News

2nd March 2010:  Stone Group, a technology solutions provider to the education and public sector, has been appointed as a listed supplier on the Commoditised IT Hardware and Software Framework Agreement from Buying Solutions, the national procurement partner for UK public services and an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) within HM Treasury.  Stone Group is one of only 12 suppliers throughout the UK within Lot 1 – the section of the framework agreement regarding desktop hardware – and will retain this position for the next three and a half years.

Some UK public sector organisations elect to only procure products and services from Buying Solutions, preventing suppliers who are not on the relevant framework agreements from accessing this market. By fulfilling the appropriate criteria, including price competitiveness, high levels of information security and quality customer satisfaction, IT suppliers can earn inclusion within the framework as a listed supplier and therefore be granted easier access to the public sector market, including central government departments, NHS Trusts, Councils and educational establishments.

James Bird, CEO of Stone Group, comments, “Buying Solutions is the only Professional Buying Organisation with the remit to let national framework agreements which can be used by the wider public sector across the UK and we are delighted to be included within its Commoditised IT Hardware and Software framework. It would be no exaggeration to say that this award has the potential to dramatically change our business.”

Buying Solutions is the largest of over 40 Professional Buying Organisations (PBO) in the wider public sector. Whilst the OGC sets procurement policy and best practice to help the UK public sector achieve value from its spending, Buying Solutions delivers practical procurement solutions to customers throughout the public sector.

The procurement process involved completing a comprehensive tender, evidencing excellence in many business areas, including public sector knowledge and experience, sales generation, customer satisfaction, quality of delivery service, price competitiveness and sustainability. Bird adds, “Stone Group has been awarded a framework agreement based upon its proven track record within the public sector, as well as key service offerings such as recycling, support and maintenance. Indeed, The Stone Group is the only UK computer manufacturer with ownership over its own recycling facility.”
Bird concludes, “We have also committed to moving to extensive new premises later this year, including new manufacturing facilities that will treble our output capacity. This move is part of a significant growth and recruitment drive, which will allow us to not only meet our self-imposed growth targets of 30% for this financial year, but will also enable us to comfortably meet the increased demand this Buying Solutions framework agreement may create.”

18th February 2010: Stone Group, the technology solutions provider to the education and public sectors, has been awarded the Investors in People Gold status award in recognition of the company’s continued commitment to improving business performance through its people. Stone Group is one of only 78 companies in the UK to have been awarded the Gold status, which is the highest level that any company can achieve within the newly restructured Investors in People programme introduced last summer.

Investors in People is a non-departmental public body which provides a simple and flexible framework to help thousands of organisations improve their business performance. The model is specifically designed to be versatile in order to match individual business processes and unique company cultures, providing a framework of good practice on how best to run a business. It is used by more than 35,000 organisations in over 50 countries.

Prior to achieving Gold status, Stone Group had previously been awarded the Investors in People Standard recognition for its achievements. As part of the programme, Stone Group is reassessed every three years to ensure the business continues to meet the standards of the accreditation. Having experienced a successful three years since the last assessment with substantial business growth, large scale investment and a number of business acquisitions, Stone Group was eligible to apply for Investors in People Gold status.

James Bird, CEO, Stone Group comments, “We are extremely proud to have achieved the Investors in People Gold award. Empowerment and ownership is key to our organisational success and being recognised by Investors in People at this level shows that we are operating to the highest standards and effectively utilising our biggest asset; which is our staff. To be one of such a small number of UK businesses to receive the Gold standard is a real achievement and something that the whole company is thrilled about.”

Bird continues, “We have invested a huge amount of time, money and resources into the business over recent years to ensure that we are able to provide our staff with a productive, harmonious working environment. Since our last assessment three years ago, Stone Group has grown significantly, taking on over 100 additional staff and opening our own recycling facility to manage the responsible disposure of redundant hardware. As a result of our continued business success Stone Group is moving to new state of the art 90,000 square foot premises in the next few months, which will enable our whole business to operate efficiently under one roof. We have also invested heavily in implementing a new computer system at the new building to ensure that our staff have the most effective tools at their fingertips.”

Bird adds, “Stone Group has undergone a number of significant changes over the past year as the business has grown and expanded into new sectors and industries such as consumer and managed services. It is therefore important for us to provide our staff with the skills, knowledge and equipment they need to enable them to deliver the high standards of quality and service our customers expect.”

Stone Group’s assessment process for Investors in People involved a programme assessor spending seven days at the Stone offices in Staffordshire. Throughout this seven day period a cross-section of staff, including all members of the Board and the Senior Management team together with a representative proportion of the workforce, were asked a series of questions regarding their knowledge of the company and its current business plan, their individual job roles and responsibilities, along with the amount of training Stone Group provided.

Bird adds, “The assessment process is very thorough and is cleverly constructed to enable the assessor to see all angles of the business from the top down. By cross referencing everyone’s answers the assessor is also able to explore specific business areas to gain a true picture of the company. The feedback that we have received from Investors in People has been fantastic, with our report showing that the assessor did not receive a single negative response when interviewing our staff. This positive feedback is reflected in our staff turnover, which is currently just under 4% with sickness and absentee levels also at an all time low.”

