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News

CDS joins 10:10 campaign to cut UK carbon emissions

This year CDS has joined thousands of individuals and organisations from across the country to work together to achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.

Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it’s an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need right now. And by signing up to a 10% target we’re not just supporting 10:10 - we’re making it happen. The success of 10:10 depends on getting everyone involved, and the 10:10 website has all the tools you need to pass the message on far and wide. We need to start spreading the word to every corner of the country, inviting our friends, family, colleagues, customers, competitors – everyone we know – to take part.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting large numbers of people and institutions around immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference. It’s the perfect opportunity to find out what’s possible when we work together.

Telegraph makes video masterclass featuring CDS

The Telegraph made a Masterclass video about CDS for their online Business Club website.

To view our film, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/
2. The page will display a media player VIDEO MASTERCLASS on the right hand side with a menu running directly below it
3. Our film will be located in the top three on the list, click the Play button on the media player and enjoy!

If you are reading this article a few months after publication (1 October 2009), you may have to click through to the Master Class video section of the website to see the film.

CDS ranked in Design Week Top 100

In the Design Week Top 100 UK agencies, CDS was ranked 5th largest digital agency and 7th largest desgin for print agency in the UK.

CDS wins VTCT print management contract

Leading Print Management Company CDS beat several of the biggest players in the market place to secure the contract to provide Print Management Services recently tendered by VTCT. The contract launched on 1 June 2009 and runs until 1 June 2012.

VTCT is a charitable organisation providing vocational qualifications for the hair and beauty industry. They wished to let a contract to provide printed workbooks and assessments to training centres across the UK and the world.

They wanted a supplier that would look at their communications strategy as a whole; migrating from a heavy dependency on paper by converting all products to electronic media to make them accessible for users to download and print. Documents would be accessible through the VTCT website.

CDS Print and Logistics Director, David Burton said: “CDS was successful in winning the work because we could demonstrate systems and technology that will enhance VTCT’s existing system – enabling them to deliver their next generation services. We are able to provide clients with a 21 st Century, end-to-end solution from print to web.”

CDS will deploy its innovative Print Portal, Template Central and CDS Digital Asset Management solutions and, as added value, provide graphic design and editorial services as well.

VTCT's Chief Executive Dr Stephen Vickers said: "We are delighted to be working with CDS. They will both provide us with a better service to the colleges at lower cost to us and prove an excellent partner with whom we can grow and develop in the coming years. This is a crucial partnership for us."

CDS is successful in becoming a participating contractor on FATS/3

Having been on the first Ministry of Defence’s Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS), CDS went on to become a contractor on FATS/2 and now we are delighted to announce that CDS has been successful in becoming a participating contractor on FATS/3.

FATS was developed to enable fast and efficient procurement of Technical Support. Technical Support is defined as ‘the provision of applied technical knowledge’ and includes Technical Studies, Project Support, and Engineering Support.

FATS provides a faster and more efficient contractual route to procure Technical Support as it offers pre-agreed contract terms and conditions, rates and discounts, and it uses standard Tasking Forms.

FATS Participating Suppliers have mapped their capabilities onto the FATS Technology Taxonomy, and this information is available to the Acquisition Community via a Microsoft Excel based search tool called the Market Knowledge Matrix.

FATS can be used by all Ministry of Defence (MoD) Integrated Project Teams (IPTs), Business Units and Departments, and other Government Departments and Public Bodies.

CDS Defence Support Director Richard Bradley said, “To become a participating contractor on FATS/3 we had to demonstrate that we can deliver world class solutions and the highest levels of service.

We look forward to continuing to provide technical publications and engineering support to our existing clients and winning new work under this Framework.”

OGCbuying.solutions changes name to Buying Solutions

OGCbuying.solutions, the national procurement partner for UK public services, announced today that it is changing its name to Buying Solutions from 6 April 2009.

It is also withdrawing the Catalist and Managed Services sub-brands in order to focus on developing Buying Solutions as a single, unified brand.

