Established in 1993, the company manages a network of 6,000 interim executives and independent consultants in the successful fulfilment of client assignments in gap management, , programme/project management, turnaround and change management etc,. The company also offers the same potential clients five consultancy solutions, that are subcontracted to our five pre-selected consultancy providers; a competitive advantage under the ims brand. the company’s market place includes the private and public sectors, where it enjoys excellent relationships and secures a large amount of its business through high profile government departments, local government, nhs etc. There is a very high percentage of referrals and recommendations due to the reputation of the company and excellent repeat business with key accounts. the network of interim executives and independent consultants offers access to a portfolio of skills and experience across most business sectors and the full range of business functions at day rates generally in the range of £500 to £1100 per day to the interim executive. The company facilitates continuous professional development for interim executives whilst on assignment. as a professional services company it understands its market place and provides resources for delivering a blended approach that provides the appropriate solution for every client, either interim management or consultancy. The company applies the principles of ethical trading whenever it impacts on the business. equipment: software: microsoft office on each pc and licences for swift cv plus visual (a interim executive and client customer management system and free text searchable cv database) back up software and microsoft exchange server. hardware: windows small business server windows 2000/2003 server 3 pc’s 2 laptops miscellaneous, e.g. Router , ups, tape drive, firewall etc clients: the company has an excellent reputation and a diverse client base, the vast majority being in the uk public sector. A smaller percentage is from the uk private sector and further investment in the marketing of the private sector could certainly attract more business in the future. the company’s strategy is to also treat the interim executives on its network as if they are clients. customer service: customer care and customer satisfaction is a number one priority. The company has a commitment to delivering a superior service and prides itself on the quality of the service that is delivered. The team demonstrate a deep understanding of a client’s business requirements and is responsive, helpful and intuitive, providing a personalised and professional service at all times this company is the first choice for many clients, with its excellent reputation for keeping in close touch with clients to make sure that the interim executive’s performance is satisfactory and that the assignment objectives are achieved and on time. This commitment to customers care guarantees repeat business. the company is iso 9001:2008 accredited for its quality management system and is an equal opportunities company. Many unsolicited testimonials are received from interim executives of the relationship management exercised by the office staff and account managers. quality assurance: iso 9001:2008 quality management system accreditation for the supply of interim executives and consultancy to public and private sector clients in the uk. key strengths: the company seldom loses clients as evidenced by the proportion of repeat enquiries. The percentage of repeat enquiries has grown; in the period april to september 2008 it was 32% from 4 clients, in the period october 2008 to march 2009 it was 40% from 7 clients and in the period april 2009 to october 2009 it was 83% from 9 clients. the iso9001:2008 quality management system sets procedures for the provision and account management of interim executives on assignment and includes the issue of regular feedback questionnaires to clients and interim executives. Furthermore, it sets annual quality objectives. All of which helps to generate referrals and testimonials from clients and interim executives. the introduction of five consultancy solutions to supplement the core interim management business and a quality brochure illustrating these is a recent innovation that is increasing potential client’s interest in the company’s core business. growth and expansion: 1. The company is achieving excellent growth in repeat business and the new department of health/nhs framework agreement for the provision of interim executives provides an excellent platform for business growth in this sector. 2. The immediate recruitment of an additional senior sales consultant would improve the success rate in turning interim enquiries into assignments and also increase the flow of enquiries from the department of health/nhs framework agreement, whilst at the same time reducing the cost of general overheads per assignment won. 3. The company is part of a consortium seeking a place on the framework agreement for the supply of interim executives to central government and the whole public sector for two to four years. The consortium has been successful at the pre-qualification stage and is currently awaiting a decision on its tender. key opportunities: 1. Secure business for the consultancy solutions (optional, as none awarded to date). 2. Develop interim assignment opportunities from existing client contacts. (work in progress) 3. Expand opportunities into other divisions of existing clients. (work in progress) 4. Expand the client base following the appointment of the company from 1st june 2009 to a two to four year framework agreement for the supply of interim executives to the whole of the uk health sector. A monthly email marketing campaign to 2,500 health sector organisations was commenced in june 2009. (work in progress) note: the only other substantial framework agreement the company has won was for the provision of interim executives to central government and the whole public sector for 4 years from 2003 to 2006. This framework agreement, a predecessor to the framework agreement mentioned above in growth & expansion item 3, resulted in the company’s turnover increasing from £750k to £3.1m and gross margin from £95k to £450k between 2003/4 and 2006/7. 5. Expand opportunities into other divisions of the company’s two channel partners, namely a large national accounting practice and a large national legal practice. (work in progress) 6. Secure a commercial agreement with a small software business in order to leverage interim opportunities from their 400 existing local authority clients. 7. Market the uk private sector as approximately 50% of the 6,000 interim executives in the company’s network have experience largely in the private sector. Note: a few years ago the turnover in the private sector was much greater than that of the public sector. 8. Develop relationships with four neutral vendors where the company is an approved interim supplier to more than 30 local authorities and a housing association.
