Chesterfield appoints arvato partnership to create efficiencies, transform services and protect employees

“Our first priority in Chesterfield is to protect and enhance public sector jobs and services. Where, as in this situation, we partner with other bodies like arvato we will work innovatively and proactively to give the best service to residents and promote inward job creation for Chesterfield's economy.”

Cllr John Burrows, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council

New partnership

challenge: to produce savings and protect jobs

Chesterfield Borough Council faced the dilemma of how to deliver an excellent service to local residents and businesses, while simultaneously making financial savings. The Council was open to looking at new ways of working but protecting the jobs of its workforce was also a major consideration. It decided it could best meet the challenge by taking advantage of arvato’s extensive public and private sector outsourcing experience; and signed a 10-year partnership agreement with arvato (the lead partner), and Kier to deliver a range of key finance, customer service, information and property services.

solution: to make efficiencies and investments

Over the course of the contract, the arvato partnership plans to transform the quality of services, produce more than £4 million in cost savings, and invest £1.7 million in new technology and infrastructure. There will be investment in a modern customer service centre that will help make Council services more accessible to local residents. As part of the public-private partnership agreement, 170 Council employees were transferred to arvato and 34 to Kier, all on their current terms and conditions.

successes: why Chesterfield chose us

• arvato was the only provider that could deliver the Council’s requirements for savings, investments and staff protection; and that would endeavour to bring jobs to Chesterfield as part of the regional regeneration programme
• The Council was confident that the arvato partnership had strong values that aligned and integrated well with its own
• arvato’s strong outsourcing track record in the public and private sectors, combined with its genuine partnership ethos, were significant additional factors supplying credibility

services: looking after people and property

• Customer services
• Revenues and benefits
• Debt recovery
• Collection of rent
• Accounts payable
• Invoice processing
• Strategic & transactional HR
• Payroll
• Organisational development
• ICT
• Reprographics
• Asset management
• Engineering maintenance
• Facilities maintenance