Bird concludes, “Receiving the Investors in People Gold award is a huge achievement for the company and I am delighted that we have reached this standard. As a business we are always looking to improve our processes to ensure we are providing the correct working conditions to get the best out of our staff. In today’s difficult market no business can afford to stand still and the Investors in People Gold award really helps to set us apart from our competitors by recognising our commitment to providing high quality services and products.”

9th February 2010: Staffordshire-based technology solutions provider Stone Group has been awarded a place in the prestigious Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 awards for the second consecutive year.
 
James Bird, CEO of technology solutions provider Stone Group said, "It’s always great to be recognised at a national level and our inclusion in the Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 awards are a clear indicator of our growth and success over the last year.”
 
Previous winners of the Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 include Virgin Atlantic, Arcadia and Dyson.
 
The Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 is a unique league table that tracks Britain’s top 100 private equity-backed companies with the fastest growing profits, placing them in order of rank according to their annual growth in EBITDA over the last two years. Stone Group ranks at 75 in this year’s league table demonstrating the company’s continued growth as a technology solutions provider within the Education and Public sectors.

Bird adds, “The awards are judged over two years of performance, demonstrating that Stone Group has confirmed its position as one of the fastest growing technology solutions providers to the public and private sectors. This type of recognition really highlights the difference that the team of people at Stone Group make to the business. As a solutions and services provider it’s the quality of our people that really counts.”

Bird concludes, “Having been ranked in consecutive years within the league table of private equity backed companies, our position this year reflects our continuing profitability and revenue growth in what has been a difficult market place.”

8th February 2010: Stone Group, the technology solutions provider to the education and public sector, has been appointed as one of Becta’s provisional approved suppliers for the Home Access programme. The government-funded programme, managed by Becta, the agency for technology and education, underpins the government’s vision for more children to have access to technology at home to support learning.

Stone Group is partnering with internet service provider, Orange, to provide PC and broadband connectivity packages worth up to £520 for each household qualifying for a Home Access Grant. Parents will be able to go to any of Orange’s network of 400+ UK high street stores to buy a Home Access package, including a laptop and/or internet connectivity, service wrapper and support or alternatively they will be able to log on via an online portal through the Stone website www.stonegroup.co.uk

The Home Access programme, announced in 2008, provides support for the purchase of computers and internet connectivity to certain low-income families with children in school years 3 to 9 with the aim of promoting learning at home. The programme aims to assist families who would otherwise not have access to technology. Stone will be one of ten approved suppliers for the programme.

Following a successful pilot scheme in Oldham and Suffolk Local Authorities in 2009, the programme is being rolled out nationally. The programme aims to provide funding to over 270,000 households that currently lack access by March 2011.

Becta, the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning, has been charged with the delivery of the Home Access programme. After successful involvement in the 2009 pilot scheme, the Stone Group has been awarded approved supplier status for the national programme.

Simon Pettit, Contracts Director of Stone Group, comments, “The thorough tender process is designed to check the potential supplier’s capabilities to deliver the product and provide
comprehensive telephone support for the recipients. Stone Group are delighted that, once again, the products and service it provides meets the very high standards set out by Becta.”

Through the programme, approved suppliers are issued with a licence to supply Home Access packages and accept the Home Access Grant as a payment method. These payments come in the form of a single use debit-card supplied to the recipient with a pre-allocated credit. The grants range in value to cover a full package (user device, service / support wrapper and connectivity), to internet connectivity as a standalone, dependant on the needs of the recipient.

Commenting on the importance of Stone Group’s involvement in the scheme, Pettit adds, “It has been proven that educational attainment is improved when children have access to technology at home, making the Home Access programme vital to many families. Education is a central and important part of society and, through Stone Group’s involvement with the programme, it is helping make sure that no section of the community is left wanting.”

Changes to certain company procedures and to our standard terms and conditions of sale effective from 1 March 2010

We are currently reviewing certain procedures in advance of the implementation of a new computer system and also to update them and bring them in line with current industry practice.These changes will be incorporated into our standard terms and conditions of sale and will be operated with effect from 1 March 2010.The majority will have no immediate tangible affect on the way we interact with you; however I thought it would be helpful if I gave advance notice of certain of the changes as they will affect the procedures you will need to follow to return goods.

Advance replacement components (“AdReps”)

Our customer service department will continue to ship advance replacement components where existing arrangements are in place, however from 1 March the value of these components will be invoiced to you. Our customer service department will provide you with a Returned Material Authorisation (“RMA”) number for the return of the faulty components. On receipt of the returned components and closure of the RMA you will receive a credit equal to the value of the advance replacement components.

Return of goods for credit

From 1 March this will require an RMA number to be authorised by the finance department. The main criteria for authorisation of the RMA will be:
·         the request is received within 14 days of delivery;
·         the reason for the request is for example incorrectly picked or faulty product.
·         At the Company’s absolute discretion goods delivered in accordance with the contract may be accepted for return if they are a standard stock item, or if the Company’s terms with its supplier allow the relevant goods to be returned, although restocking, freight and/or administrative charges will apply.

Goods supplied for evaluation purposes

From time to time the Company may supply goods for customer or prospective customer evaluation on a sale or return basis. From 1 March such items will be supplied on a 28 day sale or return basis. The value of the goods will be invoiced, but will be credited if returned by the end of the evaluation period in a saleable condition.

An updated copy of our standard terms and conditions will be available in due course.