News
Innovative partnership with Hertfordshire County Council
2nd November 2005
The first phase of an innovative partnership between Hertfordshire County Council and Vertex aims to place residents and their needs at the heart of local services as part of a £26 million contract which is set run over a 10-year period.
Monday's launch (31st October) marks the start of a strategic service partnership between Hertfordshire County Council and Vertex – the customer management arm of United Utilities PLC - which is aiming to transform public service delivery and continually improve services for the resident. Vertex has taken on the existing HCC Customer Service Centre and the Consumer Direct Service Centre at Stevenage on behalf of the council and will be looking to implement a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to facilitate continued improvements in council services.
Vertex has a wealth of experience in the public sector and has established partnerships with Thurrock Unitary Council, Westminster City Council and Birmingham City Council. However, the Hertfordshire and Vertex relationship represents a significant step as it is the first county council public sector partnership deal Vertex has undertaken.
During its initial stages, the partnership will oversee the transfer of approximately 100 employees from the council's current supplier, to Vertex's management. This service will support a range of Hertfordshire County Council's services including adult care services, children’s schools and family and environmental issues.
Hertfordshire County Council works with central government and other local organisations to help improve and deliver a range of local services to more than a million people, who live, work and travel in the county. The council has been seeking a partner with Vertex's transformational expertise to help build on existing service delivery and retain its excellent Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)rating each year.
Commenting on the launch of the new partnership, Andrew Warren, Vertex's Managing Director for the Public Sector said, 'The partnership is now in the first stages of the transformation process and will be looking to build business cases for improvements across the council. Vertex looks forward to working closely with Hertfordshire County Council to help deliver key services toits community. We have reached the first phase of the transformation process, having developed over time, an understanding of Hertfordshire’s service issues. The partnership will make progress towards Hertfordshire’s goal of keeping its excellent authority status.'
Hertfordshire County Council's Chief Executive Caroline Tapster said: "We are delighted to be working with Vertex. The company has demonstrated that it delivers excellent customer management services to a wide range of major organisations. We are confident the partnership with Vertex will help us to build upon our success in delivering high quality services to the people of Hertfordshire."
Vertex is sole supplier to Hertfordshire Council and the launch today will promote the start of a wider strategic public sector partnership involving the transformation of Council services through the re-engineering of processes and improved working methods.
