Issue - meetings

On 15 April 2015, East Sussex and Surrey County Councils established a transformative public sector partnership, ‘Orbis’, with the vision to deliver a fully integrated and compelling business services offer to the public sector.

Orbis is truly innovative and has aspirations to become the ‘Compelling Alternative’ to providing business services to the public sector. In developing the partnership, emphasis has been placed on enhancing the experience for Customers within a sustainable cost envelope.

The partnership will achieve this through engaging in leading, digitally-driven solutions which provide a solid platform for meeting future needs. 

It is imperative that business services for both East Sussex and Surrey County Councils are delivered in a way which enables front line services to respond to the needs of residents quickly and seamlessly.  Both Councils also need to realise efficiencies which can be used to protect the services residents value the most. Orbis provides the platform for this through increased economies of scale and pooled expertise.

Orbis has a unique aspiration to grow beyond the two Founding Partners of East Sussex and Surrey County Council, to become one of the largest shared services providers of its kind.  With the two Founding Partners, Orbis has a combined budget of £65m and employs 1400 staff. There has already been a positive reception from  peers, and other county, city and district councils have begun to engaged with an appetite to join the partnership. This will ultimately place Surrey in the centre of a wider network, increasing opportunities for people, and being recognised publically as the public sector provider of choice.  

Following Cabinet approval in February 2015 to establish the partnership, detailed work has been undertaken on Cabinet’s request to produce a three-year business plan for the partnership, which was endorsed by the Orbis Joint Committee on 28 September 2015.  Consequently, Cabinet is being asked to approve the investment proposal and roadmap for integration contained within the business plan. 

[The decision on this item may be called in by the Council Overview Board]

RESOLVED:

1.           That the Orbis business plan, approved by the Orbis Joint Committee on 28 September, and the roadmap for the integration of services, as described in the plan be noted.

2.           That the one off investment (SCC share £4.7m) required to deliver the benefits (SCC share £5.6m recurring) through off-setting of investments against benefits in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) (2016-21) be approved in principle.

3.      That the SCC share of the initial investment in the programme team up to 2017/18 be approved and IT costs for 2015/16 which is £862,000, be funded from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund initially, where investment precedes benefits, otherwise to be off-set against benefits.

Reasons for Decisions:

The development of Orbis to date demonstrates the strength of the partnership between the two Councils, and the ability to become a ‘Compelling Alternative’. The Orbis programme must continue to drive momentum through scale and pace, to deliver the ambition which is predicated on the expertise and passion of staff, and to remain focussed on Customers in order to realise better outcomes for residents. 

Any form of innovation carries a level of inherent risk, and by identifying these early, keeping stakeholders informed, and taking the required action to mitigate accordingly, the projected benefits outlined can be achieved.

In order to complete the Orbis story, and achieve full projected benefits, Cabinet’s endorsement and sign-off of the next level of investment is required.

This investment is necessary to realise the full benefits of Orbis, including better business services for customers, and therefore residents.  In addition, by creating a dynamic and innovative environment for staff, they will be enabled to contribute to realising confidence in Surrey’s future.

[The decision on this item may be called in by the Council Overview Board]

The Cabinet Member for Business Services and Resident Experience introduced the item and explained that on 15 April 2015, East Sussex and Surrey County Councils established a transformative public sector partnership, ‘Orbis’, with the vision to deliver a fully integrated business services offer to the public sector.

She highlighted that it could present opportunities to bring in other partners in the future alongside new ways of working and that a great deal of work had taken place.

She explained that the business plan set of how the vision would be achieved and the story so far.

The Deputy Leader of the Council stated that he thought it was a terrific project and paper and it was great that two councils had come together and made savings and that he fully supported it.

RESOLVED:

1.           That the Orbis business plan, approved by the Orbis Joint Committee on 28 September, and the roadmap for the integration of services, as described in the plan be noted.

2.           That the one off investment (SCC share £4.7m) required to deliver the benefits (SCC share £5.6m recurring) through off-setting of investments against benefits in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) (2016-21) be approved in principle.

3.      That the SCC share of the initial investment in the programme team up to 2017/18 be approved and IT costs for 2015/16 which is £862,000, be funded from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund initially, where investment precedes benefits, otherwise to be off-set against benefits.

Reasons for Decisions:

The development of Orbis to date demonstrates the strength of the partnership between the two Councils, and the ability to become a ‘Compelling Alternative’. The Orbis programme must continue to drive momentum through scale and pace, to deliver the ambition which is predicated on the expertise and passion of staff, and to remain focussed on Customers in order to realise better outcomes for residents. 

Any form of innovation carries a level of inherent risk, and by identifying these early, keeping stakeholders informed, and taking the required action to mitigate accordingly, the projected benefits outlined can be achieved.

In order to complete the Orbis story, and achieve full projected benefits, Cabinet’s endorsement and sign-off of the next level of investment is required.

This investment is necessary to realise the full benefits of Orbis, including better business services for customers, and therefore residents.  In addition, by creating a dynamic and innovative environment for staff, they will be enabled to contribute to realising confidence in Surrey’s future.

[The Chairman moved to item 14 after this item concluded.]