Press

25 August 2010 – COA Solutions, an Advanced Computer Software plc company, today announces the launch of its ClearView for HCM budgeting and forecasting solution. Specifically aimed at human resource and payroll managers, ClearView for HCM enables the true value of an organisation’s people to be determined and analysed.

At a time when UK businesses, especially public sector organisations, are taking a serious look at all costs; it is vital for businesses to accurately analyse their people costs and determine where cost efficiencies can be made.

ClearView for HCM is the first budgeting and planning solution of its kind on the market. Designed for use by human resource (HR) and payroll managers, it enables the true value of an organisation’s people costs, from recruitment fees through to salaries, bonuses and training costs, to be determined.

15 July 2010 - UK business management and information systems provider, COA Solutions, has won an International Green Hero Award from an independent environment group, The Green Organisation, in recognition of the positive environmental contribution of COA Solutions’ software applications. Its employee expense management system with carbon tracking tool was given special recognition by The Green Organisation. This is the third year running that COA Solutions has been presented with a Green Hero Award.

COA Solutions, an Advanced Computer Software Plc company, was presented with the award by actress Carol Royle during a ceremony held at the Tower of London on 14 June 2010. Document management subsidiary, Version One, was also presented with a Green Hero Award in recognition of the company’s successful Clean and Green environmental initiative. This initiative has introduced new environmental measures across the company to encourage Version One’s staff, customers, suppliers and partners to become as green as possible.

29 June 2010 – COA Solutions, an Advanced Computer Software Plc company, is enhancing its human capital management (HCM) portfolio by launching HR self-service analytics functionality.

COA Solutions’ HR self-service system enables authorised managers and employees to ‘self serve’ by accessing and updating human resource (HR) information themselves such as holiday dates, sick leave and training details.

With the new analytics functionality, which is fully-integrated into the HR self-service solution, key employee metrics are provided in a user-friendly, graphical ‘dashboard’ format, such as absence and attendance statistics. These analytics, which are available to all self-service users in real-time, enable greater visibility of key metrics, allowing organisations to more accurately measure and more effectively manage their workforces whilst enhancing employee engagement. Using workflow, analytics reports can be electronically distributed quickly and easily, significantly improving efficiency and data transparency.

Oxford Instruments, a leading supplier of high technology tools and systems for industry and research, is improving human resource (HR) efficiency and data accuracy across its global offices by rolling-out HR self-service and workflow from COA Solutions, an Advanced Group Company (www.coasolutions.com). This HR functionality, which is tightly integrated into Oxford Instruments’ existing COA Solutions human capital management (HCM) system, has been rolled-out to 730 of the Company’s 1300 staff across the world. Self-service is already in place in the UK, Finland and the USA and will soon be extended to an additional 130 employees in China.  

Oxford Instruments requires self-service and workflow solutions to allow authorised staff across the company to access and update information held in the HCM system themselves as well as easily distribute HR information and reports. This frees-up the HR team’s time and improves efficiency whilst maintaining accurate and up-to-date information on all employees.

16 March 2010 – East Lancashire Financial Services (ELFS) (www.elfsnhs.co.uk), a UK provider of business shared services to NHS client organisations, announces that it is expanding its reach across the UK in partnership with business software provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com). ELFS provides NHS organisations with fully-flexible accounting, financial management, procurement, ESR payroll, online expenses and other tailored shared service solutions.

Historically, ELFS has focused on the provision of shared services to North West NHS organisations but is now expanding its services to NHS organisations across the UK, for example, Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. This strategy is in response to increasing demand from NHS organisations for more economical and efficient ways to operate their finance, accounting, ESR payroll and business software systems.

The Royal Parks (TRP), an executive government agency responsible for administering and maintaining London’s Royal Parks, is rolling-out human resource (HR) self-service and workflow functionality from COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com).

This HR functionality, which has a planned go-live of summer 2010, will be integrated into TRP’s existing COA Solutions human capital management (HCM) system, enabling 130 staff across TRP to access the HCM system themselves. To date, the HCM system has only been accessible by the HR team.

Using COA Solutions’ integrated self-service and workflow functionality, authorised managers and employees at TRP will be able to ‘self serve’ by accessing and updating HR information themselves such as holiday dates, sick leave and training details. Time-consuming, paper-based HR procedures will also be replaced with automated processes. For instance, the workflow functionality enables reports to be sent electronically. It also streamlines annual leave requests and accurately records absence, enabling line managers to have greater control over their workforce.

