Bramble.cc’s information management expertise enables City Corporation to make a smooth transition to a new SharePoint 2010 environment

The City of London Corporation has selected Bramble.cc, the information management experts, to replace its legacy document management applications with an enterprise-wide implementation of Microsoft SharePoint 2010.

The City Corporation, which provides local government and policing services for London’s ‘Square Mile’, the financial and commercial heart of Britain, had three separate document management systems to manage information in key areas such as social care, pensions and planning.

Graeme Quarrington-Page, IS Business Strategy Manager, City of London Corporation, said: “We decided to migrate our disparate document management systems to a single, integrated information management system based on SharePoint. We selected Bramble.cc to enable the implementation because of its SharePoint expertise, and because it was able to meet our tight deadlines and provide the best value for money.”

Bramble.cc’s services were purchased via the Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions). Bramble.cc is a leading Government Procurement Service ‘Framework’ supplier and provides services that enable enterprises in the public sector to maximise the benefits of SharePoint 2010.

Richard Archer, Managing Director, Bramble.cc said: “Many public sector organisations struggle with information and documents in different formats and on different systems. We enable them to implement a single, cohesive information management framework based on SharePoint 2010. We are pleased to be working with the City of London Corporation to put this framework in place to ensure that they achieve their efficiency and cost saving objectives.”

The six-month SharePoint implementation project at City of London Corporation is expected to be completed by March 2012.

SharePoint 2010 is software from Microsoft for implementing systems to enable better information management. It includes tools for: electronic document and records management (EDRM); collaborative working; electronic forms and workflow; web content management; portals; enterprise search and business intelligence.

Feeling the benefit of DM

The Managing Director of Bramble.cc, Richard Archer, has an article in the lastest edition of Conspectus – Workflow, BPM & Document Management – for September/October 2011.

In the expert opinion piece “Feeling the benefit of DM”, he highlights what effective information management can do for the bottom line. The article begins…

Today there is pressure on all companies and organisations to cut costs by 10-20% over the next year or two. The question is where are those savings going to come from? Answer: through implementing a common and controlled information management environment.

The fact is, in the information age, most organisations spend an inordinate amount of time creating, reading, manipulating, storing and sharing documents and other data. They are knowledge-based or, to be more accurate, information-based.

Click here for access to the full article.

For more information on how Bramble.cc can help your business and make you significant savings, email contact@bramble.cc or call 020 7735 0030.
]]> http://bramble.cc/latest-news/conspectus-article/feed/ 0 http://bramble.cc/latest-news/webinars-2011-10-12/ http://bramble.cc/latest-news/webinars-2011-10-12/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:16:47 +0000 emotive http://bramble.cc/?p=1733 SharePoint Webinar Series

Bramble.cc is pleased to announce a series of webinars covering the implementation of Microsoft SharePoint and better information management.

These are thirty minute briefings during lunchtime, covering a set topic, and are freely available for everyone to attend over the Internet

The current schedule is:

• Wednesday 2nd November 2011 at 12.30 – SharePoint ’10 for 10′
• Tuesday 15th November 2011 at 12.30 – Benefits Quantification
• Wednesday 30th November 2011 at 12.30 – SharePoint 2010 Demonstration

To book your place on the webinar or for further information, please email contact@bramble.cc with your contact details or call 020 7735 0030.

Software Application Solutions available until December 2012

The recent announcement by Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions) that the Software Application Solutions framework would be extended for a year has been welcomed by Bramble.cc.

“This will allow our public sector customers to continue to purchase new solutions through an SME in CRM, case management, document management, EDRM, content management and website design for a further year”, remarked Roland Cunningham, Partner Director at Bramble.cc. “This proven procurement channel enables the UK public sector to realise real value for money and obtain shortened procurement cycles.”

He also noted that contracts, once placed on the framework, could last for up to seven years, potentially allowing our solutions and services to run up to December 2019 for end customers.

Streamlined business processing with ‘while you wait’ claims processing

Cornwall Council is improving customer service to revenues and benefits claimants across the county with a £170,000 EDM and workflow platform from Bramble.cc Limited using Civica. We started the system implementation on June 1 and completion is scheduled for December this year.

