Vision Provide Managed Print Solution on the NEPA Framework, Delivering Control and Cost Reductions at Barnsley College
Profile
Barnsley College is a further education college providing A levels, vocational courses and higher education courses from several campuses.
Business Challenge
The College, rated as outstanding in their most recent Ofsted inspection, went to tender through the National Educational Printer Agreement (NEPA) Framework. Vision were selected as a reseller to members of the NEPA Framework, allowing us to submit a proposal for their printing provision as part of the tender.
The College wished to appoint a provider and supplier to implement a managed printing solution throughout that would allow print, copy and other document management for both academic staff and students to be managed in ways that increase the college effectiveness and flexibility, reduce costs, process times and environmental impacts. They also required a good reporting structure and centralised management.
Vision Solution
Vision carried out a comprehensive replacement program, removing over 200 printing devices across all Seven of the College campus sites and replacing with over 140 single and Multi-Functional Devices.
Fully licensed print management software provides a Follow Me pull print platform and reporting. Vision installed several high volume print production devices within the central reprographics department (CRD) to include job ticketing software for centralised control.
Outcome
The implementation of Vision’s Managed Printing and Reprographics solution has delivered a consistent device model throughout the campus for a much improved user experience and ensures easier functionality for users, without the need for complex training programs.
Academic staff and Students release their prints conveniently and securely via card authentication at the desired device delivering increased flexibility and contingency for users, whilst reducing costs and wastage.
All users are assigned to costs centres for ease of cross charging. Academic staff have departmental budgets and students have a quota which can then be credited via an online payment system or via cash loaders within the campuses.
The rules and routing features of the print management solution provide further cost and wastage control and reduction to the College. For example, printing in mono and duplex are now a standard default controlled centrally by the college and large print documents are diverted to the central reprographics department where they are produced and delivered more efficiently.
Comprehensive Service Levels (SLA’s) include a two hour response time for the Central Reprographics Department high volume devices, a 4 hour response to site for all other printer devices in addition to remote technical support with diagnostics and proactive service delivery. Vision’s Remote Fleet Management application VRFM provides detailed device data for reporting and accurate invoice processing, alerts for proactive service delivery and automated consumables delivery.
Solutions Implementation
A partner central ethos and clear lines of communication with the College’s IT team enabled Vision’s dedicated Implementation team to plan and deliver on what was a smooth nine day implementation across all college campus sites.
Following a successful implementation, and as part of the new contract, Vision are now also providing a print solution to a number of Academies in and around Barnsley who are associated to the College through the Wellspring Academy Trust.
Vision provide the schools with new Multi-Functional Devices utilising the same rates and service levels that cover the College. Vision work with each School to fulfil their print requirements and have already dramatically improved the device uptime and availability through proactive service and automated consumables delivery.
"We received an excellent response to the tender and managed to make savings of over 45% on our previous contract after some rationalisation. Vision won the tender and have been very professional and supportive, working with the College to ensure the implementation happened without any problems. They were also very amenable to our contract requirements and to extending the contract pricing to an Academy Trust Barnsley College sponsors"
Craig Douglas - Procurement Manager at Barnsley College
