The Full News Archive from SalesLeap

There is always something happening in the world of public sector procurement. A few of such items that you may find of interest…..

How Time Makes Targets Unachievable

08 Jan 2018

Beware when you set out on the journey of sales in 2018 as our 2017 research and supporting workshops into a LeanSales fundamental showed, working on the relationship between available time and productive available time is an area of sales and sales management that has the single biggest impact in targets being achievable or not.

Our research has shown that typically only 28% of perceived available selling time is potentially active selling time. Of that due to working within inefficient systems and processes, productive selling time is reduced to a level that often renders sales targets totally inappropriate. Or put another way, our work shows that when implementing some of the simplest LeanSales techniques sales people are able to achieve a sustained uplift in their sales performance that is staggering. Reported successes include:

• An uplift in quote to close from 40% to 74%
• Year on year increase in sales volume of 79%
• Increase in sales pipeline velocity of 22%

During 2018 SalesLeap will be providing a series of workshops on LeanSales fundamentals along with offers of consulting packages. Ensure you are on our mailing list to receive early information on these and further invitations and updates.

York University Commission Another Training Day

14 Oct 2017

With demand so high for Universities to find new ways to improve their commercial position many are realising just how much of an impact tenders can provide.
With our partner, The Training Gateway at York University, SalesLeap are pleased to announce another date has been added to our ongoing programme of support for the UK education sector.

January 23rd 2018. Euston London. A full day and highly interactive workshop where leaders in the commercial growth of Universities from across the UK come together to understand just how tenders work and how they can make full use of this route to market.

With previous delegates being quoted as saying: “A big impact. Has provided the knowledge to re-evaluate how my organisation tenders. An excellent event with an engaging speaker” and “Hugely informative ~ moving into large scale bids this was invaluable. Has provided more awareness to secure future business.” Isn’t this a day you simply cannot afford to miss?

Cartel Screening Tool Goes Live

20 Aug 2017

A 30% uplift in pricing is thought to be impact on supply chains when cartels operate, the challenge is spotting them.

Together with Spend Network, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has developed a ‘Screening for Cartels’ tool to help procurers screen their tender data for signs of cartel behaviour. Cartels are where suppliers work together to avoid competing for customers or contracts. One way they do that is to ‘fix’ tenders for contracts by agreeing what each bidder will bid.

Whilst the tool will not prove the existence of a cartel, it does help to identify suspicious signs that flag the need for further review.

Along with wider support in spotting cartels the tool is available through the CMA portal on gov.uk or through the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-for-cartels-tool-for-procurers/about-the-cartel-screening-tool#sharing-suspicious-results-with-the-cma

Brexit Impacts on UK Tendering?

18 Jul 2017

The great unknown for those of us involved in selling to the public sector and using tenders as route to these markets as the UK starts its journey towards exiting from the EU is how, if at all, will the current Uk legislation change going forward?

Of course things are far from clear as negotiations start and The Great Repeal Bill takes shape but worth considering is that on balance the way in which the UK manages its public procurement largely works well. It does provide for competition, it does provide for a wider perspective than just cost and does provide for the provision of a process that is clear and transparent and so in our opinion whilst there will be changes we would envisage those changes being more tweaks than wholesale transformation.

Generally we would suggest that rules may become slightly simpler. Still competitive but less cumbersome. Of more importance will be the access and openness of competition that will be afforded UK companies post Brexit. There has been much scaremongering about this with many stating that access to EU markets will be cut off. At SalesLeap we have to disagree, our view is that across the EU the market access for trade is recognised as being highly valued and despite much debate so far and plenty more to follow, access to trade will remain. It may even provide UK organisations wider opportunities as we forge many new and exciting relationships.

Advanced Tender Searches

06 Mar 2017

Always pushing forward and working to provide our clients with the best possible solutions, SalesLeap is about to launch a new solution to provide an enhanced tender search facility.

The search functionality will provide clients with the service many have asked about since SalesLeap began working to help make the process of winning business through tenders a less painful and more profitable process almost 10 years ago: the ability to interrogate procurement portals from around the globe or locally from one source in a simple, effective and flexible manner.

The latest in a long line of developments in the planning for 2017 and 2018 as SalesLeap meets the need for helping organisations remove the waste from their sales process and helps make sales a lean, more profitable unit for all concerned.

Revised Thresholds for 2016-18

01 Jan 2017

Effective 1st January new advertising thresholds will apply for public procurement activities apply.

Every two years the level of expenditure at which the OJEU procurement process must be followed, unless there is a justifiable case for no cross border interest, are set. In line with the European Directive 2004/18/EC for Public Authorities and (2004/17/EC) for Utilities and Transport and the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015 these revised thresholds are set out below.

Worthy of note this time however is the introduction of a light tough process for education, social care and health provision, with specific CPV’s listed under schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, whereby contracts under €750,000 are exempt from certain details of the process. Such contracts need only to comply with the principles of transparency and fairness and to advertised both before and after letting.

For most public sector authorities (including local government), the new thresholds are:
• Works threshold £4,104, 394 (€5,225,000)
• Supplies and service £164,176 (€172,514)

For central government authorities:
• Works threshold £4,104, 394 (€5,225,000)
• Supplies and services £106,047 (€135,000)

For utilities :
• Works threshold £4,104,394 (€5,225,000)
• Supplies and services £328,352 (€418,000)

For defence:
• Works threshold £4,104,394 (€5,225,000)
• Supplies and services £28,352 (€418,000)

Public procurement rules simplified

12 Jan 2012

Over the past few weeks the European Commission has been making announcements about modernising the public procurement rules. Whilst the entire document has not the following hyperlinks provide access to the associated press release and a set of Frequently Asked Questions, both of which prove for interesting reading, and, all being well, a greater level of opportunity for businesses to gain from the Public Sector opportunity with reduced “process pain” ~ a common complaint by many of our clients.

