WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
The biweekly efficiency and improvement bulletin is produced by the South West Centre of Excellence (SWCoE) on behalf of the LIFT SW Partnership (GOSW, IDeA, SWLGA, SWCoE).
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Book Now! Customer Focused Transformation Network Conference - "The Sharing Agenda" - 25th February 08
Collaboration and sharing of services is one of the major levers for delivering the £4.9bn cash-releasing efficiency savings sought from the sector in the CSR07.
If you have a "Sharing Agenda" to collaborate on any services, you may be struggling with some typical questions at the different stages of your programme such as:
- Where should we start?
- What are the options?
- How should we organise for success?
- Who is doing it well and what does good look like?
- How do we engage the wider network of stakeholders not least of all our customers?
- How do we set about building the business case for change without creating a monster of an exercise?
- What are some of the typical benchmarks, the lessons learnt and the best practices?
- How do we make our existing processes ready for sharing?
- How do we address the change challenges that lie in store for us?
If you do, then you can’t afford to miss our next CFT Network conference, the "Sharing Agenda" on Monday 25th February 2008 at Sandy Park Conference Centre (http://www.sandypark.co.uk/), Exeter from 09:45 to 15:45.
The conference will provide you with the opportunity to engage with private and public sector experts and practitioners, from within and outside of our region. They can help to address your questions and inform your work with lessons learnt delivering successful collaborations.
The plenary sessions will address some of the major challenges of the sharing agenda by show-casing recent case studies such as the Multi-authority shared service programme in Dacorum, Three Rivers and Watford councils, or the Swindon private-public partnership or a more unusual urban consolidation collaboration between Bristol City Council, DHL and Bristol Retailers.
You will also have the opportunity to share your strategic issues in our varied 60 minute surgeries for discussion, learning and resolution with input from our experts and other colleagues across the region. Topics covered include "Getting Started in Shared Services", "Developing a Compelling Case for Change" and many more.
Download additional information and book your place online from the following link:
http://www.swce.gov.uk/Events/Customerfocusedtransformation250208.htm
For further information contact:
Anita Tadayon (LIFT SW Partnership) - anitatadayon@yahoo.com
Skills Development Courses - Book Your January 2008 Course NOW to avoid disappointment
2008 will kick-off with a full complement of our heavily subsidised, highly acclaimed Skills Transformation public sector courses including:
Fundamentals of Lean Systems Thinking (£89)
Activity Based Costing in Support of Business Transformation (£41)
Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Overview (£84)
Dates and venues for January/February are:
Fundamentals of Lean Systems Thinking
14th January 2008 - Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth
17th January 2008 - Menzies Waterside Hotel, Bath
21st January 2008 - Taunton Rugby Club, Somerset
Activity Based Costing in Support of Business Transformation
15th January 2008 - Taunton Rugby Club, Somerset
17th January 2008 - Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth
22nd January 2008 - Menzies Waterside Hotel, Bath
Managing Successful Programmes
24th January 2008 - Menzies Waterside Hotel, Bath
5th February 2008 - Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth
19th February 2008 - Menzies Waterside Hotel, Bath
26th February 2008 - Lyngford House Conference Centre, Taunton
Here are some recent example of delegate feedback on these courses:
...."best course I have been on for ages"
...."find the course useful, stimulating & enjoyable - recommended with good & varied attendees, many from front line"......."
...."would like to place on record how impressed I was with the course delivered last week"
These courses are usually over-subscribed so book now to avoid disappointment!
Download additional information and book your place online from the following link:
http://www.swce.gov.uk/skillsdevelopment/
For further information contact:
Anita Tadayon (LIFT SW Partnership) - anitatadaton@yahoo.com
Collaborative Procurement Opportunities
Abandoned Vehicles
Bath & North East Somerset are looking to let a contract for the recovery, storage and disposal of abandoned vehicles. If you have recently let a similar contract and can provide further information, please contact Rodney_Cook@bathnes.gov.uk
Recycling Banks
Teignbridge and South Hams District Councils are looking for a contract for recycling banks. If you have recently let a similar contract or have a contract open for others to join, please contact Mel.Staton@southhams.gov.uk (01626) 215472
Recruiting Consultancy Masterclass - 30th January 2008, Taunton
LIFT SW Partnership are supporting the delivery of a session to assist officers who recruit consultants. The session will cover the pro's and cons of consultants and supply market insights such as business models and rate cards and will be run by Ian Castle of The Consultant Connection Ltd. The session will be run twice (morning or afternoon) on 30th January 2008 at Taunton Rugby Club and is free to attending officers.
Places are limited and on a first come first served basis.
Download additional information and book your place online from the following link:
http://www.swce.gov.uk/Events/LIFTSWRecruitingConsultancy20080130.htm
For further information contact:
Gillian Brindle - 01305 757232, g.brindle@dorsetcc.gov.uk
Leading from the front: Councillors and their communities - 6th February 2008, Taunton
This conference is for councillors wanting to achieve social and economic goals through delivering local housing. Join leading academics and national and local politicians to explore how your council and your community can be prepared for the 'new era of greater power and influence' recently promised by Gordon Brown.
The keynote speaker is Matthew Taylor MP who will be sharing some of his ideas for solving the rural housing crisis in his Rural Economy and Affordable Housing Review recently commissioned by the Prime Minister.
Download additional information from the following link:
http://www.swce.gov.uk/Events/leadingfromthefront.htm
LGA annual improvement conference & exhibition: delivering better outcomes for people and places - 27th & 28th February 2008, Bristol
This third LGA annual improvement conference will give leading members, chief executives and senior officers a crucial opportunity to understand how they can seize the opportunities of the new framework for localities which includes:
a new generation of Local Area Agreements (LAAs) that deliver key local priorities for citizens;
a reduced burden of reporting, against a much smaller set of 200 performance indicators;
a more proportionate and outcome focused assessment through Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) which is set to replace Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA); and
a more rationalised and devolutionary approach to improvement and efficiency support.
Download additional information and book your place online from the following link:
http://www.lga.gov.uk/Event.asp?lsection=46&id=SXA48D-A7849E46
Local Government Awards 2008 Shortlist
Congratulations to the South West authorities that have been shortlisted for the local government awards, winners to be announced on 17th March 2008.
Somerset County Council- Most Improved Council
Bristol City Council- Community Involvement Award
North Cornwall District Council- Health & Wellbeing Award
Gloucestershire County Council- Innovation Award
Gloucestershire County Council- Local Strategic Partnership Award
Somerset Waste Partnership- Management Team Award
Gloucestershire County Council- Procurement Award
Download additional information from the following link:
http://www.lgcawards.com/Homepage.asp
Local Government Sustainable Procurement Strategy
The Strategy has been developed by a Task Force comprising local authority and other related bodies’ representatives. It sets out clear intentions for local authorities to harness the sustainability potential of their procurement spend to supplement the social, economic and environmental wellbeing objectives of their Sustainable Community Strategies, including the development of LAAs. The Strategy also refers to the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy and the role of Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships, as well as the Local Government Task Force (LGTF), IDeA, 4ps and CIPFA. It recognises that only by stakeholders developing a comprehensive and consolidated approach could the challenging but valuable opportunities for sustainable procurement be realised.
Download additional information from the following link:
http://www.lga.gov.uk/Publication.asp?lSection=0&id=-A784BAA4
Changes in EC Public Sector Utilities Contract Threshold Values
Please note that the threshold values will reduced slightly from January 2008.
Download additional information from the following link:
http://www.bipsolutions.com/html/thresholds.htm#pc08
