However, gaining a place on tender lists and succeeding through the many procurement requirement hoops now has a further high profile hurdle: INFORMATION SECURITY. The loss of some very high profile data (the child benefit debacle, laptops left on trains, disks and CD’s going astray and the recent news of T Mobile account details being sold on) has raised eyebrows and brought the subject to the top of the public sector agenda.
 

Any contract award will obviously be based on the core service provided, but Ministers and Public Sector mandarins are ensuring that not only is their own house in order but that their key suppliers also have their data security systems managed robustly and to the same exacting standards.
 

Standards such as ISO27000, one of a number that Statius has years of experience of supporting companies gain and maintain, have never been so pertinent. The requirement for the strict management of information security is not just for larger “prime” contractors, but also the numerous smaller organisations operating in their supply chains.
 

Obviously, with many public sector services being outsourced, this means that the pre-qualifying and bidding processes are beginning to turn the spotlight on information security.  It also means that any “prime” contractor has information security responsibility for the whole of the supply chain associated with their contract.

One contract round recently completed nearly fell at the last hurdle because these issues had not been adequately and rigorously addressed.  The result was a last minute scramble to build the assurance case before the contract could be properly awarded.

Statius can provide peace of mind through our range of information security services; from a basic health check to a full audit against the IT security standard ISO 27001 or even assistance with implementing an information security culture.  

We are also planning a seminar on information security in the public sector and ISO 27001 early in the New Year.  If you would like to assure your place or discuss any of these issues please call Mark Woods on 07976 426 286 or email him at mwoods@statius.uk.com

Following on from a recent Buyer Beware newsletter, NQA, one of the accredited certification agencies, has recently undertaken a survey with some very revealing results.

The research surveyed 250 directors of UK SMEs and was published under the banner of “Managing with Certainty”.  The research compared companies with and without certification, finding that they were:

 
It was also found that directors of companies with certification felt more able to access new markets, had higher levels of customer satisfaction and were more likely to be legally compliant.

Paul Simpson, technical manager for the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) said “There is no doubt that effective management systems enable organisations to focus on their important processes”.

(Adapted from an article in Quality World October 2009)

The event will focus on two related themes which are increasingly business critical in these difficult times.

• Reducing Cost: Internal waste accounts for 5 - 40% of turnover in any organisation.  Elimination of that waste by improving business processes puts £££s straight to the bottom line and keeps it there year after year.
• Environmental Waste: With Copenhagenonly weeks away, we are increasingly aware that we need to live more lightly upon the Earth.  Now environmental credentials are becoming critical requirements for approval to join public and corporate supply chains; to say nothing of customer and employee retention.  We look at how reducing resource usage, cutting costs and obtaining recognition go hand in hand.

We would be delighted to see you at 8.30am on Thursday, 3 December 2009 at the Thames Innovation Centre in Erith (near Dartford and conveniently located just 8 miles from the M25 and a short walk from Belvedere railway station).  Please just let us know if you would like to attend or, alternatively, book your place by email enquiries@carnw.co.uk

Field Textiles receives up to 15 articulated lorry loads of goods for disposal each week, which previously would have gone to landfil.  The Company sorts and grades the goods received and is responsible for resale of the used product.  Historically, the statistics for the contract were in the region of 65% to landfill and 30% being recycled.  Through innovative approach and hard work, Field Textiles is reporting monthly figures of less than 0.5% of waste to landfill and 0.18% recycling, meaning that the rest of the product is being reused.

This year, Field Textiles was approached to enter the Basildon District Business Awards in the area of environmental awareness.  A tough judging panel visited the Field Textiles warehouse with Matt from Statius providing the support and guidance.  Matt was asked to attend the awards ceremony on behalf of Field Textiles and accepted the award at the gala dinner.

UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the only national accreditation agency recognised by government to assess organisations that provide evaluation services.

However, whilst accredited certification is not a legal requirement it has a number of potential benefits.  Independent research carried out by Databuild earlier this year (April 2009) suggests that 58% of the organisations surveyed stipulated accredited certification in their prequalification questionnaires, a trend mirrored by the public sector who confirmed that it is are looking to increase confidence in its supplier base by insisting on accredited certification.

UKAS suggest that the reasons for this can be traced to the 2007 Regulators’ Compliance Code which is a central part of the Government’s better regulation agenda.  The code aims to embed risk-based management thinking into the regulatory framework and a key component of this is via the enforcement of recognised accreditation systems.

However, it is not just large businesses and the government who see the value of accredited certification, organisations like the CBI, Federation for small businesses and the IOD all recommend accredited certification.

There are a number of agencies offering quick and cheap, non UKAS, certification and many organisations use their services only to find that they are not acceptable to their client base.

Mark Woods from Statius comments “Very sadly, we usually find at least one or two clients a year that have progressed down this road only to find that they have to start again implementing more robust procedures and practices that actually reflect their business and add real benefit.”.

However, there are risks that we don’t seek, risks we need to plan for, and those we want to positively avoid.  We need to ensure that businesses can plan its future and mitigate any risks to ensure its survival.

These risks come in many different shapes and sizes and after a number of major, if not spectacular, bank and company failures, these risks are usually discussed under the rather academic banners of “business continuity” or “corporate governance”.

