I think Christmas time is a great opportunity to take a moment to reflect on the year that was. And 2023 was quite the year for i10. So many great things have happened - here's a summary of the key highlights:
PHENOMENAL GROWTH AND MARQUEE WINS
New Client: Crown Commercial Service
2023 started brilliantly as we welcomed Crown Commercial Service (CCS) as a new client in January, having won a competitive tender process on the Digital Programmes framework, RM6263. Initially a 12-month, £4m engagement, i10 was selected ahead of 50 other household-name consultancies and digital agencies including Cap Gemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, Fujitsu and Kainos to work with CCS’s Digital and Data Services Directorate (DDS). DDS is responsible for the provision of secure, innovative, flexible digital solutions to ease the burden of procurement, whilst enhancing and empowering the usability to provide effective, quick, safe procurement in the digital age, supporting the Contracting Authority and its wider customer base.
Extended support for Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB)
In March 2023, we extended our engagement with ECB for a further six months to iterate the design of the website from MVP, create branded artefacts, migrate from Google to Microsoft platform and advise on software as a service needs.
i10 was originally engaged to design and deliver ECB's new website, in challenging and immovable timescales - to coincide with the launch of the new organisation. We worked closely with ECB to create website content, develop a sitemap, design ECB branding and website, develop the website (build, test and SEO optimisation). The resulting website was built using Gov.UK design principles and accessibility standards WCAG 2.1AA. i10 also hosts and supports the new site.
New Client: Department for Education (DfE)
In May, we won a marquee deal with DfE worth up to £15.125m over two years. Also procured using the Digital Programmes framework (RM6263), i10 was appointed to provide blended teams and fully-outsourced managed services, providing digital skills and capabilities in business analysis, delivery management, product management, data engineering, data science, performance analysis and data analysis, in support of the following programme areas:
Get into Teaching
Becoming a Teacher
International Teacher Recruitment
Get into Teaching
Initial Teacher Training Reform
Extension: Food Standards Agency (FSA)
We have been working with FSA since January 2021, during which time we have successfully delivered almost 100 different projects. In July 2023, we were delighted to extend our contract with FSA for a further 6 months to July 2024.
Extension: Crown Commercial Service
Our relationship with CCS has gone from strength to strength as we successfully delivered 26 different projects. In December, this resulted in a contract extension of 6 months and £2m to continue to support CCS into July 2024 during a period of significant change resulting from the new Transforming Public Procurement legislation.
CONTINUED DELIVERY EXCELLENCE
In addition to these outstanding new clients, we have continued to delivery excellently for our existing clients:
Enforcement Conduct Board: Digital Enablement Partner
Food Standards Agency: Digital, Data, Technology, Information Management & Cyber Security Partner
London Borough of Lambeth: Executive Development
Plymouth Council: Executive Development
Your Housing Group: Transformation Partner
ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS
Our ecosystem continues to go from strength to strength - we've worked closely to deliver for our clients with 18 ecosystem partners in 2023. We have welcomed new ecosystem partners RedRock, Farsight and Jumar, enhanced our relationship with Inspired Testing, increased our collaboration with EA Change and continued to explore opportunities to collaborate with SNH, Bettergov.
Of our existing ecosystem partners, we were delighted to see Cadence Innova named as one of the UK's Leading Management Consultants 2023 by the Financial Times for the fourth consecutive year for their work in Digital Transformation.
RECOGNITION
Better Society Awards
We are proud to have been shortlisted for not one, but two Better Society Awards 2023. The Better Society Awards are run by the Better Society Network, publishers of Charity Times, supported by the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) as the charity partner. The Better Society Network recognises organisations supporting social, environmental and ethical issues, both directly and indirectly. i10 was shortlisted in two categories:
Carbon Reduction or Offset Programme of the Year
Environment Awards
The Carbon Reduction or Offset Programme of the Year category is for organisations that have made significant voluntary progress in reducing carbon emissions and/or creating effective programmes for offsetting their carbon footprint. The Environment Award is for organisations that have made significant voluntary progress in helping protect the environment through carbon reduction, offset, and energy efficiency.
At a gala dinner held in London on 11th May 2023 hosted by comedian Maisie Adam, i10 were crowned winners of the Environment Award. Other nominees at the awards were a host of household-name organisations including Coca-Cola, Bellway Homes, St. James's Place, Anglian Water, Landsec, Budweiser, KPMG, Virgin Media, Vodafone, Barnardo's, Ikea, Great Ormond Street, Premier Inn, UNICEF, Special Olympics Great Britain, Macmillan Cancer, Marie Curie, British Red Cross, Octopus, ITV, NatWest, Canon and the NSPCC, making i10's win all the more impressive.
