It seems like a large Police Force in London has quietly taken the decision to go private, or “to the market” as they poncily like to call it. What does this mean? What has happened? Should we be concerned?
Is this simply the thin end of the wedge?
Anyway, this large Force has been deliberating, and had four options to choose from re Procurement etc;
- Option 1 – Do Nothing, everything stays the way it is
- Option 2 – Keep everything in-house but Streamline and Improve.
- Option 3 – Outsource to a new supplier, this would involve undertaking a whole, full-blown new procurement process to identify a new supplier.
- Option 4 – Outsource to a supplier under an existing shared service framework contract.
The critical factors for declaring any one of the above a success would include service quality, cost reduction, timeframe for delivery of savings and the ability to deliver a service supporting efficient and effective operations.
This process decided that Do Nothing was not an option. In-house transformation ticked a couple of the boxes, acknowledging the committed, hard-working employees, and the substantial savings that have already been achieved by them. It scored poorly on outdated and expensive technology, and “Transformation Capacity” (no, I don’t know either).
Apparently, Going To The Market offers ‘fit for purpose’ technology already in use, the transference of risk on savings and delivery, the ability to check out a supplier with their other customers and the potential to achieve savings more quickly.
Whilst it appears that no final decisions have been made, only Option 3 and Option 4 remain on the table. It is anticipated that more work will be undertaken to establish the best route to market, and the In-House Option is dead in the water, hard-working and committed employees included.
A final decision is expected around Easter time with implementation in the Summer, with a period of transition lasting until Spring 2016.
Some staff may have the opportunity to TUPE across to the new supplier, Redundancy Packages are far from certain, but it does seem like jobs are at risk, AND SOON, and who knows where this new supplier(s) will be based??
All that is certain is that this large Police Force loves its committed and hard-working employees, and services will not be remaining in house after Spring 2016 at the latest.
Don’t have nightmares, and do have a Merry Christmas, Bah Humbug
Didn’t Charles Dickens, once retired and angry, write “A Christmas Theresa” or “A Christmas Imelda” or something pretty similar?
Re Met procurement?
“You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more of [Tory] gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are”
Epitaph of the Met – thanks to their top brass..
“I wear the chain I forged in life….I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it”
Didn’t Charles Dickens, once retired and angry, write “A Christmas Theresa” or “A Christmas Imelda” or something pretty similar?
Re Met procurement?
“You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more of [Tory] gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are”
Epitaph of the Met – thanks to their top brass..
“I wear the chain I forged in life….I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it”