Strategic Partnership in Crisis - Bedfordshire County Council

Bedfordshire County Council agreed a £267m Strategic Service-Delivery Partnership with HBS Business Services Group in June 2001 and transferred 550 staff to HBS. Bedfordshire UNISON commissioned the Centre for Public Services to undertake an evaluation of the Strategic Partnership. The study revealed that the partnership was in crisis and had failed to deliver many of the contractual commitments. The report – Strategic Partnership in Crisis – was published in April 2005 and highlighted how the strategic partnership was not delivering improved services or new jobs.

See the following review of the report: Public service union UNISON has called on Bedfordshire County Council to terminate a £260 million business process outsourcing contract after publishing a dossier of evidence to support their case.