Protecting
people's futures

Together with Legal and General Investment Management, we worked to refinance the construction of the London Gateway port in 2016. London Gateway is a semi-automated deep-sea container port with a fully integrated logistics facility, located on the bank of the River Thames in Thurrock, Essex, and is focused on practising sustainability through its global programme, ‘Our World, Our Future’.
The port was the first in the world to be certified by The Planet Mark, an internationally recognised sustainability certification programme that is awarded to

projects committed to reducing their carbon emissions year-on-year. In October 2019, London Gateway won awards in Supply Chain Engagement and Carbon Reduction from The Planet Mark, which found that the port reduced its carbon emissions by 24.9 per cent per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit container) from 2017 to 2018.
Supporting the refinancing of projects like London Gateway is a vital component to facilitating the building of essential infrastructure within the UK.

Thanks to the introduction of our new Workforce Management Tool, our contact centre is now reaping the benefits of increased efficiency through improved resource planning, more effective call volume forecasting and more consistent achievement of Service Level Agreements (SLAs). It is proving hugely beneficial in helping contact centre team leaders with advance planning, which in turn helps operations run more smoothly.

"With the Workforce Management Tool we can confidently forecast call volumes at half-hourly intervals, for any given day, up to a month in advance. Having this level of visibility across our workload means we’re now able to identify pinch points where extra support may be needed and we can make sure we have the right amount of cover throughout the day to provide a great service. It’s made a real difference to the way we work."
Trevor Davis, Deputy Head of Operations and Contact Centre Manager

“When I arrived at the PPF for my interview, the recruitment team who did my first interview were very welcoming and approachable. They allowed me time to think of an answer to questions they had and were very patient compared to previous employers. If I had any questions, they would answer them and reassure me.
When I was offered the job, the HR team made contact with an organisation called AppaMe, who suggested that I have a support worker. Having my support worker has definitely helped me relax and fulfil my role to the best of my ability. HR also adjusted my working hours around my college hours to help me complete my course effectively.

The most helpful adjustment that was made was around my work space. In contrast to my colleagues, who hot desk, I have a permanent desk, which has given me routine.
HR also arranged a meeting between myself and my manager outside of work to help me better understand my role. It was arranged to meet each of my team colleagues individually to understand their role and how mine would fit in.
The recruitment team helped set a positive image of the PPF which enticed me to join the organisation and have reassured me every step of the way.”

We undertook a value for money review, examining all significant expenditure for the previous 18 months and looking forward a year. The aim was to establish whether we had encouraged competition from suppliers for each procurement exercise, whether we had benchmarked prices and whether we had plans in place to ensure value for money.
We now have plans for 100 per cent of the contracts we looked at or clear rationales where we are not competing or benchmarking. The ExCo will review the latter quarterly.

We now have an upgraded approach to commercial management which integrates our plans for sourcing, contract management and supplier assurance in one place.
As a result of this review, we are confident that we are getting value for money from suppliers by encouraging competition on price, challenging our people to make sure they are purchasing external services for the right reasons, and exploring all options when we procure goods and services.