Top 10 Digital SME 2023: DL100
i10 is delighted to have made the top ten Digital SMEs of the Year 2023, known as the DL100. The Digital Leaders 100 list was launched in 2013 as a new way to recognise individuals and organisations who demonstrate a pioneering and sustainable approach to digital transformation across the public, private and non-profit sectors.
i10 made the top ten in the Digital SME of the Year category. SMEs in the UK are developing innovative digital services and products that are increasingly being recognised for overall economic development. This award recognises SMEs that, in the last 12 months, have delivered digital impact in their chosen sector. i10 was recognised for setting the standard for social value in the UK Tech Sector, offsetting carbon, becoming carbon negative, winning over £20m of new business and forecasting growth of 500% in FY23/24.
We are also delighted that our client at FSA, Diane Barlow, was shortlisted as Digital Leader of the Year. Diane is an inspirational leader for women in technology who places people at the centre and strives to bring out their best, even at the most challenging times. At FSA, she has facilitated the successful delivery of multiple tech/digital projects during EU Exit and Covid.
Mercury Business Awards
i10 was flattered to have been shortlisted for two awards at the Mercury Business Awards 2023.
The first award was 'Small Business of the Year': for businesses which demonstrate excellence and innovation in their field, management with the ability to drive the business forward. It must show it understands its market, has arrangements to respond to change and can demonstrate why the business should win.
The second award was 'Businessperson of the Year': awarded to an individual who stands out from the crowd, has an entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrates outstanding achievement and inspires others around them. They will have been instrumental to the success of their business, growing the reputation of both their business and the area in which they operate.
i10 was proud that Founder and Director Mark Hastings won Businessperson of the Year 2023 #TheRealRainmaker.
CONTRIBUTION
Some of our proudest achievements in 2023 have been in the positive environmental impacts we have been able to make. We have already offset our historic carbon footprint back to the year we were founded, and we continue to offset the carbon generated as a result of our work.
In 2023 we planted 53,000 trees, all in Restor-registered sites. This takes our overall tree-planting programme to 80,600 trees. We used an ‘employ to plant’ model, providing a consistent income for local people who work as planters, nursery staff and forest guards, allowing the local community greater access to education, nutrition and healthcare. Our partners at Ecologi ensure that sustainable land-use practices are followed. The trees planted will provide new food sources for local people including avocado, lemon and papaya trees.
We also have some exciting social value plans for 2024 - watch this space!
MATURING OUR BUSINESS
2023 has brought a number of areas of maturity for i10, including:
Renewed Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus certification
Commencement of ISO27001 certification - we are currently approx 83% complete
Continued reporting of our diversity and inclusion statistics to TechTalentCharter
Ongoing adherence to our Prompt Payment Code commitments
Enhancement of our Carbon Reduction Plan
IN SUMMARY
2023 has been a pivotal growth year for i10, demonstrating the power of our ecosystem approach. Even without factoring-in the breaking news (see below), i10 is proud to hold over £21.5m of contracts with UK public sector clients, an increase of over 350% in 12 months.
Critical to winning those contracts has been our position on the Digital Programmes Framework (RM6263), which is designed to help public sector buyers deliver their most complex Digital, Data and Technology transformation programmes. At the last update, £100m of work had been delivered on this framework, with i10 ranking as the 12th biggest supplier to the framework. This is a phenomenal achievement on a framework containing well-known players, including BAE Systems, Cap Gemini, CGI, Civica, Cognizant, Deloitte, Fujitsu, Kainos, Mastek, NTT Data, PA Consulting, Sopra Steria and fast-growing companies like TPXImpact, Hippo Digital and Version 1. It's an achievement that demonstrates we are making great strides to deliver our vision:
To be a recognised authority in public sector transformation in the UK, setting the standard for social value by creating a positive, lasting impact on our public sector clients and making a difference in society.
We are halfway through our financial year and are conservatively forecasting 350%-400% revenue growth on FY22/23, which will represent our best-ever financial year. This, set against a challenging economic climate, is a remarkable achievement.
BREAKING NEWS
Following an intensive period of bid writing on several sizeable opportunities, i10 was delighted to win a significant, multi-million-pound engagement with a central Government client, initially for an 18-month period but with potential extensions of 4x 12 months. As soon as we are able, we'll reveal the details!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I must take a moment to thank the team who have helped us to deliver this remarkable performance:
Donna, Juliet and the rest of the i10 team - thank you for your unwavering support!
Our ecosystem partners - without whom this business model simply wouldn't work!
Tricia - for all your insight, support and great humour!
Jane and Sean - for all your work on bids late at night and at weekends!
Our clients - thank you so much for your valued custom and belief in what we're doing!
Our partners at The Consultancy Growth Network, in particular Marcia Marini, for your challenge and support!
Esther, Max and Isla - for putting up with the late nights, weekends and early mornings! And for keeping me humble!
It really has been an incredible year. One that we will look back on and acknowledge as a game-changer. However, we're not complacent. We look forward to building on this success in 2024!
But for now, it's time to take the foot off the gas for a couple of weeks and enjoy Christmas with the family. So, I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful festive season and a very happy and prosperous new year.