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Matrix SCM - Latest news

2011-10-11T13:48:22Z

October News

Matrix Launches Next Generation of SCM.Net

SERVICES procurement leader Matrix SCM is launching the next generation of its services procurement technology platform.

The Matrix SCM.net platform is also being renamed - SProc.Net - to reflect the advances which have been made with the system in the two years since it was developed by Matrix SCM. The new name has also been chosen to avoid confusion which can arise between the company - Matrix SCM - and the product - Matrix SCM.net.

Some of Matrix SCM’s clients also want to brand the Matrix SCM technology as their own and the company did not want to be constrained by SCM being both a reference to the technology and to Matrix SCM the company.

The new name - SProc.Net - is an abbreviation of Service Procurement - a clear, simple description of the sector in which Matrix SCM works and in which the technology platform delivers results.

Sproc.Net also incorporates a number of key features on which Matrix SCM wants to capitalise. It can operate as a dynamic procurement system (dps) within services procurement and is dps compliant.

Julian Young, Matrix SCM, CEO, commented: “When we initially launched the product, SCM stood for Supply Chain Manager. However, as the company and the product has evolved, we wanted a product name which more directly reflected what Matrix and our technology does.

“As our technology delivers the full services procurement process, from start to finish with our 12-step process, we believe SProc.Net is the perfect name for the product and the future.”

4th October- Services procurement leader Matrix SCM is launching the next generation of its services procurement technology platform. [..]

Public Sector Switches to Matrix SCM

MATRIX SCM is becoming the services procurement category experts of choice for a growing number of local authorities and public sector organisations.

Three councils have recently appointed Matrix SCM to provide their services procurement category requirements having previously had contracts with another procurement provider.

Wyre Forest DC and Malvern Hills DC are the latest councils to switch service provider to Matrix SCM.

The two contracts are the latest in a number of new contracts which Matrix SCM has secured via call-off and mini-competitions from the MSTAR Framework which has been set up and managed by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO).

Matrix SCM now has the highest number of new contract wins gained off the back of the MSTAR contract compared with any other organisation on the framework. Julian Young, Matrix SCM, CEO, commented: “We supply services procurement expertise, swift implementation and a system that delivers great results. In an age when councils and other public sector organisations such as the NHS and police authorities are looking to streamline services and make them more efficient, we provide the answer for their services procurement category spend.”

2nd October- Matrix SCM is becoming the services procurement category experts of choice for a growing number of local authorities and public sector organisations. [..]

Matrix SCM Supports Social Care Agenda

THE benefits of SProc.Net to the social care agenda have been highlighted to leading public sector decision-makers.

Procurement leads and social care managers attended a children’s/young person’s care and commissioning conference at which Matrix SCM jointly presented a workshop with Claire Smart, Director of Strategic Procurement at Gloucestershire County Council.

SProc.Net which can operate as a dynamic purchasing system was highlighted at the workshop as an example of how technology can help councils deliver a better quality of care, despite ever decreasing care budgets.

Delegates heard how SProc.Net is being used by Coventry City Council in order to achieve greater efficiencies and cost savings through better use of its existing framework contracts. Coventry City Council has seen a significant decrease in spot purchasing of care requirements since the implementation of SProc.Net.

Andy Weston, Matrix SCM Sales and Implementation Director commented: “SProc.Net is the technology platform of choice for public sector organisations who want greater choice, greater control and greater efficiencies for their service procurement activities.

“Being invited to attend conferences such as this is a significant acknowledgement of our widening reputation for expertise in this sector.”

1st October - The benefits of SProc.Net to the social care agenda have been highlighted to leading public sector decision-makers. [..]

Matrix SCM - Latest news

2011-10-11T13:48:10Z

September News

Magnificent Seven for Matrix SCM

MATRIX SCM has scored another success in the country’s largest region, signing up its seventh council to its Matrix SCM.net technology.

The councils have adopted Matrix SCM.net – the company’s innovative services procurement technology which simplifies the process of buying services for public sector organisations. They are using it to streamline and automate the end-to-end process of procuring service providers and engaging temporary staff delivering the same, or better, services at dramatically better prices.

Savings on the cost of engaging temporary staff should be around 12% for the seven councils who spend around £15M a year on temporary agency staff.

The councils now using the technology are Calderdale, Kirklees, The East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, Barnsley, Wakefield and North Yorkshire.

Said Andy Weston, Matrix SCM Sales and Implementation Director: “Government legislation is placing far greater emphasis on non-procurement professionals taking on more responsibility for day-to-day purchasing decisions.

“Matrix SCM.net creates a system for users which takes the guess-work out of procurement and blends the best procurement practices, clients’ own buying policies and an agreed set of procurement guidelines and parameters. The end result is a platform for procurement which delivers best quality services at the best price.”

And Julian Young, Matrix SCM, CEO, commented: “Matrix SCM.net has been developed to help councils and other public sector organisations, such as police authorities and the NHS, to make significant savings in the costs of services procurement.

“The seven Yorkshire and Humber councils are using Matrix SCM.net to engage temporary staff but now they have acquired the technology, they can apply it to the full range of services procurement categories to achieve further savings and efficiencies.”

19th September - Matrix SCM has scored another success in the country’s largest region, signing up its seventh council to its Matrix SCM.net technology. [..]

