Business Support Integration Programme

The Assignment

Peterborough City Council’s Business Support function had been outsourced for 13 years. In that time, the Councils approach to delivery, its use of technology, operating model and the key outcomes required for its residents had drastically changed, but the support offered through this contract remained largely unchanged.

On 1 April 2024, approximately 115 posts and £4m of resources from Serco were transferred in-house, joining around 140 existing council business support posts with a value of £5m. This created a complex landscape of more than 250 roles that required integration, redesign, and alignment with the council’s strategic objectives. The council commissioned 31ten to deliver a comprehensive transformation programme to modernise business support, increase value for money, and realise substantial savings.

The Role

Working closely with Peterborough, the 31ten team undertook a phased approach to this review initially undertaking a discovery phase to establish a baseline of the current business support provision, before developing and testing the opportunities identified with key stakeholders. More detail on each phase is outlined below:

Phase 1: Discovery and baseline view

Undertook interviews with key stakeholders within the central Business Support function to understand the activities their teams undertook and their views of the current challenges and opportunities.

Interviewed Executive Directors, Service Directors & Heads of Service to gather information about the current business support provision and understand their vision for the future business support operating model.

Worked with HR to review the establishment and identify Business Support roles based on job titles/grades (job families) within the relevant service areas.

Analysed a sample of job descriptions to understand current business support roles.

Developed a business Support activity survey to better understand the activities completed, time spent and knowledge required for a range of business support roles. Detailed analysis was then completed on the survey results to provide further insight into the current breakdown of business support provided.

Phase 2: Design and business case

Based on the findings from the discovery phase, we developed a model incorporating a range of improvement opportunities, which were tested and refined through five stakeholder workshops and multiple one-to-one meetings.

We designed a hub-and-spoke model, centralising transactional services while maintaining specialist “cliented” support aligned to individual directorates.

Key processes were redesigned with a focus on automation, technology adoption, and ERP system implementation.

A centre of excellence and self-serve hub was established to drive consistency, efficiency, and self-sufficiency across the organisation.

Potential benefits were identified, and a detailed implementation plan was developed, outlining practical next steps, activity prioritisation, critical success factors, key risks, and workstream dependencies.

Phase 3: Implementation

We led the design of the new organisational structure, including job roles, profiles, grading, and costings.

We supported consultation with staff and stakeholders to ensure smooth engagement and buy-in.

We coordinated the phased rollout of new processes, structures, and technology across the Council.

We oversaw transition activities to maintain stability and continuity of service delivery during the implementation process.

Key Outcomes

Detailed analysis was undertaken to ensure Peterborough understood the current level of business support being provided across the Council and how this was impacting service delivery.

A sustainable and future-ready business support function was delivered, providing greater value for money and enhanced service quality through a streamlined hub-and-spoke model combining centralised transactional services with specialist directorate support.

Created a centre of excellence and self-serve hub to embed best practice and empower staff.

A new organisational structure, including job roles, grading, and transformation requirements, was successfully designed and implemented.

Improved efficiency and agility through automation, process redesign, and ERP-enabled delivery.

Approximately £3 million in annual savings were achieved, representing more than a 30% reduction in the cost of the original business support function.