NAG Europe

Integrated solutions drive efficiency and provide a premium customer experience

The NAG Europe (National Australia Group) portfolio encompasses 419 Retail branches and Financial Solution Centres, made up of 250,000 square metres of total occupied corporate space. 

NAG Europe recognised a need to revisit the original outsourced model having identified that property and suppliers were isolated from the business, impacting efficiency. The aim was to:

• Reduce operational costs by 10%
• Improve the core infrastructure and accelerate cultural change
• Service improvements to workplace environments
• Introduce development projects to support business growth
• Consolidation and improved space utilisation
• Meet the environmental carbon neutral target.

Corporate Occupier Solutions (COS) is a joint venture between Cushman & Wakefield and EC Harris, providing comprehensive solutions on behalf of NAG Europe. The need for an integrated solution was identified and implemented in the form of a transformational business model to meet and exceed the property vision.

With the takeover by the RBS-Fortis-Santander consortium, ABN AMRO’s Global Property and Facilities Management Services department was required to play a pivotal role in the transition, separation and integration of ABN AMRO business units, assets and staff to each consortium partner.

Creating solutions

COS leveraged technology, performance management capability, and ability to create and implement innovation and strategic transformation within commercial real estate and retail banking.

Working closely with NAG Europe, COS identified a need to combine project management, facilities management and property transactions in an integrated solution branded ‘The National Property Team’ throughout corporate and retail property assets. This enabled NAG Europe to substantially increase efficiency.

The culture of The National Property Team (NPT) is driven by a commercial model that funds provider’s costs to deliver to the KPI’s set by the team. One of the solutions was to implement exceptional performance resulting in innovation and cost reduction, rewarding at predetermined levels a percentage of the gain made. This culture generates a central pool of funds that also drives personal reward within the National Property Team.

The solution delivered leverage within the technology, performance management capability and the best practice innovation across a group of leading businesses.

Adding value

COS created a successful solution based on a truly integrated offering, viewed as vital for clients who want to transform their business through outsource by: 

• Creating one property team
• Transforming the service from compliant to leading
• Prepare NAG Europe for the future
• Developing innovate solutions in response to business strategy
• Delivering savings against operational costs of 11% per annum
• Identifying a further 5% of cost savings for the 2008 / 009 financial year
• Service improvements to workplace environments
• Consolidation and improved space utilisation
• Meeting environmental carbon neutral targets.

COS has been engaged at a business level, carrying KPI’s that deliver to the vision of the bank, carbon neutrality (neutral by 2010), OPEX spend reduction and performance improvement.

However, the real goal is business transformation as COS enables NAG Europe to adopt best practice in its CRE function, ensuring that bank customers and employees have a premium experience in branch and in the office.

The National Property Team is now delivering on the promises made to the bank against the objectives set by the National Property Team stakeholders.

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