Force First for Matrix SCM

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Police Authority has become the first police authority in the country to acquire Matrix SCM’s innovative procurement technology to buy temporary staffing services.

Matrix SCM won the contract to supply the technology under the first mini-competition to be held on the MSTAR framework agreement, set up by the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO).

Matrix SCM.net went live, after a three-week implementation, on September 5. It gives Northamptonshire Police Force the ability to procure providers who can supply temporary agency staff to the authority more efficiently and the Force expects to cut its expenditure on this by more than 4%.

Deirdre Newham, Chair of Northamptonshire Police Authority said: “Implementing Matrix SCM.net has been a simple, cost-effective exercise. Its use will contribute to Northamptonshire Police Authority’s commitment to getting best value for budgets and ensure our back office support is of the highest quality.”

Said Andy Weston, Matrix SCM’s Sales and Implementation Director: “Matrix SCM is the leading supplier on two of the lots on the MSTAR contract based on price. Our Matrix SCM.net technology platform consistently provides clients with a procurement process which secures services at best price and best quality.”

And Julian Young, Matrix SCM, CEO, commented: “Northamptonshire is using Matrix SCM.net to engage temporary staff but now they have acquired the technology, they can apply it to the full range of services procurement categories to achieve further savings and efficiencies.”

And he added: “The Matrix SCM.net system works equally well for organisations with small buying requirements or larger buying requirements. Implementation can be fast-tracked for 2nd generation buying organisations, as has happened in the case of Northamptonshire Police Authority and they can begin to see the benefits of using the system very quickly.”

16th September - Northamptonshire Police Authority has become the first police authority in the country to acquire Matrix SCM’s innovative procurement technology to buy temporary staffing services. [..]

Matrix SCM - Latest news

2011-10-11T13:47:58Z

May News

Award-Winning Performance

Matrix SCM has won a prestigious award in partnership with Coventry City Council.

The company has won the Care Innovator Award, part of the Great British National Home Care Awards.

It’s won it as a result of a new procurement solution – Matrix SCM.net – developed for Coventry City Council’s social care function and now making considerable savings for the local authority on the cost of commissioning personalised care.

The Great British National Home Care Awards recognises those individuals and organisations who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within the care sector.

The Care Innovator Award has been given to Matrix SCM and Coventry City Council because they have demonstrated ‘exceptional entrepreneurial skills in identifying, developing, implementing and establishing a new product that shows innovation and delivers benefits for staff and users’.

Said Julian Young, CEO of Matrix SCM: “Both Coventry City Council and Matrix SCM are delighted to receive independent recognition from Social Care experts including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Department of Health, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Skills for Care.”

25th May - Matrix SCM has won a prestigious award in partnership with Coventry City Council [..]

Matrix SCM - Latest news

2011-10-11T13:47:48Z

April News

Sparkling News for Matrix SCM

THE Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) has named Matrix SCM as one of six preferred suppliers on the Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR) framework.

MSTAR has been commissioned to help with the placement and use of temporary staff across all council services, educational services, police forces and fire and rescue services. And Matrix SCM has been ranked first in two of the categories and second in the other category for the three lots on the framework.

Matrix SCM will deliver a wide-range of benefits to organisations calling off contracts with the company under the MSTAR framework, including reducing expenditure on temporary agency worker, increasing efficiency and reducing the amount of time spent on ordering and manging temporary agency workers, ensuring the quality of temporary agency workers is maintained and improved, providing accurate and up-to-date management information which can be used for strategic business decisions and incorporating, and implementing any requirements resulting from the Agency Workers Directive (AWD).

29th April - The Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) has named Matrix SCM as one of six preferred suppliers on the Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR) framework [..]

Matrix Finds Seeker Solution for North West

COUNCILS in the North West have appointed Matrix SCM to deliver its ‘Seeker Solution’.

Salford City Council, acting on behalf of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the Lancashire Procurement Hub has contracted Matrix SCM as its vendor neutral provider of consultancy services – called the Seeker Solution.

The Seeker Solution is open to all AGMA, Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire local authorities, as well as any fire and rescue authority, police authority, transport authority, educational establishment, arms length management organisation and health trust situated within their boundaries.

It’s believed that the AGMA and Lancashire councils can save in the region of £3M a year on the costs of engaging consultants using Matrix’s vendor neutral service.

The Matrix SCM model will deliver authorities a more streamlined, co-ordinated and efficient approach to the sourcing and management of consultants and, under the new contract arrangement Matrix SCM will provide the local authorities with a range of benefits including a single point of contact for the sourcing of all consultancy requirements, a web-based system allowing for the automation of each stage of the transaction process from requirement creation through to supplier payment and a competitive bidding process, designed to maximise cost savings on each and every requirement.

Anyone who would like more information about the contract, contact James Crawley, Category Manager at james.crawley@matrix-scm.com

If you are a supplier and are interested in joining the supply chain for this contract, contact the Matrix SCM enrolment team at supplier.enrolment@matrix-scm.com

20th April - Councils in the North West have appointed Matrix SCM to deliver its ‘Seeker Solution’ [..]

Matrix SCM - Latest news

2011-10-11T13:47:37Z

January News

Matrix SCM secures two new temporary staffing contracts

Matrix SCM secures two new temporary staffing contracts Connect Housing and Fabrick Housing Group.

17th January - Matrix SCM secures two new temporary staffing contracts Connect Housing and Fabrick Housing Group. [..]