NCS forms JV for partnership wtih Waveney DC

14 July 2008

NCS Ltd has won a major partnership contract, worth over £120m with Waveney District Council that builds on the success of similar agreements it has with a number of other local authorities.

Under the new partnership, frontline services in the Waveney area – including street cleansing, refuse collection, car parking and maintenance of parks and open spaces – are to transfer to a new company as of 1st July 2008. The work is initially valued at around £8.2m a year, with a 15-year contract period. Both Waveney District Council and NCS Ltd are convinced the change represents best value, enabling further improvements to service quality, efficiency and delivery.

NCS Ltd is a specialist in FM and contract services through strategic partnership arrangements, and says that the JV will benefit residents, bringing economies of scale and greater investment in equipment. Initially, the new partnership will focus on driving efficiency and developing business growth using expertise from across the NCS group. NCS Ltd beat off stiff competition from private sector rivals to win the contract, which has involved the creation of a new partnership company known as Waveney Norse.

Waveney Norse is a JV between Waveney District Council and NCS Ltd and will see the transfer of 160 staff who currently work for the council to the new company.

Stephen Ardley, Portfolio Holder for Health and Well Being at Waveney District Council, said: “This Joint Venture Company will operate some of the most the prominent, public-facing services we provide. It was our aim to ensure continuous improvement and sustainability of services and find a partner that shared our objectives of providing a first class service that offered increased customer satisfaction. It was therefore essential that we retained our influence and the Council will be represented on the board.”

NCS Ltd brings strength and expertise to the partnership, built up through similar, successful partnerships it operates with North Norfolk District Council, Suffolk Coastal and Great Yarmouth Borough Council to provide environmental services and building maintenance services.

Peter Hawes, Managing Director of NCS Ltd, commented: "Our commitment to delivering excellent customer care in an efficient, cost-effective way has seen our portfolio of public/private partnership arrangements go from strength to strength. We have pioneered this approach – which replaces traditional client/contractor relationships – to create strategic partnerships that can not only improve services but make best use of the public purse."