I’ve had long standing issues with Serco ever since I was a teenager (long and not particularly interesting story!) and, as I’ve got older, I’ve found the extent of their activity and its general opaqueness rather troubling. However until I happened to check the Wikipedia page I didn’t realise quite how much stuff they do:
- Home Affairs: Serco operates the National Border Targeting Centre for the UK Border Agency and provides the Carrier Gateway – the interface between carriers and the Agency.[5]
- Transport: Serco operates London’s Docklands Light Railway,[6] Woolwich Free Ferry[7] and the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme[8] (all for Transport for London), and Great Southern Railways in Australia.[9][10] Serco also has a joint venture with Abellio, the UK arm of Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, to operate passenger trains in the UK: Serco-Abellio has a 25 year concession for Merseyrail in Liverpool and operates Northern Rail services in the north of England.[11] Serco also operates the Dubai Metro.[12]Serco formerly operated the Copenhagen Metro with Ansaldo STS, until selling its share with effect from 1 January 2008.[13] In addition, Serco Rail Operations operates infrastructure monitoring trains in the UK.[14] Serco’s Home Affairs division, run by Tom Riall, also operates speed camera systems throughout the UK and designs, writes and tests the software that controls the matrix message signs, signals, emergency roadside telephones (SOS) and traffic monitoring on England’s motorway network including the National Traffic Control Centre.[15]
- Science: Serco manages the UK’s National Physical Laboratory.[16][17] and also provides IT Services, Industrial Support and Cryogenic Operations Support and Maintenance atCERN.[18]
- Detention: Serco supplies electronic tagging devices for offenders and asylum seekers.[19] In Britain, Serco runs four prisons, a Young Offenders Institution and a Secure Training Centre.[20] It also operates two Immigration Removal Centres.[21][22] Serco is also responsible for the contracted-out court escort services in the south-east area (formerly a role undertaken by HM Prison Service).[23] In addition, Serco runs partly privatised Hünfeld Prison in Hesse, Germany.[24] In Australia Serco runs Acacia Prison in Western Australia[25] and Borallon Correctional Facility in Queensland[26] as well as the national contract for immigration detention centres, including Christmas Island and theVillawood detention centre in Sydney.[27]
- Defence: Serco holds defence contracts worldwide including the UK Government’s first modern outsourced contract for the operation and maintenance of the UK Ballistic Missile Early Warning System at RAF Fylingdales;[28] contracts are also held for the operation and maintenance of RAF Brize Norton,[29] RAF Halton[30] and RAF Northolt[30] in the UK and RAF Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic.[30] Serco also provides support services to garrisons in Australia.[31] Serco also manages many aspects of operations at theDefence College of Management and Technology in Shrivenham.[32] Serco is one of three partners in the consortium which manages the Atomic Weapons Establishment.[33]Serco also has a 15 year contract worth £400 million to provide facilities management services to Dstl.[34]
- Royal Navy marine services: Serco Denholm, a joint venture with the Denholm Group, is responsible for fleet support at the three main UK naval bases, HMNB Portsmouth,HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde.[35]
- Aviation: Serco provides air traffic control services at international airports in the United Arab Emirates[36] and at some smaller airports in the USA and Canada.[37][38] Since 2004 Serco have also had £5m a year from the US government to manage airports in Iraq.[39] Serco also operate Scatsta Airport in the Hebrides.[40] In June 2010 Serco signed a £4million contract to operate all air traffic control services for Coventry Airport.[41]
- Health: Serco provide facilities management services at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital,[42] Leicester Royal Infirmary,[43] and Wishaw General Hospital.[44] Serco provides pathology services to Guy’s and St. Thomas’ and King’s College NHS trusts through GSTS Pathology.[45]
- Education: Serco holds a 10 year contract with Bradford City Council to manage and operate the local education authority,[46] providing education support services to the City’s schools, and similarly manages and operates Walsall[47] and Stoke-on-Trent local education authorities.[48] Serco is one of Ofsted‘s three Regional Inspection Service Providers, responsible for school inspections in the English Midlands.[49] Serco is also the provider of a Student information system, Facility, used in schools and colleges in several countries.[50]
- Drivers’ licensing: Serco, through a purpose-made division Serco DES, holds a 10 year, $114 million contract with the Province of Ontario to operate the province’s DriveTest driver examination centres. These tests include vision, road, and knowledge tests for all persons seeking to become a licensed automobile driver in the province.[37]
- Leisure: Serco operates a number of leisure centres across the UK including the Manchester Aquatics Centre, the aquatic venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games inManchester.[51]
- Serco also administers a number of publicly funded websites in the UK, including the Business Link website.[52]
- Serco presently runs the IT Infrastructure for the London Borough of Southwark winning the 5 year tender in 2007.[53]
- Serco publishes a magazine, Ethos Journal, to stimulate thought and provoke reaction to the big issues shaping the world of public services. Ethos is aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.[54]
Mark Carrigan 