CDS will continue to offer the same wide-range of web design, hosting and associated services to the public sector, which we had supplied under the Catalist framework.

CDS’ London office moves to larger premises

We are delighted to announce our CDS London office has moved half a mile to new larger premises close to Clerkenwell Green. We opened for business as usual in our new office on Monday 9 March 2009.

Creative Services Director Tony Mawson said "This move reinforces our belief that London will be a significant growth area for CDS. The new office is larger than our previous premises and can comfortably accommodate a bigger team. It will also have 'hotdesks' for staff coming in from other sites to work on specific London based projects offering extra flexibility to our clients."

The new offices are in a secluded but vibrant area. The building itself is an old paper flower mill and retains much of its industrial charm and quirkiness. In the more recent past the building was owned by Pink Floyd and they recorded the album The Wall on the top floor. Hugh Grant also used the building, in fact our exact office, as “his apartment” in the film About a Boy. Of course now it looks completely different.

Please make a note of our new address and new telephone number for your records, our email address’s will remain the same.

Corporate Document Services Ltd
1 Sekforde Street
London
EC1R 0BE

t: 0207 107 2880
f: 0207 490 4417

Download a PDF of our "We are moving" card.

CDS appointed to Environment Agency Roster

We were in the news again, this time in Design Week magazine. CDS has been appointed to the newly formed Environment Agency roster on internal and external communications projects.

You can read the Design Week story online by clicking on this link (opens in a new window).

CDS in the news

Print Week magazine has written an article about CDS’ latest investments in our Aylesbury Digital Print unit. You can read the full article online by clicking here (opens in a new window).

If you would like to know more about our state-of-the-art digital print facilities please fill in our contact form and mark it FAO Paul Meersman.

Essex County Council and CDS received a highly commended certificate for the design of EssexWorks magazine at the 2008 Good Communication Awards held at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

The judges said, “The magazine’s bold, confident design serves to draw readers in, as do the bite sized length of news articles, and the mix of news items and longer, more in-depth features. EssexWorks makes every effort to engage and involve readers – even inviting them to be involved in the design by shooting the front cover of the June edition in a popular photography competition open to all residents.”

Corporate Document Services (CDS) reaches regional final of £35 million entrepreneur challenge

Leading UK corporate communications company, CDS, won recognition in the North East England regional final of the Bank of Scotland Corporate, in association with the Sunday Times, £35 Million Entrepreneur Challenge.

During the awards ceremony in York on 4 November 2008, the judging panel praised CDS for its achievement in being one of the top five outstanding businesses in the region.

Keith Low, Director at Bank of Scotland Corporate in Leeds, said “CDS has been a huge success since the management buyout took the company private from the public sector. They have since provided the public and private sector with highly innovative publication and communication services, which has resulted in year on year growth.”

CDS was launched in 1994, after a management and employee buyout from the public sector. In 2000 CDS became part of The Baird Group. The management team used their unique experience in the public sector to establish a strong market presence, currently 70 per cent of clients.

The company provides a comprehensive range of services which include editorial, journalism, graphic design, online solutions, business software applications, print management, document logistics, technical and engineering publications and support.

From one location and 50 employees CDS has grown organically and now employees 200 and has offices in Leeds, London, Belfast, Cheltenham, Aylesbury, Norwich, Kingston Upon Thames, Chelmsford and Sutton. Turnover has grown to over £25million.

Ian Southall, Managing Director of CDS, said, “We are delighted to be recognised as one of the North East’s outstanding businesses. Our sustained organic growth is the direct result of hard work, a great management team and everyone at CDS applying their experience, skill, insight and intelligence to produce clear, award winning corporate communications, internet and publishing solutions.”

You can find more information and see a short video interview with Ian Southall on the Bank of Scotland Entrepreneur Challenge website.

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CDS wins Gold CIPR PRide Award

Leading corporate communications, internet and publishing company Corporate Document Services (CDS) won the Gold Award for the best magazine at the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire CIPR PRide Awards which were held at Queens Hotel in Leeds on 5 November 2008.