Press release"

FAQs:"

Revised Public Procurement Thresholds for 2012

28 Dec 2011

Effective 1st January new advertising thresholds will apply for public procurement activities in line with the European Commission announcement (regulation 1251/2011) for the next two years.

Once again the Sterling thresholds have gone up but this time, only slightly.

For most public sector authorities (including local government), the new thresholds are:
• Works threshold increased to £4,348,350
• Supplies and service increased to £173,934

For central government authorities:
• Works threshold increased to £4,348,350
• Supplies and services increased to £113,027

For utilities and defence:
• Works threshold increased to £4,348,350
• Supplies and services increased to £347,868

Can’t find that website?

17 Oct 2011

Maybe it is down to the fact that government have, at last, started to address the issue of having far too much unnecessary spending on multiple websites.
A recent report shows how over the past 12 months, significant steps have been taken to cut unnecessary spending and pave the way for a single government web domain hosting all public information. A beta version of which is scheduled for release in 2012.
With a staggering £1.7million having been saved so far, an astounding 500 government websites have been shut down in total with the number reducing by almost 50% this year alone. 444 are currently reported as being live ,compared to 820 last year with further cuts will follow as over 50% of the remaining websites will also be shut down leaving 134 websites, 16% of the 820 reported last year.
The project has certainly been far reaching as websites across all departments having been axed and include:
• courtfunds.gov.uk
• publicguardian.gov.uk
• ips.gov.uk – Identity and Passport Service
• hmcourts-service.gov.uk
• hmprisons.gov.uk
• Teachernet.gov.uk
• Standards.gov.uk

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said:
This announcement shows the significant progress that we’re making in government digital services. We are cutting costs, duplications and contradictions to make government web services easier to use and cheaper for the taxpayer. 

This report shows the ambition and drive of this government in the digital arena.”

Taxi !!!

20 Sep 2011

Reduction on spend on taxi fares still amounts to £200K despite being slashed by up to 50%. An astonishing amount many would say.

Asked how much HM Treasury had spent on taxis during 2010-11, Justine Greening admitted her department had spent a total of £97,875. Whilst high, a huge cost saving from the peak of the department’s spend on Taxis during Gordon Brown’s time as Prime Minister, when £219,000 was spent on taxi fares in one year alone.

In total the Treasury has spent more than £900,000 on taxi fares since 2006.

LEP impact grows in the West Midlands

17 Aug 2011

The impact of the West Midlands LEP’s grows as the go ahead has been granted far an enterprise zone in Hereford was among the 11 being approved today (a total of 22 across the UK) whilst similar bids for Coventry and Warwickshire, Stoke and Staffordshire and Worcestershire organisations were not successful.

Benefiting from from cheaper business rates, superfast broadband and lower levels of planning control the enterprise zones are being spoken of as “trailblazers for growth, jobs and prosperity throughout the country” by the Prime Minister, sentiments echoed by and others in Government and local commerce.

The 40-acre Rotherwas Business Park in Hereford is expected to bring in about 6,500 jobs, with many of those being in the defence sector as Hereford is home to a world-recognised SAS.

Our new office.

12 Jul 2011

It has been an exceptionally busy spring for all of us at SalesLeap as our product offering has expanded to meet the demands of our clients.

Many have recognised that the procurement process we helped them with, tendering, is used in corporate sales where they also compete and whilst it is called many things ~ complex sales, strategic sales, big ticket sales to name but a few, there are many common aspects to selling within such a process and so naturally these clients, and several more besides, have asked us to put together training and support programmes to help.

One thing leads to another, and before long we are being asked to help in many wider aspects of sales, both strategic/organisational and transactional/face to face sales skills/behaviours.

It is now July and to support this growth and provide a base that some of our clients will be using as a training centre we are delighted to announce that we have a new home:
3 Taylor’s Lane
Worcester
WR1 1PN

Whilst all of our email and mobile phone contact details remain the same we also have a new main line number : 01905 617054

We very much look forward to welcoming you to Taylor’s Lane and working with you to help secure your place in the competitive world of sales shortly.

Wasted time searching for files as IT fails.

01 May 2011

Nurses really are having a tough time of it, not only with the NHS reforms potentially hitting them hard but it has been claimed that due to failings in the IT systems they have to work with, they are loosing a staggering 23 days per year searching for missing equipment and paper based records due to failing IT systems.
The equivalent of a whole working month every year per nurse, more than a £1billion of lost wages.

Patient records and lab results are reported to go missing at least once a day according to over a quarter of hospital nurses and if IT systems worked to the full the need for paper based records would diminish substantially.

There are many hospitals that have made their IT systems work and if the best practice principles found there were to be spread into those where, for one reason or another, it just does not seem to deliver, the positive effects could be to make enormous savings of time, effort, money and morale.

Best practice of course needs to be leveraged across all areas, and not least the procurement functions that need to be able to maximise the opportunities of cutting edge, integrated IT solutions that freely exist and are prevalent within most businesses today. Not so according to some forward thinking leaders across the NHS who have challenged their teams to be different and break the mould.

A month on and health reform is still top of the agenda.

18 Apr 2011

In the continuing saga of the health reform bill Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has apologised for not communicating his plans properly for reforming the NHS.

Lansley appeared before nurses at the Royal College of Nursing conference shortly after delegates in the main conference hall had voted 96 per cent in favour of a vote of no confidence in the Health Secretary. While six opposed the motion and there were 13 abstentions, there were 478 ‘ayes’.

“I am sorry if what I’m setting out to do hasn’t communicated itself,” Lansley said before adding “I would be joining you in voting against me if I thought the product of what I was doing was to undermine the NHS.”

RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: “I hope the Health Secretary goes away and thinks about what we have said to him. If there aren’t changes there will be a hardening of opposition.”

NHS reforms "not set in stone"

14 Mar 2011

The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley has insisted that the NHS reform plans, including those of handing over £80bn worth of funding to GP, could be changed.

In direct response to a challenged levied at him by an overwhelming vote against the reform bill at his party Spring Conference, he was quoted as saying “Our proposals are always under review”.

Not the kind of indecisive posturing needed as the country pulls together to climb out of the harshest recession seen in decades. Equally, not one appreciated by The British Medical Association it would appear they prepare to discuss the Health and Social Care Bill and debate a motion of no confidence in Andrew Lansley.

A new approach.

28 Feb 2011

An adaptation on a practice of managing resources through a recession that has been employed for some time now in the commercial world has found its way to the public sector.

Dorset County Council has announced proposals to make all 6,400 of its non-teaching employees to take 12 days’ unpaid leave (both next year and in 2013) to try to avoid job lossesThe challenge will of course be in the method of delivery to those affected and how smooth the process of implementation is. Something tells us it won’t be seen as quiet in such a positive light here !

The move, which is subject to consultation with trade unions, will be the equivalent of a 4.6% per cent pay cut, but with reduced working time as compensation for staff. The council’s head of HR claimed that this would save £4.3 million in total, or the equivalent of 151 posts on the basis of average pay.

Lets watch this one pan out……

The end of mushroom pricing on bids?

23 Feb 2011

Many businesses that SalesLeap work with in developing their tender process complain about the practice of mushroom pricing, a practice that if not spotted by buyers has a seriously detrimental effect on us all. Taxpayers we will be overcharged for the goods and services delivered and fine businesses are unfairly loosing out on opportunities.

But it would appear that at last the game is up, the practice is about to be targeted.

All too often the pricing schedules for opportunities, large and small, are quoted at an unreasonably low level in order for a foothold to be gained by the bidder. If successful, once the contract is awarded, the costs mushroom as in order to achieve the agreed outcome “added services” and “greater deliverability” are required.

Sharp practice or cunning structuring?

Either way, it would appear that the game maybe up for many such bidders as defence secretary Liam Fox has pledged to tackle the issue as part of his assault on the MoD’s massive spending black hole.
How long before his approach is seen to echo through every procurement team and budget holder and at last one of the true values of tendering, openness, can come into its own?

Standard Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.

10 Feb 2011

Is the dawn of a much needed Standard Pre-Qualification Questionnaire?
It would appear that the Scottish Government has really taken the bull by the horns in trying to make tendering for public contracts an easier process for business. Following the roll out of other ground breaking initiatives it once again leads the way as it works towards delivering a more standardised approach to pre-qualification procedures in all aspects of Scottish public procurement.

Many business comment on the challenges associated with, and the inconsistencies experienced by public bodies in the way they present their pre qualification documents and as such the drafting of such a standard approach will surely be met with much praise.

The process revolves around using a series questions managed through a single, national supplier database. The questions are made up of three categories selected by the buyer, namely; standard generic questions, optional standard questions and standard industry sector specific questions. Whilst a further opportunity exists for buyers to add bespoke, procurement exercise specific questions the end result will undoubtedly be one of making substantial inroads into the amount of duplicated and wasted effort endured by buyers and services providers alike.

Whilst the standardised PQQ is currently only in the development stage it is certainly refreshing to see a government driven initiative that aims to genuinely make a difference and work towards the common goals of improved service delivery and cost effectiveness.

We at SalesLeap will certainly be watching this with interest and can only hope that in helping our clients and the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of suppliers and potential suppliers to the UK public sector the scheme is rolled out across the UK.

As the austerity measures begin to bite, why is the public sector not able to maximise on the opportunity?

17 Jan 2011

As with all public sector austerity measures, the recently announced reforms to the NHS are being met with concern by leading lights in the profession, so naturally SalesLeap ask “Why there is there so much fear over the changes that are in the pipeline?”
The cuts required across the public sector to begin to address the issues we have all heard so much about do not actually amount to such a massive percentage when considered in terms of overall spend. The pure numbers are to many alarming given their raw size, but when you consider that most county councils or NHS trusts for example are businesses with a turnovers approaching, if not well in excess of, £1billion and employing thousand people, the savings required become quiet realistic and certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

The real danger associated with the austerity measures is one that could well have a massive impact upon us all and is one key reason why now, possibly more than at any time in recent history, is the time for the private sector to actively consider how it can secure a position for itself as a public sector provider and in doing so, not only provide for its own future but also that of our internationally recognised, outstanding level of public service.

The issue is one that would seem totally at odds with everyone in a position of management in industry and commerce throughout the UK. Our public sector bodies, whether they be local authorities, hospitals or schools could (and surely for the good of us all, should) be viewed as businesses and yet amazingly those managing them have, in many cases, very little experience of organising and managing a commercial operation of any, let alone, equivalent size. Their skill sets are unique and essential if we are to maintain quality public services but in many cases they are unfortunately not aligned to the task at hand of decision making and change management on such a massive scale.

The cuts that we all hear so much of recently are not focussed on stopping the delivery of our public services, but delivering them in a better, more efficient and cost effective way. SalesLeap research has discovered that the more progressive public sector bodies are led by people who are embracing this situation as an opportunity and engaging with the private sector in a way they have never done in the past. They are facing up to their shortfalls and seeking to benefit from the skills and experience available in the private sector. We applaud those taking this honest approach and can only hope that this will encourage the others to stop burying their collective heads in the sand, face up to reality and procure the skills that are lacking to once again make our public services the envy of the world. Do not go on a wholesale cost cutting exercise and remove vital front line service providers, as an easy way out but look across the organisation for the wasted effort, the wasted time, the wasted expenditure and find a better way of solving the challenge you have been presented with. Now is the time for management of these “businesses” to prove that they are true leaders and are able and willing to make the tough decisions.