Civica is a partner of Bramble.cc on our framework with the Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions), through which the contract is placed. Civica is a market leader in specialist systems and business process services that help organisations to achieve a more cost-efficient way of working.

Using Civica’s software, the income & assessment teams in Cornwall’s Shared Services will speed up revenues and benefits processing with one single platform for scanning and administration of the 3,000 documents and communications they receive every day. Cornwall – which is one of the largest unitary councils in the country – collects £250 million in council tax, £146 million in business rates and pays out over £212 million in benefits annually.

The new system’s workflow capabilities will automatically allocate casework to staff, reduce business processing times and improve management of overall workloads.
In addition, Civica EDM and Workflow enables barcoding of documents, simplifying records management for the estimated 800,000 items held on the revenues and benefits database.

The new implementation continues the authority’s consolidation of operations. Cornwall’s revenues and benefits processing will be administered from three main centres from November this year while the new system will provide improved performance for ‘while you wait’ benefits processing from local offices in the future.

In addition, revenues and benefits staff will have flexible options such as home working in the future, because our platform will integrate with all offices’ ICT systems.

Claire Johnston, project manager, Shared Services, Cornwall Council, commented:
“To cut processing times for our customers, we need a single scanning and administration platform. Bramble.cc and Civica fitted the bill with faster business processes and better integration into our revenues and benefits system. We’re particularly pleased that our service teams will be able to do their own development work on the software modules to further customise our services to customers.”

Richard Archer, Managing Director of Bramble.cc, commented: “The Bramble.cc choice and implementation of the Civica software will help Cornwall’s Shared Services to continue to bring down revenues and benefits processing costs while offering a better, faster service at local offices that are spread out across a very large geographical area.”

Bramble.cc Limited awarded another framework agreement by Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions) for Local Government Software Application Solutions

Bramble.cc is delighted to announce that it is now a successful supplier on the Local Government Software Application Solutions framework agreement, reference RM865, from Government Procurement Service (formerly Buying Solutions). Bramble.cc has been awarded supplier status on 8 out of 9 Lots, more than any other supplier.

The Framework Agreement is intended for use by Public Sector Bodies who require Software Application Solutions to address business service areas within the local government sector. This includes Local Authorities and others such as Police Forces, NHS Bodies, Education Establishments, Third Sector and Charities, who are carrying out the functions of local government.

The Local Government Software Application Solutions framework agreement was designed in consultation with Local Government stakeholders for the provision of Software Application Solutions that support the various functions of Local Governments, e.g. Planning, Social Care. The Government Procurement Service (formally Buying Solutions) is working in partnership with Pro5 to deliver efficient procurement solutions for local government and to bring greater savings through collaboration across the UK public sector.

The framework extends our service offering by adding to our existing Government Procurement Service framework agreements for ICT Consultancy & Delivery Services (RM 591), Software Applications Solutions (RM 713), and Digital Continuity (RM 848). This new framework commenced on 27th July 2011, and will remain in force for two years with the option for two further one-year extensions.

“This is another fantastic win to add to our current framework contracts. As a small SME, we have worked hard with like-minded SMEs to establish a procurement route into the Public Sector. Our belief is that partnering with SMEs offers a true alternative that is responsive, empathetic and provides value-for-money.” Roland Cunningham – Partners Director, Bramble.cc.

Through this new framework agreement, Bramble.cc can supply application software (e.g. packages or bespoke), whether on a licensed/rental/subscription basis, and goods and/or services which are necessary for the implementation, delivery and operation of this application software. This includes everything from consultancy and business change, through design and system build, to integration, training, support and hosting, in the following areas:

• Lot 1: Management & Finance – Revenue, Benefits and Finance
• Lot 3: Social Care & Education – Social Care
• Lot 5: Social Care & Education – Libraries, Museums and Leisure
• Lot 6: Communities – Electoral Services
• Lot 7: Communities – Social Housing
• Lot 8: Environment & Public Protection – Waste and Environmental Health
• Lot 9: Environment & Public Protection – Highways and Transport
• Lot 10: Environment & Public Protection – Planning

Benefits of Government Procurement Service framework agreements

The Government Procurement Service frameworks provide multiple benefits for the public sector organisations who procure services from suppliers on the agreements:

• An efficient, fully EU-compliant route to market
• A standard, pre-agreed call-off contract structure and terms and conditions
• Expert advice and guidance on using the framework agreement
• Provision of management information
• Benchmarking activity to ensure continued value for money
• Supplier management and audit
• Shared information on best practice.