9th December 2009 – Business applications software provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), today announces a partnership with independent software solutions provider, Software Europe Ltd (www.software-europe.co.uk). COA Solutions will now be able to provide its NHS customers with Software Europe’s leading online employee expenses management system, expenses2010. Tailored towards the needs of NHS organisations, expenses2010 enables greater control over staff expenses, complementing COA Solutions’ comprehensive suite of business applications.

DPG plc is the first UK-wide CIPD provider to offer the new CIPD Level 3 Certificate in Human Resource Practice for those looking for a thorough grounding in HR or to bolster their existing skills with an internationally recognised professional qualification.

The new qualification opens the gateway to career development and progression in HR as DPG’s managing director, Robert Wagner, explained, “The CIPD is phasing in new qualifications during 2010 with this Foundation-level certificate offering a flexible way for individuals and organisations to gain the knowledge, skills and understanding required to create next generation HR professional equipped to help future proof their organisations.
“We are proud to be the first CIPD provider to offer the Certificate in Human Resource Practice building on our track record as the leading provider of the CIPD’s Certificate in Training Practice qualification.

Business applications software provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), today announces a partnership with workforce management specialist, SMART (www.smart-workforce.com). This partnership enables COA Solutions to provide its National Health Service (NHS) customers with SMART’s workforce management solutions.

SMART’s solutions, which comprise staff bank management, electronic rostering and time and attendance software, link to the NHS-wide human resource (HR) and payroll system, ESR, helping acute trusts, primary care trusts and mental health trusts to maximise the potential and efficiency of their staff. SMART’s solutions release highly skilled nurses from administration duties back to patient care whilst reducing absenteeism, improving staff retention and cutting labour costs by up to five per cent.

22 October 2009 – UK business applications software provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), is a finalist in the payroll software provider of the year category of the prestigious Pay Awards 2009.

Run by Pay Magazine, the Pay Awards recognise and reward outstanding achievements within the UK payroll industry. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 3 November 2009 at BAFTA headquarters in London.

COA Solutions is one of five finalists in the payroll software provider of the year category. To reach the final, COA Solutions had to demonstrate product and service innovation within the past 18 months as well as customer satisfaction. A combination of user votes and the decisions of the Pay Awards judging panel, comprising five leading industry experts, will determine the award winner.

8 October 2009 – Business applications software provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), is focusing on its integrated paperless office technology on stands AF203 and HR204 at Softworld 2009 (13-14 October 2009, London Olympia 2). COA Solutions is also holding a series of ‘The Paperless Office Has Arrived’ seminars 11:30 – 12:15 on both 13 and 14 October (Theatres AFS2 and HRS1).

With the latest version of COA Solutions’ OpenAccounts financial management system (FMS) being the most paperless FMS on the market, COA Solutions will be demonstrating how financial documents can be created, delivered, circulated, stored and retrieved directly from users’ FMS. New functionality includes the automatic generation of mass mail merge documents and the conversion of reports into PDF for electronic delivery and Intranet display. Visitors to stand AF203, will also learn how integrated optical character recognition (OCR) technology, can be used to automatically capture data from inbound documents, such as invoices, reducing manual data entry.

1st October 2009 – Hay Group, a global management consulting business specialising in organisational and workforce strategy has gone live with a human capital management (HCM) system from COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com). This HCM system, which has integrated workflow and self-service modules, has been customised with swine flu screens to effectively manage the impact of swine flu on staff absence levels.

As a fluid organisation, Hay Group required a flexible and customisable HCM system to replace its standalone systems. The HCM system was required to store and interrogate information about its 320 UK employees, automate HCM processes and accurately record and monitor information relating to staff absence. It was also vital that the system could be customised quickly and easily in response to external and organisational change.

Train the trainer maestro Mike Morrison has just agreed to lead a CIPD Certificate in Training Practice (CITP) course for one time only for DPG in London.

Mike, well known in the leadership and management training community for his regular contributions to professional media and prolific blogging, will front the course at London Kensington on 14th October.

“DPG has a reputation as the leading provider of CIPD approved CITP courses in the UK and I’m delighted they asked me to step up to the plate to lead this special one-off course for them.

