Combined Office Interiors Ltd sells a wide range of office furniture to commercial companies but was keen to expand sales into the huge and 100% creditworthy Local Authority market. It already had an attractive website as part of its marketing programme, but this was purely an “online brochure”, designed to help support first introductions to their range. They became aware through one of their target Local Authorities (Bristol City Council), that this level of online capability was not enough, given the requirement from the Government on all councils to purchase all their goods and services online before the end of 2005.

Solution
Because time and expense had already been invested in their website Combined Office approached @UK PLC® and asked if that could be adapted to trade electronically with public sector customers, using the @UK PLC® network to carry orders and invoices securely to and from the authorities. The exercise was completed in a matter of 3-4 weeks and cost significantly less than the original set up of their non-functional site.

Benefits
“This was like putting petrol in an empty car” says Combined Office Chairman, Paul Parrin. “ Suddenly we could approach local authorities all over the south of England and offer to help them solve their problem. Authorities could purchase all the office furniture they need at specific prices already arranged with us, cut out all paperwork and meet their government target. This approach made us more efficient too. Our business continues to boom. Being able to supply online has undoubtedly been a major factor in this. Put it another way, after the end of this year it seems would not even have been able to trade with Local Authorities at all if we had not taken this step. This would now be a major loss to our overall turnover”.

County Tyres already traded with a number of Local Authorities, supporting both their heavy commercial vehicles with tyres and exhausts and also saloon vehicles provided for key council workers. They wanted to ensure that business in this important sector continued after 2005. Their public sector customers were telling them that action was needed, given the directive upon all Local Authorities to move onto e-procurement.

Solution
A trading web site was set up for County Tyres on the @UK PLC® website, allowing local authority customers to select the appropriate item for their vehicle and to create an official order linked to their council back office financial system.

Benefits
Managing Director Brian Duguid said “Typically we have dozens of separate transactions a day coming from a single authority a day, creating considerable administrative work. This system cuts out this manual administration. The cost of setting up a trading website on @UK PLC® was very small, and its benefits are already becoming clear. As several of the councils in our trading area come on stream for e-ordering as 2005 progresses we will be in a great position to meet their requirement for e-capable suppliers.

Frank Pratt is a traditional family-run firm of timber merchants and joiners serving the construction trade and local authorities in East London . Their local authority (London Borough of Newham) is one of the leading local authorities in the UK as regards e-procurement, and strongly encouraged the company to become e-nabled for Internet trading

Solution
Having no existing website @UK PLC® PLC was invited to create a full trading site for the company, able to handle the full range of both standard product lines and requests for bespoke work from Boroughs such as Newham.

Benefits
Christian Pratt says “ We have been taken through a considerable learning curve in a very short space of time. From having never even dreamed of being an online company we are now happily able to take orders and requests for quote. This is without doubt the way forward for all UK companies. We are very grateful for the patience and support of @UK PLC® staff who have always been extremely patient and helpful.

For further reading please also see the following PDF files;

Dell
Office Depot
Hadley EHS Ltd
Cambridge Asphalte
Cannon Hygeine
Lyonesse
Safety Surfaces
Frank Pratt
County Tyres Motorcare
Combined Office Interiors