA has made the following statement in response to the Institute for Government’s latest report entitled ‘Government outsourcing: what’s has worked and what needs reform?‘:

‘We welcome this important contribution to the ongoing work on how to provide the most efficient and innovative partnership between the private, voluntary and public sectors in the delivery of public services. Much we agree with, some things we do not.

Much work, kicked off by the BSA commissioned report by Professor Gary Sturgess’s Just Another Paperclip, has been done by the Cabinet Office and suppliers in recent years, including the introduction of the ‘Playbook’, to improve procurement and delivery. However there is much more still to do, particularly around risk transfer.

This IfG report is a welcome contribution to that work’

Guest post from Martin Traynor OBE, Small Business Crown Representative

Martin Traynor OBE was appointed Small Business Crown Representative at the start of 2019. In this blog he explains what he has discovered in his first six months in the role and his priorities for the future.

What is the role of the Small Business Crown Representative?

In my role as Small Business Crown Representative I have been asked to lead on the overall relationship between the government and small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), advise ministers on the government’s engagement with them, and to identify the barriers they face when working with government.

The UK government buys a wide range of goods and services from businesses right across the country. This ranges from major rail and road projects, through to fresh food and specialised services to help people find work. Of course it is a big buyer of many of the services that BSA members provide.

Continue reading “Guest post from Martin Traynor OBE, Small Business Crown Representative”

BSA letter to the Chancellor ahead of the one-year Spending Round

The BSA has submitted its letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of the one-year Spending Round.

The Spending Round will be delivered on Wednesday 4 September 2019.

The submission calls for the continued engagement with business from government, welcomes the Chancellor’s recent comments on encouraging enterprise and investment, discusses the government’s work on skills training and increasing social value in government procurement, and requests a clear commitment from government to invest in public buildings and infrastructure.

Read the full submission here.

 

Case Study: Sodexo partnership with University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust

The relationship between Sodexo and the University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) began in 2007, when the former was appointed as the PFI FM provider to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust. This later merged with the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust to form UHNM in 2014.

 

The partnership has since received an NHS Sustainability Award in 2017 as well as external recognition, winning ‘Partners in Healthcare’ at the PFM Awards in 2017 and both ‘Supplier of the Year’ and ‘Partnership of the Year’ at the HSJ Awards in 2018.

 

This case study demonstrates the benefits of investing in partnership working and the positive outcomes it can have for all parties involved.

 

Read the full case study here.

 

 

This series of case studies is designed to highlight the positive contributions made by the business services sector 
across a range of industries.

If you have any queries regarding the BSA's work, or would like to share a case study of your own, please contact bsa@bsa-org.com