The winning magazine plus is produced in print and online editions and is for everyone working in Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), whatever their role, grade or location. There are over 70,000 people across the UK, working in Jobcentres, benefit processing sites and contact centres.

CDS’ journalists, editors and designers work with the DWP communications team to produce plus magazine. CDS also prints the magazine and provides digital solutions to create an online plus for the DWP intranet.

The PRide Award judges said: “This publication has clear aims to communicate the work of Jobcentre Plus to staff. It achieves this well, pitching the language appropriately and choosing a design that makes the publication easy to read. Articles on how to deal with clients, case studies and new Jobcentre Plus initiatives are spot on for the target audience. A recent evaluation endorsed the relevance of the magazine and provided evidence that it boosted moral. Costs are also low - an important factor.”

The CIPR PRide Awards is the only awards scheme which showcases the best PR work being carried out across the UK regions and nations and sets industry standards. There were over 1,500 entries UK-wide this year. The judging process is rigorous with a national panel of industry experts assessing the shortlisted entries and choosing the winners.

Justin McKeown, Chair of CIPR Yorkshire & Lincolnshire said: “PR professionals are often so busy, it is difficult to step back and consider the amazing achievements of some of our work. Anyone who has won a CIPR PRide Award knows the effort that goes into both the campaign and the actual entry process - but winning is a tremendous honour. Celebrating brilliant PR campaigns is important because it inspires greater professionalism in our fast-developing industry and this year’s winners really do have something to be proud of.”

Paul Meersman, Marketing Manager of CDS, said: “We are delighted with the Gold PRide Award. The award recognises the magazine as part of a strategic campaign to engage Jobcentre Plus people with quality writing, design and printing. plus is the result of close co-operation, a real team effort, from CDS and DWP Communications.”

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CDS marathon runners raise money for charity Help for Heroes

CDS’ Creative Services Director Tony Mawson and Manager Aidan Carey participated in the Great North Run on the 5th October 2008 to raise funds for Help for Heroes, a charity that provides practical direct support to those servicemen and women wounded in the line of duty in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They dedicated the run to the memory of James Thompson who tragically lost his life when he was caught in an explosion whilst patrolling on foot as part of operations in the Musa Qaleh area in Afghanistan on 19 May 2008.

Aidan and Tony raised £700 for Help for Heroes.

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CDS joins Carbon Positive scheme

We recently purchased a new printer for our Aylesbury Unit, which qualified us for the Carbon Positive Plus+ scheme – launched by Oce and Shining Earth™.

The scheme was set up to measure the energy requirements for Oce machines, calculate carbon emissions and then take steps to offset these carbon emissions by 200%. This offset activity will ensure that our Oce machine is in fact ‘carbon positive’ because we are offsetting 100% more than required to remain carbon neutral.

As a result, 118 tonnes of CO2 emissions will be recovered through Renewable Energy initiatives, Methane Capture and UK Afforestation Schemes.

Further to this, we will be visited in Aylesbury early next month by a Consultant from Delta Simons (Environmental Consultants) and undergo an Environmental Stewardship Appraisal. At this appraisal, he will look at the entire production facility and advise where we can improve our environmental impact.

CDS has won the CiB Regional Award for Magazine of the Year with plus for Jobcentre Plus.

The magazine is written, designed, printed and distributed by CDS. It goes out to over 70,000 staff across the UK working in local Jobcentres, benefit processing sites and contact centres.

The Awards dinner was a glittering affair held in the Kodak Gallery at the National Media Museum in Bradford.

The CiB judges had the following to say:

"As a boost for employees this magazine must rate highly with them and is a mine of information both the useful and the interesting. And it focuses on the people who do the jobs. This could have been the most boring magazine ever seen but despite the serious nature of its subjects it is written in such a way as to make all the articles and features easily readable and informative.

It is a great mix of ‘need to know’ and ‘want to tell you’ as well as having its useful technical content and the ever popular human stories. Add the thoughtfully written and interesting cover story and the Community 5000 feature and we have one of the best little magazines I have seen for some time. And it is rightly topped with the back page of accolades. Design is very neat and tidy with articles well separated. This together with the judicious use of white space avoids an overcrowded look to add to a brightness overall with thematic colour not overused.

