4Merit was founded in 2021 to bring together the best expertise in the Government services sector in the UK. Our team combines professionals with in-depth experience in providing services to the Government across Justice, Immigration, Health, Transport, and Defence.
We are passionate about ‘values led outsourcing’ and have built our organisation on the principle of ‘meritocracy,’ where the risks and rewards of delivery are shared across the organisation and with our partners.
A change is required in how services are delivered to government. We are dedicated to providing values-led, innovative solutions that exceed expectations and make a positive impact.
Meet The Team
OUR TEAM.
COLIN DOBELL
CEO, Leading the Business and Market Strategy
Colin has over thirty years experience in outsourcing of central government justice services including 20 years leading businesses in the Immigration Enforcement. Most recently, Colin was Managing Director of Mitie Care and Custody, a business he founded that is now a leading provider of Immigration Enforcement services for the Home Office.
Colin has previously successfully bid, won and managed Campsfield House for both the GEO Group and Mitie Care & Custody.
PAUL COLLINS
CFO, Financial Strategy & Governance
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Paul is an experienced professional with 20 years’ of experience working within a financial environment experiencing varied industries including IT services, engineering consultancy, financial services, manufacturing, and custodial services.
Committed to both personal and organisational success, leads by example, and places great emphasis on a positive working environment and business culture.
WILL CAIRNS
Director of Operations
Will is an accomplished operational leader whose leadership and team-building abilities have brought a real record of impact across multiple industries in leadership roles with blue chip and international groups such as Serco, G4S, Babcock International, and The Geo Group on major national government contracts.
He has driven transformational change in highly pressurised and challenging circumstances and has a reputation for turning teams and contracts from failure onto a sustainable course focussed on constant improvement.
OUR VALUES.
Driven by a deep sense of purpose and guided by outstanding values, our work is shaped by a commitment to excellence. We are commited to delivering exceptional services while embodying empathy, trustworthiness, and a strong sense of responsibility.
SUSTAINABILITY:
Agreeing energy savings targets (water & energy consumption and waste to landfill) with commissioners Including:
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Setting a recycling target with long term goal of moving to zero waste to landfill and eradicating single-use plastics.
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Implementing a Plan Zero Action Plan and robust compliance measures, aligned to local commissioners’ targets
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Green travel (including electric fleet cars and EV charging points for staff)
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Added value carbon reduction/recycling schemes (e.g. LED/timer-controlled lights, Clean Conscience)
SUPPLY CHAIN:
Ensuring supply chain is ethical and consists, where possible, of local SME suppliers:
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Buying Local: proactively search for local SMEs
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Implementing market leading spend with SMEs and targets for SME/VCSE spend
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Including organisations with local social impact, including charities.
ECONOMIC IMPACT & DIVERSITY:
Creating new jobs in the communities we operate in and targeting candidates from under-represented and/or disadvantaged groups.
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Professionalising our industry through training, apprenticeships and opportunities for qualifications, to ensure we have a pool of exceptionally well-trained professionals.
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Embedding a five-year diversity strategy at contract level, including implementing reverse mentoring.
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Having an EDI team to promote, embed and monitor an equal, respectful culture.
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Monitoring pay and advancement to ensure measures are being taken to eliminate any gender pay-gap issues and unconscious bias towards under- represented groups.
CHARITY & COMMUNITY:
Being a socially conscious organisation and contributing to the communities in which we operate.
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Giving each member of staff a paid annual volunteering day.
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Supporting the local community including a ‘good ideas’ scheme for colleagues, surveys and real-time feedback.
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Encouraging unpaid volunteering to help the vulnerable in our society. Delivering Social value is good business and is our norm.
OUR VALUES.
MERITOCRACY:
We believe our colleagues should share in the rewards of our business, grow meaningful careers whilst ‘owning’ part of the business.
RESILIENCE:
Relishing the challenge and tackling obstacles head on to enhance value in outsourced public services.
TRANSPARENCY:
Culture of transparency and open client relationships sharing and learning from our successes and failures.
EMPATHY:
An empathetic partner driven by public service values. Colleagues and service users alike are supported with compassion and care.
INTEGRITY:
Unwavering commitment to doing the right thing every time, making a positive contribution to the communities we serve.
