WHAT NOW FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY UNDER A COALITION GOVERNMENT?

 

For the past few years one of the key underlying drivers helping to develop Business Continuity has been the Public Sector. The introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act five years ago included clear responsibilities on many different types of government agencies as well as what can be termed as private sector utilities. In addition to the business continuity requirements on these organisations, there was a further "duty" to promote business continuity more broadly within the business community.

 

It is fair to say that very few involved in the industry would say that Business Continuity investment was at the top of the pile of priorities in the public sector, but the CCA did have a catalytic effect. Despite an ongoing lack of resources there was a higher profile for both Emergency Planning and Business Continuity, and where previously there had been little activity there was a marked upturn in both focus and detailed BCM management. The dual role of both BCM plan development and promotion did not necessarily fit too well with all those charged with the responsibility, but having worked with very many of the public sector bodies who did undertake significant efforts to promote business continuity more generally in their areas, I feel that the many thousands of businesses who have benefited should not be taken lightly.

 

At the upper ends of our industry there are still issues in engaging and fully developing plans, but far less so than in the past. Our biggest companies have generally made good progress and will doubtless continue to in the coming years, a challenge though is extending the activity into a broader base of smaller companies that, importantly, form the supply chain for all the organisations in the UK. The Continuity Forum has already undertaken and shared considerable research on the levels of BCM planning in the SME sector and generally speaking the results are pretty disappointing. Now, as an industry we know this; few of the businesses established to service the sector focus their attention on the SME sector, preferring to work with larger organisations, partly as a result of the maturity of this market, but also because it is pretty risky to base your business plan on a sector that does not appear to be investing in your services. Quite a few companies have developed business plans to "attack" the potential of the SME sector, which frankly is pretty huge, though in the main they have ended up either drifting into a middle market or failing...

 

Now what has this to do with the future for Business Continuity under our new coalition government?

 

Well, we are already seeing signs of the financial pressures that are being applied to the public sector; we are seeing at first hand situations developing where staff are being placed into terribly difficult positions, expected to maintain effectiveness whilst taking on more work and having fewer resources to direct at issues. Programs aimed at developing further resilience within the organisation are frequently being put on hold, with many appearing to be cancelled or just fading away. Of particular note is the difficulty that many local authorities will have in continuing their efforts at effectively promoting Business Continuity.

 

We'll take this in two parts; firstly, it is mostly true to say that most public sector bodies have been under resourced for many years, and this adds to both the workload and the complexity of the challenge facing those responsible within the organisation. Pay is not ordinarily outstanding, and from our own salary surveys we can see that public service is not particularly well rewarded. It is true to say though, that communities and businesses depend on these people's effort. Whether or not it is a local disruption caused by a burst water main or a small fire, perhaps involving gas cylinders, or something more substantial such as flooding or severe weather, perhaps even a terrorist incident, these are the people we are counting on to deliver a sense of security and "business as usual".  Further reducing the resources available seems folly.

 

The second aspect relates to the value to the business sector of the promotion activities undertaken by public sector bodies. Literally hundreds of workshops, seminars and presentations have been held across the country trying to encourage business to be more responsible. By creating this awareness those companies serving the sector have seen a "marketing benefit" from the greater awareness. We would not go so far as to say that this has created a huge change in the attitudes within the SME sector, but we do feel the awareness and significance of Business Continuity Management has been raised appreciably. We are suggesting that these efforts are helping small businesses access the principles and values of BCM and putting their feet on the first steps of the ladder. This has added to the development of the sector over the past three or four years, and particularly across medium-size businesses growth was seen to be consistently higher.

 

Taken together we can see that failure to invest in the development of public sector Business Continuity will have a significant impact on our sector.

 

Now on to what the two parties currently governing have to say on the issues around Business Continuity. We have been in contact with both the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats, and whilst it is too early to form any real conclusions, we feel there are certain reasons to be rather positive. 

 

However, there are also reasons to be concerned.

 

We would hope that it is fully recognised by those now making the difficult funding decisions that the relatively small amounts involved in these programs deliver an exceptional amount of return. Remember, companies embarking on planning for Business Continuity and Resilience are most often spending their own money; this investment reduces both the likelihood of an event happening and mitigates the impact, combining the efforts produces an amplified investment both for business and the government. By reducing the amount of promotion and support available through the public sector for business continuity and resilience, we run the risk of significantly reducing business investment in these areas and this will likely cause an increase - a substantial increase - in future expenses.

 

Whilst we know it is all too simple to connect Business Continuity to Security, we all to a greater or lesser extent acknowledge how vital BCM is to ensuring "business as usual" especially after a security incident. In the Conservative party report, Resilient Nation (link attached) we see considerable thought into a restructuring of the various agencies directly involved. Virtually all of these groups recognise and encourage the adoption of good Business Continuity Management throughout the UK as an effective mechanism to develop resilience in our organisations and community life. Projects such as Griffin and Argus have been hailed as great successes, (and ones the Continuity Forum has been pleased to be involved with), and the support and access to specialist knowledge through the Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSA's) has provided particularly valuable support to businesses across the country.

It is interesting to note that the responses on this subject from those taking the reins appears at first sight to acknowledge the logic and need for a sustained focus on BCM.

 

However, on speaking with Conservative Party Representatives it is apparent that they have a clearer vision of some of the issues, even to the point of citing the British Standard for Business Continuity 25999 as a potential requirement to be met by companies bidding for procurement contracts. On a more general point, we feel there is a general emphasis on the need to establish the responsibility that communities and businesses have in building security. Going further, there appears to be an understanding that whilst progress has been made there are improvements that are necessary, particularly regarding the enabling of local decision making. 

 

Broadly there is a united approach with the Liberal Democrats supporting business continuity protection within public procurement, but they are rather woolly on the details. What is of concern is that there is no core commitment from them to the process. In addition,  There also appears to be a degree of confusion over who should own BCM promotion within government. We are concerned that the Lib Dems appear to seek the separation of the Cabinet Office from the role of promotion seeing the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (DBIS) as a more ‘effective channel’.  This concerns us and we feel this would result in a lower profile and capability impacting on the development of BCM.  It has been our experience that DBIS has been less engaged and proactive than perhaps they could have been. Perhaps this is due tot he lead taken by the Cabinet Office, but we have seen this reflected in the attitudes of the Regional Development Agencies which have also been broadly inactive on the issues around business continuity and resilience. They both certainly have a lower skills base and a starkly different focus.

 

We feel, at this crucial time, that one of the priorities of our new government should be the clarification of the importance of Business Continuity across the public sector, with a clear statement on protecting and even encouraging investment. Failure to demonstrate this level of leadership could well lead to a reduction in our capabilities and the growth seen in the development of the sector stuttering to a halt.

 

What will be crucial will be the position and guidance taken on the allocation a funding that delivers a Business Continuity benefit. We would ask that the new ministers responsible clearly signal to all across the public sector that cutbacks that impact on our communities Business Continuity and Resilience capabilities are t be an absolute last resort! 

 

If you would like to comment on this article please e-mail is at feedback@ContinuityForum.org

 


 


Resilient Nation PDF