This is a real communicating product and I wonder if the ‘chiefs’ (particularly the politicians) see it. If not they ought to for ‘Plus’ appears to tell it as it is and not just what press releases say."

CDS works together with the DWP Communication Team to produce this this magazine.

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When words are not enough

When words are not enough is the title of the latest article published about the CDS Clarity System, featured in the May issue of Learning Disability Today magazine.

People with learning disabilities say that much information surrounding them is too difficult to understand. Written information in particular is often too long, too complicated or simply too dull to take in. Yet some documents like forms, brochures and reports are important. They help people claim their rights, get payments or services or have a say on things that matter to them. How can we make this information easier to understand?

Key points covered in the article are:

• About making information easier to understand.
• Good information helps people with learning disabilities to claim their rights, payments and services.
• A new law is promoting clearer information for people with learning disabilities, especially about public services like health care.
• We look at an easy-read system. It aims for consistent high quality in documents for people with learning disabilities.

If you would like to read the full article you can download a PDF version. For further information email Paul Meersman or call 0113 3994020.

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CDS wins CiB Award

CDS and the Environment Agency have won an Award of Excellence and the coveted Best in Class Award from Communicators in Business (CiB) for the Environment Agency’s biodiversity report, Creating a Better Place for Wildlife.

The Environment Agency has responsibility to protect biodiversity, with specific requirements to protect key individual species and habitats. These species include both animals and plants. The “Focus on Biodiversity” suite of publications explains what is being done to protect these key species.

The suite consists of:

• A main report providing in depth information and details of key individual species – their background, distribution, health and how we intend to protect them. It is mainly aimed at conservation professionals. The earlier 2001 report is also provided on a CD-ROM attached to the back cover of the printed document.
• A summary document, which provides a high level overview of the achievements and work that still needs to be done.
• A CD-ROM pack containing the report from 2001 plus the new report. The pack reduces the overall number of printed documents required, demonstrating environmental awareness.

The CiB judges said: “The overall design of the publication is very strong with a clean and simple layout that allows key information to be easily accessed by the reader.”

The judges went on to say: “This is a very good marketing tool for the Environment Agency and helps to place the organisation as the definitive reference point in its field.”

The Communicators in Business Awards recognise excellence in business communications in the way organisations communicate with their customers and people. One of the largest annual programmes of its kind in Europe, the 2007 CiB Awards attracted nearly 800 entries, all of which were evaluated through a rigorous, three-stage judging process.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy:

• please visit the Environment Agency web site or their Publications catalogue
• or call the EA on 08708 506506 (Mon-Fri 8-6)
• or email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Journalists can email Paul Meersman or call 0113 3994020 for more information on this story.

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The Baird Group featured in magazine

An article about CDS' parent company The Baird Group has been published by Venture Magazine.

To read an online version of the article please click here (opens in a new window).

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CDS wins MOD Print Management Contract

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded its Print Procurement and Management contract to Leeds based business information management company Corporate Document Services (CDS).

CDS was awarded a three (plus two) year contract with a potential value of £60m after successfully winning a competitive tender advertised through the European Journal. CDS, one of the UK’s top 20 print management companies, competed alongside the UK’s largest print management companies to secure the contract through a competitive process that spanned a year.

The scope of the requirement is vast, covering conventional printing and binding, digital print, scanning and microfiche services and a full interactive, e-enabled storage and fulfilment facility. CDS will be responsible for the effective and speedy replication of technical documentation, the provision of corporate print, marketing materials, printed stationery, magazines and forms and the scanning, as well as archiving and indexing of the MOD’s medical records. To meet the MOD’s specialist scanning and microfiching requirement, CDS will work in partnership with CAPITA CDS, one of the UK’s foremost providers of this type of service.