For private sector businesses that feel that they have something of value to deliver, now is your time. Step up to the plate, embrace public procurement for the valid process that it is and engage in selling to this sector. The opportunities are truly huge and the rewards are equally so.

Volume of government contracts continues to grow.

07 Jan 2011

As we move into the New Year SalesLeap traditionally takes a temperature check of the level of opportunities in the UK let through the public procurement process. Many said that 2010 was going to prove to a tough year and that the volume of opportunities would be significantly down on previous years. We stood our ground and consistently stated that we held another view. The austerity measures do not mean stop spending and stop delivering, they mean improve the way you spend and in so doing provide a better service.

SalesLeap have regularly stated that the volume of contracts let by the public sector would not drop significantly as the austerity measures take effect but that the nature of procurement would change and that these changes would present a greater level of opportunity for businesses in the UK to sell to the wider public sector.

Well, now its January, it is time to review the 2010 numbers and see if we were right.

The sheer volume of government procurement portals is a key challenge to businesses as the ability to effectively source opportunities without professional help is becoming more difficult by the day. Scouring these portals on behalf of our clients we have a pretty good feel of activity, and in our opinion, not only have the number of portals grown over year (a trend that shows no sign of abating), but the volume of opportunities presented on them appears to have grown also. So we would be quiet comfortable in standing by our predictions of a growing number of opportunities in 2010.

OJEU is a key procurement site, and whilst it by no means carries the lion’s share of opportunities it is a good barometer of activity. It is also one of the few that enables true statistical analysis of data to be carried out and so for that purpose we use OJEU to check our thoughts and establish a benchmark of volume of contracts being let by the public sector in the UK.

Our previous reviews of data within OJEU found that the volume of opportunities posted # rose from 12718 in 2006 to 13258 in 2009. Our recent analysis shows that in 2010 some 14001 opportunities were published via OJEU. A 5.6% increase over 2009 thus confirming our thoughts that despite the noise, the public sector is without a doubt a massive market place to sell your goods and services.
Once again, the public sector has shown just how important a sales channel it can be. If you are not obtaining your share of this growing market then why not contact us and find out how you can make a real difference to your performance in 2011.

#A predetermined set of notice criteria has been consistently used across the analysis. The number quoted is a reflection of opportunists within these criteria and not the entire volume of entries on the portal

Flood warnings to your phone.

08 Dec 2010

As the temperature rises and the snow melts our thoughts turn to the inevitable, flooding.

Incredible as it may seem, one in six homes in England and Wales are at risk of flooding. In a bid to help those most at risk the Environment Agency have introduced a daily and three day forecasts online, giving the public warning of the potential for floods from rivers, the sea and intense rainfall.

As a result, millions people across England and Wales could benefit from forecasts by checking whether they are at risk and subsequently taking steps to prepare and make properties more flood-proof.

With almost 1 million properties having already signed up to receive information distributed by phone and text messages, and with the next step being the development of applications for smart phones, it looks as if the world of technology is once again playing its part in preparing us for the growing risks of our changing climate.

MoD places £180m order for UK made vehicles.

01 Dec 2010

Great news for our troops and automotive manufacturing industry as the MoD this week announced that it has placed an order for 200 Light Protected Patrol Vehicles, estimated to be worth £180million, for use in Afghanistan with UK specialist manufacturer Force Protection Europe.

Having been designed by a group engineers with experience working for the World Rally Championship, McLaren F1 and BMW, the first vehicles are expected to be available in 2011, will be built in West Sussex and supported in the UK and are reported to be creating or sustaining an estimated 750 jobs.

The vehicles, Foxhounds, will replace the Snatch Land following a series of fatal IED strikes against British troops and features tougher amour and a v-shaped hull to divert the force from improvised explosive devices. Furthermore, its engine can be removed and replaced in 30 minutes and it can drive away from an ambush on only three wheels. Crew and passengers sit inside a protective pod, which can be quickly adapted to turn the vehicle into an ambulance or supply truck.

Chief of Defense Materiel General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue said:
“Able to operate in extreme temperatures and navigate difficult terrain whilst also providing high levels of protection, Foxhound is ideal for current operational needs – but is also a valuable addition to our range of vehicles and will serve our Armed Forces for many years to come.

“A lot of hard work has been put into making sure this vehicle is delivered to the frontline as quickly as possible and the signing of this contract represents excellent progress.”

Increase in agency staff spend by 65% .

24 Nov 2010

The newly released data on government spending has revealed many interesting facts including that while public sector recruitment was frozen, recent spending on agency staff in Whitehall has rocketted. Shifting from £3.9m to £6.5m, some 65%, between May and September this year.

Over 100 different agencies benefitted by providing legal, secretarial, clerical and IT staff from both this and a further £33.28m spent on agency staff over the same period by central government alone.

Further evidence in our long held view that the spending cuts will actually result in good fortune and growth for those businesses that are able to turn the telescope, position themselves correctly and seek out the opportunity. Services still need to be delivered; it is the manner in which they are delivered that will change.

Partnering saves over £2million each year.

16 Nov 2010

Two local authorities have agreed to a partnership deal that is estimated to save over £2 million each year.

Leicester County Council and Nottingham City Council will share back office functions, including human resources and payroll, at a shared services centre in the East Midlands.

Furthermore, Leicestershire County Council is looking at ways they can share its HR services with Charnwood Borough Council.

David Parsons, Leader, Leicestershire County Council, comments: “In these challenging times, our innovative agreement shows how authorities can achieve real savings by working together.

