FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Digital pens save public sector £1.2 million in a single installation

November 1st , 2007

Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

A digital pen writes like any other pen, but also stores and then can transfer the data to existing electronic systems.

Any process that requires forms to be filled in can significantly benefit from digital pens. In the public sector, this would include; police reporting, doctor’s notes, ambulance forms, reporting on scheduled building maintenance works, social worker case files and many other applications.

The benefits of digital pens include; reduced form processing time, review and confirmation by the form filer, higher levels of data accuracy over handwriting, as well as, the ability to monitor the activity of the employees filling in the forms.

A great example of this would be the process of writing parking tickets by the police. The digital pen and paper option creates an automatic process where the data is entered at the vehicle, it is uploaded to the police computer system, the time of infraction is validated by the person that wrote the ticket, then the letters listing the amount of fine are automatically sent to the vehicle owner.

Similarly, the Social Services Homecare operation for the Leeds city council has been able to identify savings of £1.2 million after the implementation of 1,500 digital pens and digital paper used by their social service care workers. The digital pen process allows for the remote filing of reports, expenses and client billing information, all without the care worker needing to come to an office.

There are two digital pen technologies available that each have their own strengths. The first is a digital pen that works with standard forms. The second technology uses a digital pen and digital paper that has a unique pattern printed on it, to identify the form to a specific person or process. Both digital pen’s can be used for a number of other tasks including note taking and interactive whiteboard control.

A company that is able to implement both technologies is Apcom, www.apcom.ltd.uk, and its technology partner, Inqology. Apcom are listed on the Buyers Guide website where government buyers access suppliers.

Buyers Guide has been helping private companies get access to government contracts since 1996. With over 5,000 company listings on Buyers Guide website of specific products and services targeting public sector work, Buyers Guide is an easy solution for helping government buyers find qualified suppliers.

Companies listed on Buyers Guide range from multinationals to sole traders, but all have the goal of working on public sector contracts. These include working with schools, colleges, universities, local councils, ministry of defence, NHS, housing authorities, and government funded non-profit agencies.

The advantage that Buyers Guide offers is that the company “profile” on the www.buyersguide.co.uk website is written to specifically answer the pre-qualification questions from public sector buyers. This usually includes information like; previous work with other government bodies, years in business, industry qualifications or certifications like ISO 9002, testimonials from clients, government awards like investors in people, confirmation of equal opportunity employer status and specific contact details.

The Buyers Guide “profile” system allows government procurement specialists to quickly find companies that have government experience, the pre-qualification standards and a willingness to work with the public sector in one place saving time, effort and ultimately money.

Contact:

Buyers Guide
0191 265 6388
0191 265 3388
www.buyersguide.co.uk

Company History

Buyers Guide, based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, was established in 1996 and is the leading online directory of UK companies that are targeting the £600 billion in public spending each year. To date, there are over 5,000 company listings in 1,200 categories on the www.buyersguide.co.uk website.