Recent research by the Business Continuity Institute examined the impact on the UK economy from disruptions caused by everything from IT outages to bad weather and supply chain problems.  It found that 40% of organisations in the UK suffered from at least one disruption and estimated the cost of downtime at £11.1bn.

Additionally, other reports, particularly the Turnbull report, suggest that organisations need a system for identifying and assessing risks not directly associated with the management of the business but which, with the right (or wrong) environment, could damage the business or cause it lasting harm.

Mark Woods of Statius commented “….even in the good times, problems of this nature hurt …. in the current climate they can and will be the difference between survival and failure”.

This is an evolving area for management systems and there are a number of standards which set out good practice and can be used as a checklist against which organisational processes can be tested.  The information security management standard ISO 27001 focuses, as its name suggests, on IT.  There is also another standard, ISO 25999, which takes a broader view of business continuity management.

Bio Diesel Background (techie stuff)

Biodiesel is a clean burning bio-fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a Biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with no modifications.

Biodiesel is biodegradable, non-toxic, carbon neutral and is essentially free of sulphur and aromatics. Biodiesel has been around for over a century. Dr. Rudolf Diesel actually invented the diesel engine to run on vegetable oil and in-fact when he presented his engine at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, his engine was running on a fuel derived from peanut oil. Prior to his death in 1913 he stated that:

“The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils, and it will considerably help the development of agriculture in the countries which use it.' and 'The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become, in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.”

However, due to the low cost of mineral oils at the time, his engine was modified to run on such oils.

Biodiesel is made through a process called transesterification (that’s a long word), whereby the glycerine is separated from the vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products - Biodiesel (Mono-alkyl ester) and glycerine (a by-product used in soaps and other products).

One for the accountants

A simple breakdown of the cost of producing Biodiesel.

Ups and downs

So what does it all mean?

Other forms of alternative fuel technologies are available such as total biomass fuels, ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, electricity, methanol, and p-series fuels.  With current vehicle technology and existing cars on the road the following conclusions can be made:

1. Biodiesel can offer a reliable, reasonably simple, relatively cheap (once set up has been paid for) alternative to traditional Diesel fuel.
2. Unfortunately as with most fuels there is an associated issue with the long term sustainability of the product with raw material production impacting the environment and availability of the used raw product (most environmentally friendly way of producing Biodiesel) a problem.

What is for certain is that the current trend of fossil fuel burning cars cannot continue.  With the Earth’s resources being swallowed up in the greed of today’s society, and the associated impact that has on the air quality, resource depletion, and carbon emissions, a solution to alternative fuels for cars needs to be found.

Matt Lear (Management Consultant)

As well as maintaining the Standard, Investors in People have introduced additional Bronze, Silver and Gold recognition to acknowledge the achievement of those organisations that wish to work beyond the Standard.

There is also an additional long-service award which has been created to recognise the commitment of long-standing users of the Standard.  Mark Woods, MD of Statius, commented "We have always taken the view that no two organisations are the same and that there is a relationship between the inherent flexibility of a management standard and the performance improvement that can be delivered.".

A schematic of the new standard is shown here and more information can be found on the IiP web site (www.investorsinpeople.co.uk).

The strategy paper follows research by Innovas that the UK is, astonishingly, actually already the world's sixth largest low carbon economy and employs 880,000 in low carbon jobs.

The paper has been summarised in a pamphlet "Low Carbon Industrial Stragety: a Vision" which outlines both Government plans and highlights companies that are already taking advantage of a low carbon economy.

Presciently, at the launch, Peter Mandelson, the Business Secretary, said "Low carbon is not a sector of our economy: it is, or will be, our whole economy.  A low carbon industrial strategy must seize the opportunities that will come with change.  That requires a new industrial activism for a new green industrial revolution.".

For more information http://interactive.berr.gov.uk/lowcarbon.

The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 raises the maximum fines that can be imposed in the lower courts and gives high courts and magistrates the power to imprison employers for a greater number of offences.  Natasha Freeman, president of the Institute of Occupational Health and Safety commented “This is the first piece of legislation that recognises that a health and safety manager may not be in control of an outcome; even if an action is recommended, then a director may not take action.  Now it won’t necessarily be the health and safety manager who is responsible…”.

• One day directing safely
• One day working safely
• Two day supervising safely
• Four day managing safely

Should you require more information on how these courses might be able to help staff in your organisation, please contact Mark Woods on 07976 426 286.

Rothamsted has built an enviable international reputation as a centre of excellence for science in support of sustainable land management and its environmental impact.  The scientific research undertaken ranges from genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and soil processes to investigations at the ecosystem and landscape scale.

Statius, having previously worked with the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) www.nerc.ac.uk, was asked by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRS) www.bbsrc.ac.uk to work with the Rothamsted Institute on their march towards the prestigious and internationally acknowledged environmental management standard ISO 14001.

Matt Lear of Statius conducted a gap analysis over the summer of 2008 and Mark Woods is now very happy to report that, following a meeting with both the Rothamsted and BBSRC teams on 8 January 2009, go ahead was given to execute the recommendations made in the gap analysis and to aim for assessment to the 14001 standard early next year.