“It comes at a time when businesses and organisations really need to be pushing forward to get out of recession and into positive, sustainable growth. The obvious and cost-effective way to do that is have trainers, managers and leaders who inspire and can train colleagues to create a cutting edge in their organisation.”

DPG has now supported over 2500 trainers in developing their knowledge of the theory and practice of being a highly effective trainer to earn the CIPD’s Certificate in Training Practice qualification.

Business applications software provider, COA Solutions, today reports solid financial results for year ending 31 March 2009 with revenues increasing by 7.4% to £59.8m  (2008: £55.7m). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were £12.8m (2008: £12.4m). These results consolidate the company’s position as the UK’s leading independent business applications software vendor.

Mark Thompson, Managing Director of COA Solutions, says, “Trading conditions during the last financial year have been the most uncertain and challenging I have ever witnessed. Despite this economic turmoil, our resilient business model has ensured that we’ve increased revenues and profits whilst sustaining growth in market share.”

The Brendoncare Foundation, a leading charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for older people, has reached the final of the Charity Times Awards 2009 for its innovative IT project involving the implementation of software from COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com). Brendoncare is one of six organisations to be shortlisted in the Best Use of Technology category with the winner being announced at an awards ceremony on 9 September 2009 at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.

The Charity Times Awards, now in its landmark tenth year, recognise high standards in the UK charity and not-for-profit sector. Brendoncare has been shortlisted in the Best Use of Technology category in recognition of the successful roll-out of an integrated COA Solutions software system comprising financial management, human capital management (HCM), payroll, business intelligence (BI) and document management functionality (using Version One’s technology). This integrated system, which has been implemented in a phased approach across five years, has replaced standalone and manually intensive systems and processes which were costly, inefficient and prone to error.

The findings of a survey by UK business management and information systems provider, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), has revealed that 51% of senior human resource (HR) professionals intend to increase the overall size of their workforces by the end of 2010. COA Solutions carried out the research with 75 senior HR professionals (HR directors and managers) across a range of UK public sector and private sector organisations.

30% of the respondents stated that they intend to increase their workforces by the end of 2009 with 21% saying that they plan to recruit in 2010. 13% intend to wait until 2011. Despite this increasing optimism, COA Solutions’ survey also highlights that a level of uncertainty still persists amongst HR professionals due to the challenging economic climate. 21% of those surveyed have “no plans” to hire more staff whilst 8% said that they “didn’t know” whether their organisation will be recruiting any time soon. The remaining 7% stated that they will start recruiting after 2011.

Dawnus Construction, the fastest growing construction company in Wales, is implementing a COA Solutions system comprising a portfolio of financial management, electronic procurement and human capital management (HCM) solutions (www.coasolutions.com). This integrated system, which will also comprise electronic document imaging and data capture software from Version One, will support Dawnus Construction’s growth plans whilst improving the way financial and human resource (HR) information is reported upon across the organisation. The new system will go-live in September 2009.

Wayne Jones, Group Financial Director at Dawnus Construction, says, “We had outgrown our previous system. It was inflexible and restrictive, especially when we needed to extract financial information for reporting purposes. We recognised the need for a customisable and more flexible integrated finance and HR system that could support our growth plans both organically and through acquisition.”

Albemarle & Bond, the largest pawnbroker in the UK, is implementing a financial management system with integrated cash flow forecasting, electronic procurement, business intelligence and document management and imaging functionality from COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com). This new system will enable Albemarle & Bond to reduce manually-intensive administration, manage its cash more effectively to support its future growth plans and aid financial and corporate decision making. The planned go-live for the COA Solutions system is Autumn 2009.

 A leading provider of financial management systems (FMS) to the UK mid-market, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), today announces a partnership with Real Asset Management Plc (RAM) – a UK-leading provider of fixed asset management software and services. This new partnership sees the integration of RAM’s fixed asset management software into COA Solutions’ FMS, providing users of eFinancials, OpenAccounts and e5 systems with market-leading fixed asset management functionality to complement COA Solutions’ existing fixed assets accounting module.

The leading provider of business management and information systems to the UK mid-market, COA Solutions (www.coasolutions.com), is showcasing its budgeting and forecasting system, Collaborative Planning, on stand 51 at The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (CIPFA) Annual Conference and Exhibition 2009 (23-25 June at Manchester Central).