CDS Managing Director Ian Southall said, “We are delighted with the result. All our plans are in place to deliver this contract. Many of our existing sites will be expanded and will benefit from servicing the contract. It is excellent news for both CDS and the MOD. Our philosophy for the MOD (and all clients) is that CDS must always provide a solution that is win-win.”

Ian continued, “Bidding for a contract of this size requires a significant investment of time and resources not only from CDS but from key suppliers too. CDS has built strong relationships with its suppliers over the years and by working closely together, we have been able to find the best solutions for the MOD that bring benefits all round. “

Users of the contract will include the RAF, Army and Navy as well as specialised departments like the Veterans Agency. The contract is due to commence in April 2007.

Journalists and editors are welcome to contact Paul Meersman for more information.

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Tenet selects CDS and RedDot for secure member extranets

The Tenet Group is working with Open Text’s RedDot Solutions and Corporate Document Services (CDS) to develop Extranet Sites for members and clients.

Tenet Group, the UK’s largest independently owned adviser support group, has selected RedDot Web content management solutions from Open Text™ Corporation (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTC), the largest independent provider of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software and solutions, to enable the delivery of secure information, including industry regulation guidelines, product developments and marketing collateral to members and clients via its extranet sites.

The tailored extranet sites have been developed in conjunction with RedDot Solutions partner, CDS, and will help improve staff efficiency by automating content uploading processes and removing information bottlenecks.

The Tenet Group supports over 5,500 financial advisers with a range of comprehensive services including compliance and research, marketing and training and development. Tenet’s pioneering extranet underpins all the services it provides and offers 24 hour access to support for its members and clients.

By using the RedDot content management system (CMS) workflow from Open Text, Tenet has enabled 10 non-technical editors to upload new information immediately to the site. This will help to remove delays caused by content loading bottlenecks. The RedDot CMS will also help improve workload efficiency for content editors. When required, information that is uploaded to one site can be duplicated automatically across all extranets, removing the need for content to be uploaded manually to each individual site.

John Thompson, Tenet Group IT Director explains: “The finance industry is fast moving and so it is essential that we provide our members and clients with product development and regulation changes as soon as they happen. This ensures advisers can trust the information that we provide, and we remain ahead of our competitors.”

With greater control and ability to audit business and regulatory content changes, we are reinforcing the quality of the Tenet brands as well as enabling business experts to maintain their own content at the speed that each business area develops. This frees up the time of Web design and technical experts to develop new and innovative services for our members and clients.”

Peter Aylward, Managing Director of Open Text’s RedDot Solutions in the UK concludes: “Extranets such as those provided by Tenet Group offer their members secure access to information which is tailored to fit their individual requirements. This improves the information flow between companies, and ultimately aids the development of positive relationships between a company and its members, and between members and their customers.”

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Innovative Queen’s University Belfast chooses CDS to simplify print procurement

Business information management company CDS has been awarded the contract to provide Queen’s University Belfast with a comprehensive managed print service, making the University the first in the UK to go down the route of appointing a print management company.

Queen’s will benefit from an end-to-end service tailored to meet the individual requirements of each client. Print procurement will become easier, simpler and more cost effective for the University.

Tricia Massey, Head of Purchasing at Queen’s University said, “We decided to take the step to engage a print management service after a complete review of the University’s print requirements. The service will allow us to maximise value for money across the procurement of print. Our internal users can focus on their main business activities and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing their print requirements are being handled by experts. We chose CDS because they demonstrated that they can fully meet our current and future requirements’’.

A CDS Account Manager dedicated to the Queen’s University contract forms a key part of the service. The Account Manager will analyse the overall print requirements to identify opportunities to improve efficiency so that Queen’s gets more value from its budget.

CDS will advise on the entire print process including things like choosing the best print format, finishing, design, art working and paper weight and type. The company’s environmental expertise will also be put to full use to ensure environmentally friendly options are chosen.