“Every pound we save is a pound that we don’t have to take away from the frontline. I would encourage other authorities in the Midlands to consider joining us and achieve benefits themselves.”

Increase in contract awards to SME’s clarified.

10 Nov 2010

Back in March, a line in the budget outlined a commitment to increase the awards of public sector contracts to UK SME’s by 15%. Whilst this appeared to be a positive statement, it later transpired that this was somewhat less progressive than we might have originally though as research subsequently revealed that previously 16% of government contracts had already gone to SME’s. The shift therefore could hardly be described as dynamic.

In amongst the measures being rolled out to change the direction of the national finances, the coalition raised the bar of SME contract awards to 25% and today, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, put an end to scientism heaped on that statement by declaring that “25% by volume is the target” whilst indicating that some government departments will make a more significant commitment than others in this respect.

In conjunction with efforts being made across the board in reviewing the procurement processes to make bidding for public sector contracts easier for She’s we look forward to time of growth returning in the very near future.

Transparency spending is published online.

04 Nov 2010

Each week it seems another council makes the shift in publishing its spend on line and comply with the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) demands. Earlier this year, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said that all councils across England and Wales must publish such spending online by January 2011. Joining others such as Bromley, Slough, Northamptonshire, Blaby and West Sussex, who began to publish spending details online as early as August, Westminster council is the latest to comply.

The council has a £1billion annual budget and to mark its new transparency drive, the council is publishing a monthly list of transactions that exceed £500 on its website as well as hundreds of invoices from the current financial year.

Whilst this has move has been welcomed by many, as it ensures that the public sector will now truly be accountable for where every penny is going, the concern must surely be that such a move will unleash an army of armchair auditors who will be able to scrutinise where millions of pounds are being spent.

The double-edged sword of open government and accountability?

£88Million spent on data storage

11 Oct 2010

So wide reaching is the need for data storage in todays world that The Department for Work and Pensions have revealed how one supplier alone has secured over £88Million against such a contract over the last five years.

The employment minister, Chris Grayling, said that Capita was paid more than £22m in one year alone under the department’s record storage contract.

The spending in each year was
2005-06 – £10,627,665
2006-07 – £15,359,119
2007-08 – £22,668,849
2008-09 – £21,148,200
2009-10 – £18,729,424

LEP’s begin to take shape?

30 Sep 2010

It has just been revealed that ten Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP’s) submissions will appear before a House of Commons’ select committee next month as the process to replace the Regional Developmnet Agencies by 2012 starts to hot up. Bids from: Greater Manchester; Leeds City Region; Business Voice West Midlands; Coventry and Warwickshire; Cambridge and Peterborough; Coast to Capital Hove, Enterprise M3; Newcastle Gateshead; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and South East Midlands will be represented and interviewed by the 11-MP cross party panel known as the Business Innovation and Skills committee. They wee chosesn as they “represent a wide geographical range and because of the quality of evidence they had submitted.” A committee spokespperson said

A total of 57 LEP submissions were submitted although the government has stated that it feels 30 will be sufficent. They will be council and business-led sub-regional consortia focused on driving economic growth – to replace England’s nine RDAs by 2012.

IMF gives a boost to the UK.

27 Sep 2010

Earlier this evening, George Osborne’s plans for spending cuts were given one of the best endorsements available as the International Monetary Fund, The IMF, the world’s leading economic watchdog stated that the plans to correct the massive UK deficit were ‘strong, credible and essential’. They endorsed the view of the Coalition that the emergency budget has put Britain on the path to recovery stating ‘The UK economy is on the mend’ using words such as “sensible” and “appropriately ambitious”

Further detail reviles that they, The IMF, believe that UK interest rates will stay at the record low of 0.5 per cent for the foreseeable future, that the UK will see economic growth of 2% by 2011 and that our inflation will fall back below the 2% target by 2012.

All this on a day that Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally declares a change in fortunes at the motor manufacturer and announces that Ford will once again be hiring across the UK.

Two major stories on one day that are nothing short of good news for everyone in the UK and especially good news for business owners large and small alike.

Embracing the web to provide savings.

14 Sep 2010

Manchester and Edinburgh councils have announced new websites designed to better target customer needs.

Many councils regularly face criticism over their websites for both the presentation, functionality and, highly relevant give these times of austerity, spending large amounts of taxpayers’ money on them at a time when public funds are stretched.

Two councils have however demonstrated that if done in a structured and well thought out way, investing in a website that provides more customer focused experience can result in cost savings elsewhere as it leads to a reduction in costly face-to-face or telephone interaction.

Manchester City Council recently spent approximately £42,000 on their website redesign following an extensive user survey. The redesign is all about speed clarity and easier access to information. Providing excellent customer service and listening to how customers want to communicate has been the key driver. Getting people to get to the right place quickly by condensing information has proved to be a win-win; residents get better access to council services, the council sees efficiency benefits through a substantial reduction of volume of calls.

Edinburgh council has spent £210,000 redesigning their website saying that the investment is justified by subsequent savings that will be made and by improved levels of online service to the public. How? licensing and support costs are expected to be around 20 per cent of previous levels providing annual savings of £154,000. Hosting costs will also be reduced by £37,000 per year with a further £100,000 being saved by moving other websites to the same content management system over time.

Again, fewer phone and in-person interactions provide yet further savings of up to £30 per occasion.

Are you ready to prosper?

16 Jul 2010

At SalesLeap we have explaining for many months that cuts in the public sector mean a great opportunity for sales growth and business development in the private sector.


Today, the national press have declared that they agree with us.
Are you ready to prosper?

