News: Capita loses DWP contact centre contract

A £40m Government contract will no longer be delivered by Capita in Rotherham but one of the new contract holders is keeping jobs in the Dearne Valley.

Capita's customer management business had been managing ten enquiry lines on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at its large call centre in Manvers - help lines for: the state pension; pension credits; Jobseekers Allowance; Jobseeker Direct; National Insurance number allocation, national benefit fraud reporting and the winter fuel allowance.

Now the DWP has concluded another tender exercise with the contracts for the helplines split into two separate packages.

Starting this month, Contact Centre Services Package A, worth £20.9m and initially running until 2021, has been award to G4S Outsourcing. Contact Centre Services Package B, worth £16m and also running until 2021 initially, has been awarded to Serco Ltd.

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Serco said it would deliver the work from its Knowsley contact centre on Merseyside but G4S has said it would deliver its work from Rotherham - the firm has a contact centre at the Callflex Business Park in Manvers.

Although TUPE regulations apply, Serco said during the tender exercise that "we do not anticipate that many individuals will transfer from Rotherham to Merseyside."

G4S said that it expects "80% of eligible staff will transfer to G4S" and added: "that we will recruit the additional staff from within the local Wath-upon-Dearne area."

Package A includes dealing with claimants wishing to use the telephony channel to make a new claim to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), supporting online JSA claims, pension credit claims and enquiries, state pension enquiries and the Winter Fuel enquiry line.

Job numbers were redacted in the tender documents so it is not clear what affect the change in provider will have in Rotherham.

G4S also revealed that it had 100 applicants for 15 FTE posts during a recent recruitment drive. It followed the closure of the EON site on the same business park.

Capita purchased Ventura and the Rotherham site in 2011 as part of a £65m deal. It currently operates contracts for the likes of O2, British Gas and William Hill in the Dearne Valley.

The Government's Crown Commercial Service established a contact centre framework last year, naming 14 preferred suppliers for public sector contracts. It included Serco and G4S but not Capita.

Capita website
G4S website
Serco website

Images: Capita / Telereal Trillium

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News: G4S secures new Rotherham office

Leading international security solutions group, G4S, has signed the lease for 10,657 sq ft of office accommodation at Callflex Business Park in Manvers, Rotherham.

G4S specialises in outsourcing of business processes in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat. Contracts range from securing sporting or entertainment events (including stewarding at Rotherham United's New York Stadium) to 25-year government contracts for the construction and management of prisons.

With a head office in Crawley, G4S is the largest employer on the London Stock Exchange, with operations in more than 120 countries and over 620,000 employees.

The Dearne Valley area has already attracted a wealth of high profile occupiers including NEXT, Keepmoat, South Yorkshire Police and RBS.

Unit 2 at Callflex Business Park is owned by commercial property management and investment company, Telereal Trillium. Joint agents CBRE and Lambert Smith Hampton acted on behalf Telereal Trillium and G4S were unrepresented in the deal.

Rob Darrington, associate director at Lambert Smith Hampton in Sheffield, said: "Callflex Business Park suited G4S' requirement for modern, well-positioned office space in the South Yorkshire area. The lease that they have signed until 2018 will enable them to service a new contract they have secured."

Ben White, surveyor at CBRE, added: "Following this recent deal, we have a further 24,500 sq ft available to let within Unit 2 at Callflex Business Park and look forward to welcoming additional occupiers in due course."

G4S website
CBRE website
LSH website

Images: G4S / CBRE

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News: G4S at the NYS

G4S Secure Solutions (G4S), the UK's leading security company, has been awarded a three year contract with Rotherham United.

From July, G4S will be providing a range of security services at the club's new site, the New York Stadium, including car parking marshals, crowd searches, ticket checks and stewarding.

The £20m, 12,000 seater stadium is nearing completion on the site of the former Guest & Chrimes foundry, close to the town centre.

G4S will secure the club's first game at its new site, for a pre-season friendly against Barnsley FC on July 21. The first competitive fixture has been confirmed as the League Two game against Burton Albion on August 18.

G4S' existing portfolio of professional football clubs includes Manchester City and the new contract follows the business' temporary work with The Millers during their time playing at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield.

Eric Alexander, managing director of Regional Security at G4S Secure Solutions, said: "We are delighted with our new partnership with Rotherham United Football Club and are looking forward to developing our relationship and supporting the transition to their new stadium.

"It is great to be expanding our footprint in this part of the country and we are looking forward to using our extensive experience to provide a seamless security solution whilst expanding our football credentials."

Paul Davis, stadium manager at Rotherham United, added: "Having worked with G4S previously during the transition between our old and new stadiums, we are confident that they can provide the expertise required to ensure the safety of our players and fans at all times."

Recruitment is underway.

G4S website

Rotherham United website

Images: 1925 Club / twitter

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