David Burton, CDS Print and Logistics Director said, “We are delighted to have been awarded the Print Management contract with Queen’s University. As the first university we know of in the UK to appoint a print management company, Queen’s is demonstrating that it is forward thinking, concerned about the best use of its resources and it is striving to achieve best value. We look forward to working closely with the Queen’s staff. As has happened in our other print management contracts we will become a seamless part of the client’s process. I am sure we will be able to deliver substantial savings, help improve efficiency and equally importantly, we will take the worry and hassle out of print buying.”

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CDS profiled in Print Buyer magazine

Print Buyer magazine interviewed Managing Director, Ian Southall for a profile feature about CDS' complete communication solutions. The article focuses in particular on the print management side of the business.

You can download the PDF here.

What our clients said

Following recent projects with Calderdale Council and ProCure 21 we have had two nice quotes which we thought we would share.

We produced a sales and marketing pack as well as ProCure21’s newsletter. Here’s what Julian Calaco, Comms Manager at Procure21 had to say:

“Working with CDS has been an excellent experience. They have been prompt, the service has been good, and the end product always impeccable.”

If you would like to know more about our work with ProCure21 you can read the case study on our website.

And Nicola Futtit, Head of Communications at Calderdale Council, said:

“We presented CDS with an impossible task – work with us to create a sparkling new magazine that would appeal to all our residents, young and old. They rose to the challenge. Working with our small team, CDS has developed a lighter, brighter magazine which reflects the vibrancy of Calderdale.”

You can read the Calderdale Call case study on our website. If you have any questions please email Paul Meersman for more information.

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CDS wins Essex local authorities print framework contract

Several local authorities in Essex have joined forces to share the benefits of a new framework contract for the supply of lithographic print services.

Corporate Document Services (CDS) was selected as one of four suppliers on the framework. This further strengthens the company’s position as a leading print management and business communications company in the region. CDS is already contracted to supply print to Essex County Council and also provides print to Essex Police.

Southend Borough, Chelmsford Borough, Castle Point Borough and Rochford District councils selected CDS as a supplier on the framework contract because of its expertise in the field of print management, its track record of delivering value for money to the public sector and its end-to-end project management service.

Orders secured by CDS under the framework contract, which has an estimated value of £1m per year, will be managed out of CDS’ Chelmsford office. The company has appointed a dedicated account manager to look after the local authorities, ensuring a top quality service and best value. In addition to print expertise the councils will have access to CDS’ other services including its graphic design studio based in Chelmsford.

CDS’ Business Development Manager, Richard Bradley said, “We’re delighted to be on the framework agreement and look forward to putting our expertise in print management to good use. As with our other clients we will take a partnership approach and work closely together with procurement officers to ensure each project is delivered smoothly. Our priorities are to provide value for money and an excellent service.”

CDS uses state-of-the-art technology. Procurement officers have the option to buy print online through the company’s website. Whether buyers choose this option or the more conventional communication channels, they will benefit from high quality products and seamless, professional, end-to-end project management.

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CDS awarded public sector framework agreement by OGCbuying.solutions

CDS' Internet Services department is celebrating another success after being awarded a framework agreement for the provision of IT solutions to the public sector.

After successfully completing a competitive tender process, compliant with EU directives, CDS was awarded a framework agreement, under which it can supply web design, hosting and associated services to public sector organisations.

OGCbuying.solutions’ Catalist framework agreements allow customers throughout the public sector to place orders with CDS under the standard terms and conditions of the agreement.

Catalist is part of OGCbuying.solutions programme to help customers save money by providing public sector organisations with a route to high quality products and services that enables them to buy the things they need quickly, efficiently and at highly competitive prices.

Under the agreement CDS will be able to provide a broad range of IT solutions including web design, development and content management as well as hosting web sites including internet security options if required.

CDS is already a leading supplier of internet, graphic design, copywriting, print and end-to-end business communication solutions for central government departments and several local authorities.

Marketing Manager, Paul Meersman said, “We are delighted to have secured our place on the Catalist framework, which will benefit our customers and our Internet Services department. Catalist speeds up the tendering process by enabling public sector organisations to procure solutions with ease and confidence. Being awarded the framework agreement reinforces our position as a leading supplier of reliable and intelligent IT solutions.”

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