The Guardian today “revealed” that busineese across the country are preparing for a bonanza of local authority contracts to provide everything from bin men to back office bureaucrats and many outsourcing providers have reported a doubling in the number of deals on offer this year.
They go on to quote how Capita have seen a 100% increase in opporuntues thius year when compared to last, and still believe that here is yet further growth to come.

Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, said: “Some private operators are going to have a field day, making a fortune from a system which will offer less public accountability.”

Are you able to find the right opportunities for your business?
Are you able to efficiently and effectively manage a tender process?

It doesn’t need to be difficult. Contact us to see see how SalesLeap can support you in making this process into an easy, cost effective one.

How small savings go a long way.

04 Jun 2010

Given the challenges facing spending across the public sector a recent article caught our eye that went to demonstrate how buying differently and making small savings can have a big impact.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have established that NHS hospitals can save up to £400m by doing little else than cooking with fresh local ingredients.

A so-called ‘farm-to-plate’ scheme being used at the Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre has already taken this approach and are said to be saving £2.50 per patient. A small figure until you consider that this equates to some £6m a year!

Not only does the scheme benefit the hospital budget holder but also, with almost 90% of the fresh food the hospitals use being produced in the local region it provides a much welcome boost for the local economy. And for all those who give due consideration to the green campaign, the scheme claims to save around 150,000 food miles a year.

Fantastic news all around.

The challenge of course is being able to provide the hospitals, and other bodies, in the volumes that are inevitably going to be required ~ the return of the cooperative we wonder?

Plans to cut £6.2bn of "wasteful spending" announced.

24 May 2010

Having been in power for only a week our new Government have identified their intial cuts to public spending. There will be cuts to quangos, spending on consultancy and big IT projects and a civil service recruitment freeze, and whilst Child Trust Funds will be axed by January, funding for schools and Sure Start will be protected.

The review of expenditure has certainly been far reaching and the cuts being impossed are being tagged as a “cut to wasteful spending” with over 20% (£1.15bn) being attributable to discretionary areas such as travel and consultancy. Property costs, pay freezes and removal of quangos will make up yet another £1.5bn and a further £2.2bn being saved through contract delay, renegotiation and lower value spending.

Undoubtedly over the coming days the specifics will become clear and the detail of just how the department of business, innovation and skills will save its £836m, the department of work and pensions its £535m, amoung others, wil be demonstrating its savings.

Are we now on the long road to recovery?
Let’s hope so !

So where will the axe fall ?

19 May 2010

£6billion has been earmarked as the immediate figure of cost savings across Government following the Conservative / Lib Dem coalition coming to power, but how significant is this?

£billion sounds like a large number but when taken into context of the entire spending budget of the public sector it is actually only around 1%. The emergency budget planned for next month will be when we are likely to be able to gauge the real scale of the challenge and likely impacts.

Without a doubt unnecessary spending, of which we can all cite examples and agree there is far too much, will undoubted be curbed. Major projects will be reviewed, and several no doubt put on hold while an assessment of their value is conducted, and there will certainly be a greater emphasis on pricing for new contract awards. But let us not forget the size of the public sector and how it touches our everyday lives in so many different ways. Surely the reality is simply that despite the noise and publicity the public sector is about to go through an element of necessary pain to drive the kind of efficiencies that we in the private sector have been used to for years. Let us also not loose sight of the fact that post the £6billion cuts and post the impacts of the emergency budget, the public sector will remain the largest and most secure customer this country has and as such still a valuable source of income for many businesses throughout the UK.

When bidding for public sector work think about your process for appointing a supplier. Consider the value you place on your suppliers and how you review their bids. Never underestimate the importance of engaging with the buyer and understanding the issues driving the procurement project. In your tender submission be sure to demonstrate this understanding and show not only how you will resolve the challenges faced, but also the unique value you will bring as a supplier.

Remember that the public sector will still need to procure goods and services and they might just be getting a title more commercial in the way they do it.

A growing opportunity despite the cuts?

05 May 2010

Whichever party is leading the country on Friday morning spending cuts will be a hot topic, but just what gets cut?

When challenged on this subject, as we have been many times, we have always said that the public sector still needs to deliver who ever is in power and as such costs are likely to be taken from the procurement process. Many have raised an eyebrow when we follow that comment up by saying that we actually believe procurement value may increase.

Firstly process. There is undoubtedly an opportunity to make sweeping cuts from the public sector procurement process. Collaborative procurement, SMART procurement, e-procurement and rationalisation of portals via which tenders are advertised being just four methods that immediately spring to mind.

Why do we suggest that the value of opportunities from this sector may increase?
We believe that outsourcing will become more commonplace over the coming years. Commercial practices being employed in service delivery by the public sector will become essential in meeting growing client expectation and delivering within ever-tighter budgets.

For now though, lets watch how the political landscape develops over the coming days, weeks and months because ion thing is for sure. Who ever occupies No 10 has his work cut out.

Time for a new “R” word?

07 Apr 2010

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) today forecast that the UK economy is set to grow at a faster pace than most of the world’s seven major developed countries in the first half of the year.

Despite the forecast showing a downward revision to its previous view on the first quarter annualised growth to 2% from 2.4%, it still beats forecasts for the likes of Japan and Germany. Better news still as in the second quarter of this year, at 3.1%, growth is forecast to outpacing the United States, and all other countries in the G7 group of large economies apart from Canada.

A further survey on the services sector showed businesses were more optimistic and hiring new staff for the first time in almost two years.

We are clearly not out of the woods yet but there are encouraging signs and maybe at last we can mention a new “R” word; Recovery?

Yes its fragile, yes there is still a frail labour market and continuing challenges on the financial markets underscore the need for caution but maybe at last that light at the end of the tunnel is not a train coming the other way?

Budget drive to increase SME sales to the public sector.

