According to an independent panel of respected business people and journalists - sitting as part of the Management Consultancies Association annual awards - PA, out of all of the competing consulting firms, performed the majority of the most innovative and productive consulting assignments in 1998. The judges described PA as "best in class", and awarded PA an unprecedented two out of their three 'Best Management Practice' awards:
The winning HR project was for the development of a strong commercial focus for HR in the merged retail banking operations of Lloyds TSB that would deliver £8 million in savings within the first year.
The successful IT project was for PA’s work with NHS Scotland which involved the development of a world leading, national computer system that would meet the needs of 4,000 GPs and their staff and improve efficiency and patient care in more that 850 GP centres across the nation.
The panel of judges reviewed a shortlist of projects drawn from submissions made by MCA members, who work for over 90 per cent of the FTSE’s top 300 UK companies as well as every Government department.
Bruce Petter, executive director of the MCA, said of PA’s award winning work at Lloyds: "Following the merger of Lloyds TSB, PA Consulting worked with its client to streamline the HR function of the retail bank. The objectives were to lower the HR cost base and headcount whilst increasing its efficiency and business focus. The way in which PA Consulting developed strategic models with Lloyds TSB’s HR personnel and arrived at the optimum commercial solution is an example of management consultancy at its best."
With respect to PA’s work for the NHS in Scotland, he commented: "The project undertaken by PA Consulting for NHS Scotland has resulted in a world-class computer system that underpins the new primary care-led NHS in Scotland. Working as a public/private sector partnership, the new computer system has been designed in close consultation with GPs and other healthcare providers. In the view of the judges, PA Consulting’s approach exemplifies best practice in the public sector and serves to highlight the critical role that management consultancies are playing in the development of cutting-edge services. The reputation of the system has spread quickly, and other parts of the UK have already requested its adoption."
