Support Services Transformation
Client Context
Central Bedfordshire Council sought to transform its corporate support services to improve efficiency and deliver significant cost savings. Human Engine was engaged to conduct a review of CBC's support services, with the goal of identifying duplication, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement across Finance, HR, ICT, Business Support and Administration, Commissioning and Procurement.
Our Approach
In collaboration with CBC, Human Engine undertook a comprehensive review of the existing support services model, focusing on resourcing, processes, systems, and organisational culture. The process included:
Staff Engagement: Conducted workshops, interviews, and surveys with staff across the council to gather insights and understand the current operational model.
Process Mapping: Utilised process mapping techniques to identify inefficiencies, such as unnecessary approval steps and frequent errors in workflows.
Benchmarking and Data Analysis: Assessed workforce structures, performance data and third-party spend, comparing it to industry benchmarks to identify areas for potential savings.
Key findings included inefficiencies in the approval process, a high occurrence of mistakes and fragmented resources across HR, ICT, and Finance. These insights informed the development of actionable process efficiencies and transformative opportunities.
Outputs and Outcomes
Human Engine developed a series of strategic initiatives to transform CBC's support services and achieve substantial savings totalling over £17 million.
Employee Service Centre: Establish a centralised internal contact centre to handle routine queries related to HR, ICT, and Finance. Identification of savings of £4.1 million through the consolidation of resources, harmonisation of pay, and enhanced self-service opportunities. Improved demand management, reducing the operational burden on specialised teams.
ICT Spend Analysis: Identified £1.3 million in savings through the rationalisation of applications and streamlining of ICT spend.
Third-Party Spend Optimisation: Discovered £11.7 million in potential savings through consolidation of disparate spend, use of corporate contracts renegotiating existing terms and more strategic planning in the commissioning and procurement process.
Short-Term Actions for Quick Wins: Implemented immediate, actionable steps to deliver initial savings and build momentum for the longer-term transformation plan.
This transformation has aligned CBC’s support services with its strategic priorities, ensuring better use of resources, improved service delivery and substantial cost savings for the council and taxpayers.
Client Feedback
"Human Engine colleagues were great at working alongside us and creating a ‘team’ feel to the work. They built some strong relationships, and provided a safe space for frank conversations which allowed us to get a greater feel for the needs of the organisation. Their solutions were co-designed and they were successful in producing recommendations that we had confidence the broad organisation would both accept and understand.”
Assistant Chief Executive
Central Bedfordshire Council
About Us
Human Engine is a leading management consultancy with specialisms in strategy, transformation, digital, commercial, procurement and projects.
Founded in 2018, we have partnered with more than 50 local authorities, central government, NHS organisations and national charities to help transform their strategies, operations and cultures.
Our mission is to help individuals and organisations to do the best work of their lives. We do this by blending first-hand, practical experience of the problems we help our clients solve with award-winning consulting expertise and an approach based on trust, collaboration and partnership.