About Government Procurement Service

Government Procurement Service, an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, is the delivery arm of Government Procurement. It’s overall priority is to provide procurement savings for central government, health and all organisations across the UK public sector with a focus that delivers expert sourcing, category and centralised data management.

Through the centralisation, standardisation and aggregation of spend on common goods and services they deliver significant, sustainable cost reductions to Government. The value for money, commercial procurement solutions are fully EU compliant covering energy, property and facilities management, office solutions, professional services, travel, fleet, IT commodities (including telecommunications and networks) and eCommerce.

Contact: Government Procurement Service Press Office
Tel: 0345 410 2222
Email: pressoffice@buyingsolutions.gsi.gov.uk
Web: www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk

About Bramble.cc

Bramble.cc is the UK’s leading independent specialist in information management. Bramble.cc transforms organizations to focus properly on their information. This begins by re-designing and improving the structure of a client’s information, then implementing a programme of change to realign the business and its people with its information, involving technology as necessary. This management-of-change approach results in consistency, standardization, control and integration of information.

Our offerings are supplemented by our extensive partner network. We work with niche suppliers and SME organisations to provide ICT solutions across the Public Sector that meet the stringent requirements of ROI.

Please click here to go to our main Government Procurement Service (Buying Solutions) supplier page, which describes the frameworks and our services in more detail.

For more information on how Bramble.cc can help your business, email contact@bramble.cc or call 020 7735 0030.

Bramble.cc Limited awarded a framework agreement by Buying Solutions for Digital Continuity

Bramble.cc is delighted to announce that it is now a successful supplier on the Digital Continuity framework agreement from Buying Solutions. The new framework has arisen from the work of The National Archives’ Digital Continuity Project, which assists the public sector in ensuring essential digital information is complete, available and usable for as long as it is needed.

The framework extends our service offering by adding to our existing Buying Solutions framework agreements for Software Application Solutions and for ICT Consultancy & Delivery Services. The framework commences from 17th January 2011, and will remain in force for two years with the option for two further one-year extensions.

Bramble.cc can supply Information Management Services through the new Digital Continuity framework agreement, including expert advice and support services for:

• undertaking enterprise wide audits of information to determine factors such as type, volume, usage and location
• developing and implementing retention schedules for information
• delivering efficiencies and improving value for money by analysing business processes dependent on information and implementing new information management systems, policies or procedures
• developing and implementing information architecture based on file plans, vocabularies, taxonomies, ontologies or metadata schemas
• undertaking information risk assessments, including assessment of compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements and with other information or records management standards as appropriate.

Benefits of the Buying Solutions framework agreement

Buying Solutions frameworks provide multiple benefits for the public sector organisations who procure services from suppliers on the agreements:

• an efficient, fully EU-compliant route to market
• a standard, pre-agreed call-off contract structure and terms and conditions
• expert advice and guidance on using the framework agreement
• provision of management information
• benchmarking activity to ensure continued value for money
• supplier management and audit
• shared information on best practice

About Buying Solutions

Buying Solutions is the national procurement partner for all UK public services and is part of the Cabinet Office’s Efficiency and Reform Group.

Its role is to maximise value for money for government departments and organisations across the wider public sector through the efficient procurement and supply of vital goods and services.

Buying Solutions delivers best value by aggregating demand, managing the OJEU procurement process and providing ongoing management of framework agreements and other procurement arrangements thereby saving you time, money and effort.