24 Mar 2010

As ever, a mixed response to the budget announced earlier today by Alistair Darling, but one item that SalesLeap were delighted to see was the drive to increase SME content in public sector procurement.

One of many routes to sustainable growth of the UK economy is by ensuring that UK businesses get the opportunity to compete for, and win, secure business via government contracts. We have documented many times the sheer scale of contracts available and when questioned about the impact of public sector cuts on the wider opportunity have only ever said that we believe that it will be good news for SME’s. Why? Because the public sector will still need to deliver but will need to find new ways to deliver. Ways that break with the past and provide commercial benefit to all stakeholders. The question therefore we pose is more one of “how can you turn this to your advantage?”

SME’s often have lower administrative overheads and management costs than the larger incumbent, they may have shorter management chains and approval routes and so can respond quickly to changing requirements. Generally SME’s have expertise and are highly focused on certain markets making them particularly responsive to changes in those markets, they are more willing and able to tailor a product or service to meet specific customer. They provide value for money solutions and as such, commercial benefit.

No small wonder than that in the budget earlier today Alistair Darling has announced an increase in the amount of central government contracts going to SME’s by 15%. Good news indeed.

Although of course to win a contract you need to bid in the first place, so maybe now is the right time to review your sales strategy and consider how you sell to the public sector.

Why not contact us and see how we can help. Whether you are new to the sector, considering it or have been trading there for many years SalesLeap will be able to provide focussed support and genuine cost savings.

E-auctions to become more commonplace.

18 Mar 2010

As public sector spend comes under ever closer scrutiny buyers are being challenged to drive cost out while maintaining service deliverability, and technology is playing its part.

As we reported back in early February, collaborative procurement is beginning to provide very real cost savings (Westminster Council cut £2bm from its spend) and the greater use of e-procurement on these projects will only enhance this. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has published a plan on the wider use of e-procurement, and e-auctions particularly, and believes that by adoption of these methods almost £300m can be saved by the end of 2012 from a rolling schedule of e-auctions worth up to £900m of spending.

Whilst cost reductions of up to 30% or more in a collaborative procurement process utilising e-auctions are is not unheard of, and must therefore be good news for the drive to cut public sector spend whilst maintaining service delivery, how are costs driven down and what are the pitfalls for potential suppliers?

Tony Copeman, SalesLeap Director had this to say
“E-auctions save in two key areas. Firstly the costs of running a large-scale procurement exercise can be immense and using technology to drive the bidding process can achieve significant savings in time, labour and office. When combining technology with a collaborative procurement programme, very real and very substantial savings to internal costs can be readily be achieved.

The second area of cost saving is clearly in the price of delivery of a service, and it is here that the supplier must have a clear head as they enter an e-tender process. A strange benefit of the recession has been that businesses in the main now have a far better understanding of their cost structures and price proposition. This means that they are better positioned now than ever to provide a high quality service, be highly competitive yet remain within their target delivery price. So whilst the opportunity has increased, so has the danger. Eagerness to win a bid often takes over and as such prices can fall to unsustainable levels. Whenever our clients enter an e-auction we always stress the importance of knowing your walk away price and sticking to it.”

EU public procurement process proves its worth.

02 Mar 2010

Despite being only 9 weeks into 2010, the EU public procurement process has proved it’s worth for business opportunities with in excess of 1800 contract notices being published in the UK alone.

For businesses looking to sell their goods and services wider afield, then the 21500 EU based contract notices posted since January 1 must surely warrant interest.

If your deliverability reaches yet further, then the 1300 contract notices published by countries outside the EU only serves to demonstrate the value this process holds.

Tens of thousands of genuine sales opportunities each year for British businesses to compete for. Whether it be construction work in Sheffield or Switzerland, translation work in Luton or Macedonia, cleaning services in Worcester or Sudan or project management in York or Vietnam, accessing public sector tenders via SalesLeap will prove its worth in qualified lead generation and return on investment.

Do you still think, “The public sector is not for me”?

Westminster council collaborate to save.

19 Feb 2010

With the public sector procurement budget under review like never before, Westminster City Council have revealed how millions of pounds can be cut from its £2billion public services bill through embarking on collaboration.
For many years the private sector have used economies of scale to leverage cost reduction. It recognised a long time ago that there is a direct relationship between volume bought and piece price paid and has used this wherever and whenever possible in driving out cost. As corporates have grown and developed and the economies in which they operate have become ever more challenging then the power of collaborative working and service provision has seen yet further cost savings be realised on, in many cases, a massive scale.
Whilst public sector buying consortiums are nothing new, and savings have undoubtedly been made, collaboration has always seemed a step too far for many. Its benefits have been debated in many public sector circles for some time but it would seem that a few are now beginning to put those plans into action. Westminster City Council being one.
Their leader, Colin Barrow, has been quoted as saying that Westminster City Council can make “major savings over the next ten years while still delivering high quality services.
“But this can only be done if we pool our resources and expertise and bring the public sector together under one roof to strip out waste, cut red tape and end duplication.”
Certainly combining resources and expertise has its benefits, it just remains to be seen if the process can be managed in a way does not impede in any way on the delivery of those services in the short term. If there is one lesson to be learnt from the corporate world on collaboration is this; collaboration should be viewed as a cultural shift, and cultural shift takes a lot of time and a lot of managing the processes and the people if it is to stick and create positive results. Combining various services under one roof is not simply shifting workload and stripping duplicate effort.

Advances in technology provide increased safety for our forces in conflict.

15 Feb 2010

The MoD’s Centre for Defence Enterprise has recently announced grants to encourage business involved in technology to bring their products straight to the Government for further development.
Winners include a South East based firm that has developed a camera system that can see through smoke, fog or dust as well as analyzing the local terrain to establish if features have been altered for example by the planting of roadside bombs.
Other advances include a robotic hand to work in bomb disposal, flak jackets made of conductive materials that reduce the need for the wearer to carry bulky wiring and batteries for his equipment and lightweight shock absorbent material.
Good news indeed for our forces for which these innovations can quite literally be a lifesaver.

