Stephen Sears, ECT group Chief Executive Officer
ECT is a social enterprise committed to providing better services for the community. It is committed to a triple bottom line of social, environmental and economic objectives, improving the quality and sustainability of public services through winning public service contracts.
The ECT group grew out of Ealing Community Transport. It now employs more than 1100 staff, and uses more than 500 vehicles for its services. ECT works in 17 local authorities in England from 12 operating centres. Turnover for 2004/05 was £30 million, and for 2005/06 is estimated to be in excess of £45 million.
ECT is a diversified social enterprise, offering the following services:
- Community and public transport
- Vehicle and railway engineering
- Community railways
- Primary health care
- Recycling and sustainable waste management
The ECT group has grown substantially since its origins. Central to this growth has been a move from grants to contracts. The implications of the two types of funding are set out overleaf.
Grants
- Payment in advance
- Predetermined budgets
- No commercial risk
- Capital funding for assets
- Short-term planning
Contracts
- Undertaking specified work
- Invoice in arrears
- Payment on terms
- Cost of assets included in contract price
- Longer-term planning
The ECT group has succeeded in obtaining long-term contracts of up to seven years to deliver services to public authorities in London, the west of England, the West Midlands and Northern Ireland. This has allowed longer-term strategic planning and a guarantee of quality to service users.
