Collective efforts of local councils have helped the UK steer the course of the global pandemic. But each initiative introduced to help each other will incur financial consequences in the coming months and years.

“We are seeing significant losses to our income – for example, from leisure centres – as well as increased demands and costs for some services, such as housing.” Cambridge Council

Drops in local taxation, such as business rates and reductions in revenues like town centre parking, will impact budgets for 2021. In combination with new support, this could cause cash-flow problems. And it may lead to cuts, putting vital services at risk and threatening long-term sustainability.

But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. There are stories of council success we can take inspiration from. Therefore, by making a few changes, build for a brighter future.

By evolving your workforce

One of the most important ways local councils are navigating future budget challenges is by looking at how their workforce operates. Every industry in the UK has had to adapt to new agile and remote ways of working. And they’re finding that there is a long-term opportunity for both reduced costs and increased growth and productivity.

To position yourself for success, you must make meaningful investments in your technology and processes to support your people and better manage your budgets.

By increasing business resilience

Hindsight is 20-20 but imagine if you could have predicted this years’ events. You would have put things in place to prepare. You would ensure you could react and adapt quickly to change and capitalise on each new opportunity.

Well, we’re still working in uncertain times. And now we know the importance of creating business resilience, we need to put it into practice. Look at how your local council can embrace technology and software to provide greater insight and flexibility – and respond more effectively to demand and market factors.

By looking after your people

Creating a more agile workforce and increasing business resilience could lead to significant cost-savings over time. It will protect services and staff and ensure your council can maximise delivery.

But perhaps most importantly of all, it lays the foundations for you to better look after your people. You will create a more productive and positive environment that not only empowers their ability to do their jobs but also supports their mental health and wellbeing.

Local councils are collaborating with Ricoh to ensure future success

Working with a partner can be a fantastic option to hit the ground running in 2021. Here are some of the inspirational success stories that have enabled local councils to increase revenue, sustainability, and financial returns.

Camden Council

Camden Council has put in place a Smarter Working Programme to improve community service delivery. A key part of the programme is a Ricoh Business Process Service that is helping the council reduce costs, increase business process agility and make services more efficient and effective.

Read case study

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, with our digital strategy and Ricoh services in place. The council was functioning and working remotely. Staff used MailSmart from home to send letters, knowing they would be delivered. This is exactly what agile working means – doing things in the right way, measuring performance, and delivering value for money.”

Ros Daniel

Creative Services Manager, London Borough of Camden

Coventry City Council

Ricoh Smart Locker

Coventry City Council was about to deploy Ricoh Smart Locker as part of its initiative to develop a more agile workforce. But when the Coronavirus crisis hit the UK, it instead transformed the Ricoh solution into a critical tool for protecting staff and ensuring business continuity.

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“The Ricoh Smart Locker solution has become critical to protecting the Coventry City Council workforce and enabling it to deliver essential services to the community. Without it, I doubt whether we could have implemented such effective social distancing measures as we have done.”

Gary Griffiths

ICT Engagement Lead, Coventry City Council

Ricoh RansomCare

Coventry City Council was concerned about the growing threat of ransomware attacks. Lockdown sharpened focus on the risk since good security practice was difficult to apply on staff working from home. To ensure the best defence, the council decided to deploy Ricoh’s RansomCare solution.

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“Ricoh’s RansomCare solution is an insurance policy. If we didn’t do this and had an attack, we’d have to justify why, for the cost of the solution, we could have prevented months of system lock down and millions spent repairing data.”

Gary Griffiths

ICT Engagement Lead, Coventry City Council

Conwy County Borough Council

When Conwy County Borough Council launched a modernisation programme, one area that needed addressing was its inefficient print facilities. Therefore, through a national framework agreement, the council selected Ricoh as its improvement partner. The print estate has since been cut by 70% while still improving the service. More efficient business processes are being adopted and the council is starting to see significant cost savings.

Read case study

“Ricoh’s solution is more than just printing. It’s about rationalising resources, using technology to improve processes and help staff to be more efficient and agile, and ultimately filtering those improvements through to the services Conwy County Borough Council provides to the community.”

Brian Laing

Corporate Project Manager Information Technology and Digital Transformation, Conwy County Borough Council

Get in touch with Ricoh today and we’ll discuss how can meet your local needs

Ricoh has years of industry experience in collaborating with its partners to deliver solutions tailored to their business’ needs.

We adopt a people-first approach. That not only enables your entire organisation to adopt and adapt to new technologies and solutions. But also empowers the individuals who make up your teams to achieve their best work.

The post Learn how local councils are navigating future budget challenges appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

By using the right framework agreement you can ensure you find the perfect office products and services for your business from pre-approved suppliers to improve purchasing.

Going out to tender is a time consuming and complex process. But there is a way to make it much simpler. By researching existing framework agreements and identifying one that is right for your business, you can save both time and money. Especially when it comes to managing your office supplies and services such as printing, document disposal and distribution.

In this article, we’ll recap on what a framework agreement is, how to know which one is best for your business to improve purchasing, and why you should consider registering for a managed service.

What is a framework agreement?

Framework agreements set out the terms – including price, quality and quantity – under which individual contracts can be awarded from pre-approved suppliers.

These contracts give you the flexibility to gain what you need under pre-negotiated conditions which are then tailored to your organisation.

In turn, this leads to greater efficiency between identifying what you need and then fulfilling it, greater savings when suppliers offer more competitive prices, and greater stability throughout the process of procurement.

Which framework is right for my industry?

It’s a great question, and possibly the most important one of the entire process. There are a lot of choices out there and you need to find one that is right for your business – and one that is also secure and reliable.

Once your framework is tendered and awarded, there is a little that can be done to change the agreed terms. So, make sure you involve your procurement department throughout and assure that you choose a framework agreement that is credible.

Why should I register for a managed service?

A managed service framework agreement procures everything your organisation needs for the management of office supplies, printing, document disposal and mailroom services.

These services form an integral part of multiple business-critical processes. Working with a partner to source them for your business in a way that is both efficient and effective can have far-reaching benefits for both you and your people.

What framework agreements are Ricoh members of?

Ricoh is currently a member of a number of framework agreements. And a lot of work goes into making sure they are only partnered with the right kind. Their focus is on developing strong relationships with Framework Managers to build loyalty and trust, with an objective to improve purchasing.

Here is a list of current members, and you can find more detail here:

• Birmingham City Council
• Buy for Good
• Central Buying Consortium (CBC)
• Crown Commercial Service (CCS)
• Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC)
• London Procurement Partnership (LPP)
• Northern Ireland Education Authority
• National Procurement Service – Welsh Government
• Procurement for Housing (PfH)
• Procurement Scotland
• 2Buy2.com
• YPO

Countess of Chester framework agreement

Ricoh is now also proud to be recognised as an approved supplier on the Countess of Chester framework.

This enables Ricoh to offer public sector authorities access to products and services which achieve the best value and remain compliant with procurement regulations.

Let us handle the management and delivery of your office supplies, printing, document disposal and mailroom services.

Register for a managed service here

Need more guidance? Bring in the experts

Ricoh’s Consultancy Services team are focused on working alongside organisations to unlock the potential of their teams and workplaces.

Our experts are truly passionate about what they do. We offer bespoke services to create processes that inspire your people and improve your business. That includes helping you find the right solution specification for your individual business needs. So you can then use this as a baseline design to call for competitive offerings under a framework.

Contact us today

If you would like to find out more about how we improve workplaces, using innovative technologies and services that enable people to work harder, please check out this guide.

Otherwise, click here to read more insights on outsourcing different business functions.

The post What is a framework agreement? appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.