Opportunities for security providers at Olympics keep rising.

10 Feb 2010

The London 2012 Olympics will meet their £9.3bn budget according to Government despite a report from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport revealing that the bill for security may well rise by up to £160 taking the bill to around £276m compared to the original £116m budgeted.

The challenge of course with hosting such a momentous event is that no one really knows how much things will cost and only time will tell. One thing that is a certain however is that as far as suppliers are concerned the games represent a huge, almost unprecedented opportunity.

With the level of contracts being awarded steadily being ramped up in all areas, if you have ever considered becoming a supplier to the public sector there has never been a better time to focus some of your sales effort on it than now.

Campaigns launched to promote SME growth and participation in public sector tendering.

09 Feb 2010

Given that 95 per cent of government contracts are won by UK businesses, and that 99.9 per cent of UK businesses are SME’s, it has always seemed reasonable to expect that somewhere along the line a sizeable amount of annual public sector spend on goods and services should reside with the SME community.

It is great news then that the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has recently launched a campaign to raise awareness and access for SME’s to public sector contract opportunities. Separately, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, has also launched a plan setting out how the government would use public sector spend on goods and services to, amongst others, generate growth and economic recovery by supporting SME’s.

Recognition indeed that a fundamental part of the UK recovery plan will be inward investment and support for business growth.

£8m on marketing and promotional giveaways.

28 Jan 2010

Just to prove how diverse the public sector opportunity is, £8million is being spent on marketing and promotional giveaways.

Contracts to supply government departments with items such as umbrellas, mouse mats, mugs, balloons and even branded food are amongst the promotional goods that will be bought over the next three years under recently awarded £8million supply contracts.

Whatever you supply it is clear that you should be considering the public sector as a key sales channel.

Why not let SalesLeap be your partner? We would be delighted to discuss how we can help and bring real value.

Local authorities set to spend on civils.

20 Jan 2010

Highways chiefs across the UK are embarking on unusually high levels of road repairs following the recent big freeze with most set to repair hundreds of potholes over the coming days and weeks. Some local authorities have found themselves doubling the number of teams tackling the problem in order to get the road network back to as normal a state as possible. Once the potholes have been filled, assessments will need to be made as to which roads need to be resurfaced.

As with the “mopping up” after floods the work needs to be carried out as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Whilst many local authorities have teams well prepared in facing such issues, many more do not and will rely on the private sector for support as the level of work required will simply outstrip their resources.

A record year for public sector opportunities in the UK?

01 Jan 2010

Was 2009 a record year for UK public sector tendering opportunities with 13258 opportunities above the EU procurement thresholds for spend being advertised?

Well not quite, 2008 just nudged 2009 into second place over recent years providing 13446 tendering opportunities for UK public sector business above the EU procurement thresholds.

It is interesting to see however that over recent years the number of such opportunities has increased from 12718 opportunities in 2006. Just short of a 20% increase in sales opportunities in three years!!

Is any more proof needed to demonstrate just how much of an opportunity the public sector is?

Why not speak to SalesLeap today and ensure that your business does not miss out on its share of these opportunities.

Change to Thresholds.

28 Dec 2009

Effective 1st January new advertising thresholds published that will apply for two years from 1 January 2010.

As widely predicted, because Sterling has been so weak against the Euro, the Sterling thresholds have gone up significantly.

For most public sector authorities (including local government), the new thresholds are:
• Works threshold increased to £3,927,260
• Supplies and service increased to £156, 442

For central government authorities:
• Works threshold increased to £3,927,260
• Supplies and services increased to £101,323

For utilities:
• Works threshold increased to £3,927,260
• Supplies and services increased to £313,694

Pre Budget Report highlights.

09 Dec 2009

Key highlights from the Pre Budget report show that whilst the economy has shrunk by a greater degree than anticipated the Government will not be cutting spending. In fact, it will see a rise. Surely good news for all businesses looking to diversify their customer base and trade with the public sector.

Economic Forecast
• Economy forecast to shrink 4.75% in 2009, worse than 3.5% forecast in April
• Growth of 1%-1.5% expected in 2010 and 3.5% in 2011 and 2012

Borrowing
• 2009 forecast raised by £3bn to £178bn
• Estimated borrowing of £176bn in 2010 and £140bn in 2011, falling to £96bn in 2013
• Budget deficit to be halved by 2013
• Estimated public loss from bank bailouts reduced from £50bn to £10bn

Spending
• Total spending in 2010-11 to rise by £31bn.
• No spending review for period after that
• Current spending estimated to fall by 0.8% between 2011-2 and 2014-5

2012 Olympic and paralympic games £700million procurement budget.

17 Nov 2009

With less than 36 months to go before London and the rest of the country opens its doors to the world for the greatest sporting event of them all opportunities to be a supplier and seize a part of the estimated £700 million procurement budget are hotting up.

The number of contracts being awarded for the supply of goods and services will be ramped over the coming months. Given the wide range of opportunities to become a public sector supplier there has never been a better time to focus some of your sales effort on this sector with SalesLeap.

Whilst there will be need for over 1 million pieces of sporting equipment of all types there will also be the need to supply an enormous range of other goods and services to support the games. Items such as beds and bedding, temporary generators, translation services, photographic and video services, security, catering, storage and medals are all required. It’s true to say that every business should give serious consideration as to how it may benefit from being a supplier to the games.

Now is the time to get involved. Why not contact SalesLeap and see how we can help you break into this and the wider public sector as a supplier for years to come.

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