Serving customers in central government, the health sector, local government and the wider public sector, we provide access to trusted, EU-compliant framework agreements and other sustainable procurement solutions.

Contact: Buying Solutions Press Office
Tel: 0345 410 2222
Email: pressoffice@buyingsolutions.gsi.gov.uk
Web: www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk

About Bramble.cc

Bramble.cc is the UK’s leading independent specialist in information management. Bramble.cc transforms organizations to focus properly on their information. This begins by re-designing and improving the structure of a client’s information, then implementing a programme of change to realign the business and its people with its information, involving technology as necessary. This management-of-change approach results in consistency, standardization, control and integration of information.

Please click here to go to our main Buying Solutions supplier page, which describes the frameworks and our services in more detail.

For more information on how Bramble.cc can help your business, email contact@bramble.cc or call 020 7735 0030.

The phrase started as “web content management,” which referred to the manipulation of the words and pictures inside the web page itself by applying style sheets and such like. So the inside of the web page – the content – was indeed controlled and manipulated and changed. The phrase was coined by Stellent, I think.

So this made sense at the time, but now all the talk is of “content” and “content management” and “enterprise content management”, which means something different.

Standing back for a moment, what is “content”? It’s the information itself, the inside bit. Then there’s the other bit, the “metadata” or tags, which is different to the content. (Let’s leave for another day any discussion about the accuracy of “metadata” as a term).

So, I have a document here. Its name, date of creation, author and so on are its metadata. The part that isn’t the metadata is called the content.

Document = content + metadata

Except that somehow we’ve allowed “content” to also mean the entirety, so that a document is often referred to as a piece of content. In other words,

Content = content + metadata

The best you could say about this use of language is that it’s illogical, slack and confusing. And it doesn’t exactly give a good impression to the rest of the world that our industry knows what it’s talking about. Using the word content like this has presumably come about from the phrase “content management”, and perhaps also the fact that there isn’t another, better word. Document is a fairly good word, although a video isn’t exactly a document in a usual sense, unless you allow a very broad usage. “Record” has its own connotations. “Information item”, perhaps, although this doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

And, in a content management system, managing the content is exactly what you aren’t doing. If you’re doing anything, you’re managing (controlling, manipulating) the metadata part of the information item (or whatever we call it). The content is left entirely alone – if you’re going to change this, you check it out (by manipulating the metadata) and use Microsoft Office or similar, if electronic, or a pen, if paper. So “metadata management” would be a much more accurate phrase.

So please don’t use “content management” or “enterprise content management” (even worse) unless you’re really meaning web content management. And please don’t use “content types”, or even “content” when you really mean the entirety of the piece of information.

Information management is a much better phrase than content management, for all the reasons above, or even that old faithful of electronic document and records management – which really is almost the same thing.

Bramble.cc is now on Twitter. Follow us for the latest news and blogs in information management.

We have worked with a number of central and local government organisations in the last year to help them eradicate excesses and deliver efficiencies.

Employing our benefits quantification toolkit, we have helped several organisations identify millions of pounds worth of benefits that can be realised through simply standardising their information management practises.

Looking back on this work, we have begun to notice some common themes for benefit opportunities across the public sector, namely:

Reducing time wasted hunting for information – administration and middle management staff often complain to us that they waste their time hunting for information on a daily or weekly basis. This results in them taking longer to complete tasks and can lead to missed or postponement of deadlines as staff are unable to find information in time, or have to wait until colleagues become available to ask to forward documents. Since this issue affects so many staff on a frequent basis, we have found that the benefits of improving information management standards to be considerable.

Reducing duplication of work – staff are aware that corporate information (such as presentations, documents, diagrams, customer correspondence) is continually being reinvented because staff do not have access to previous work or can not find it easily. Other organisations we have worked with who carry out research are aware that duplicate research is commissioned because of poor access to records.

Reducing time wasted identifying the correct version of a document – administration and middle management staff have often raised this issue of lack of version control on the information generated by their organisation. This leads to time being wasted trying to identifying the correct version of a document or updating out-of-date information. This common complaint can be simply rectified and can have a significant quantifiable impact on staff productivity.