Bristol, UK, January 25 2012, UNIT4, the world’s leading provider of business software for Businesses Living IN Change (BLINC™), today congratulated its client, the NHS North Central London Cluster Procurement Cooperative, on winning the “Best example of ICT enabled innovation and enterprise” award and being highly commended for the “Best example of shared services in practice” category at the UK Public Sector Digital Awards. In both categories the significant tangible benefits of the programme were crucial to the cooperative’s success.
The awards, which are supported by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and included speeches from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, recognise technology excellence and innovation in national and local government, the NHS, education and the third sector. The NHS North Central London Cluster Procurement Cooperative provides procurement shared services to six organisations, with 1400 requisitioners across 200 locations. In its first 12 months of trading the service, underpinned by UNIT4’s Agresso Procurement Platform, has made cost savings of £2.7M, increased customer satisfaction by 200 percent and electronically captured over 90 percent of purchases.
The “Best example of ICT enabled innovation and enterprise” category is awarded to the organisation that best demonstrates examples of ICT being used to introduce new services, new business models, new ways of reaching out to citizens or of how ICT has enabled new entrants to the public sector market to deliver services.
“It was a great evening and I am absolutely delighted,” said Jeff Nielsen, Head of Procurement Cooperative at NHS Camden. “The competition was tough but through the hard work and creativity of everyone involved, our employees, UNIT4 and our customers, we have achieved a great deal and these awards underline the success so far. We will build upon this to accrue further savings and make our proposition even more attractive for those looking to join the shared services.”
UNIT4’s public sector customers were strongly represented at the packed London Guildhall, nominated all-in-all for six awards. In addition to the team from NHS Camden, Agresso customer Kettering Borough Council also triumphed, with its ICT team winning the “Best ICT delivery team” award.
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About UNIT4
UNIT4 is a global business software and services company aimed at helping dynamic public sector, and commercial services organisations to embrace change simply, quickly and cost effectively in a market sector it calls 'Businesses Living IN Change' (BLINC)™. The Group incorporates a number of the world’s leading change embracing software brands including Agresso Business World, our flagship ERP suite for mid-sized services intensive organisations and Coda, our best-of-class financial management software.
In the UK we focus strongly on the public sector, where we are the leading provider of ERP systems to local government and post 16 education organisations, as well as having a considerable presence in the emergency services and health sectors. We also focus strongly on professional services organisations and a range of commercial sectors including Financial Services, Retail and Media and Publishing. Overall we aim to be the UK’s foremost business software company, providing solutions that transform the delivery of public services and comprehensively support commercial organisations in their ability to adapt and prosper in rapidly changing environments.
With operations in 17 European countries, as well as 7 countries across North America, Asia Pacific and Africa and sales activities in several other countries, its revenue was €421.7 million in 2010. UNIT4 is headquartered in Sliedrecht, the Netherlands and has over 4,000 employees. It is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and is included in the Amsterdam Midcap Index (AMX). For more information on UNIT4 or any of its operating companies, please visit the website at www.unit4.com, follow us on Twitter @UNIT4_UK
