“The public sector and interim management firms: a high-performing partnership to manage Next Generation EU”

“Both the private and public sectors have a great opportunity to adopt interim management as a tool for implementing projects linked to the Next Generation EU funds”

7 March 2022

Behind interim management lies something far more tangible than simply an executive management service for strategic projects: it involves highly qualified and experienced professionals – two key factors for achieving success in any project. Given the high expectations generated by the Next Generation EU funds under the ‘European Economic Recovery Fund’, we must ask ourselves whether Spain is prepared to implement the projects underpinned by this extraordinary opportunity for economic growth. As business leaders involved in the world of management and project leadership, we have no doubts on this matter: the answer is that Spain lacks the capacity to meet this challenge, both in the public sector and in the private sector. It is necessary to strengthen management structures with the best specialists in each field – something that interim management firms have been doing for years.

The historic challenge of contracting and implementing €140,446 million

The sums committed by the EU to Spain under the Next Generation EU Funds – €140,446 million – represent an immense management challenge for public administrations, whose mission is to channel this aid and public funding to sectors of the economy damaged by COVID-19. But it is not just a matter of processing the application for these funds and ensuring they are allocated to viable projects – an arduous task in itself – it is also necessary to have leaders who know how to manage and implement them. How many professionals specialising in executive management are available to lead the implementation of projects linked to the Next Generation EU funds? Undoubtedly, far fewer than are needed, and this is where interim management firms play an essential role. In other countries where executive management services are more established, there is no doubt that interim managers from specialist firms are an indispensable force.

The public sector in Spain is failing to take interim management firms into account, despite the fact that they are best placed for project management, as they have an army of high-performing executive directors with extensive experience and exceptional calibre. Fortunately, private-sector companies are increasingly valuing this service, which has led to a considerable increase in turnover for these firms in recent years.

It is clear that public-private collaboration between interim management firms and public administrations would constitute a strategic alliance of great significance for achieving the objectives set out in the ‘Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan’ drawn up by the Spanish Government.

In a business model – such as the one that has been consolidating in Spain for years – based on hiring professionals on a project-by-project basis, interim management takes on particular importance. It is also worth noting that some of the leading firms specialising in flexible management belong to international business networks, such as “Globalise – The Global Interim Management Group’, to which our company, EPUNTO Interim Management, belongs. This group has a presence across all five continents and a powerful database featuring the world’s best interim managers – including, of course, those in Spain.

Benefits of engaging EPUNTO Interim Management to carry out projects:

1. Project analysis, prior to selecting the most suitable interim manager.
2. Selection of the interim manager in under 72 hours using our “Smart recruitment” method. We have the best selection of executives across all five continents.
3. Coordination and supervision of project delivery, from the interim manager’s appointment through to the completion of the assignment.
4. Immediate replacement of the interim manager should the objectives not be met.
5. By engaging our interim management services, you do not burden your company’s structure; you simply engage an executive management service for as long as you need it.

Experts in the main Next Generation EU funding streams

Our interim manager selection team has put together a special selection of professionals with proven experience in the EU’s main policy areas: digital transformation, green transition, social and territorial cohesion, and equality.

We have also thoroughly analysed the Spanish government’s National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which channels European funds through ten key policies, with the aim of providing interim management services to public administrations:

1. Urban and rural agenda, combating depopulation and developing agriculture.
2. Promotion of resilient infrastructure and ecosystems.
3. A fair and inclusive energy transition.
4. Digitalisation of public administrations.
5. Industrial competitiveness. Modernisation and digital transformation of productive sectors.
6. A pact for science and innovation and the strengthening of the National Health Service.
7. Investment in human capital. Education and knowledge.
8. The care economy and employment policies. Strengthening the National Care System.
9. Development of the cultural sector.
10. Modernisation of the tax system to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.

These objectives require the implementation and execution of policies that demand experience and executive management capacity – key qualities of interim management, a project-based management service used in countries around the world, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon and Central European regions.

Digital Transformation: at the heart of EPUNTO Interim Management.

The digitalisation of processes and the implementation of disruptive technologies in the world of interim management have set the tone for our company since its creation in 2015; the digitalisation of processes in the service of executive management is one of our key competitive advantages. For this reason, in 2018 we established LIQUID Smart Technologies, a subsidiary of IDEL Innovación y Desarrollo Local, a consultancy firm with over 20 years’ national and international experience, specialising in accessing and managing European and multilateral funds.

LIQUID S.T. is an organisation specialising in digitalisation services for businesses and public bodies. The use of flexible management services in digitalisation and data economy projects positions EPUNTO Interim Management as a pioneer and highly qualified player in digital transformation.

Our areas of expertise in flexible management for digital transformation:

• Data economy.
• Organisation and processes.
• Flexible systems integration.
• Industry 4.0 (Digital Enabling Technologies)

Examples of digitalisation projects carried out through interim management: YOTRAMITO

This is the first universal grant application processor that meets the following objectives:

• It identifies the most suitable grants for each profile from among all those available, streamlining the process of accessing grants using state-of-the-art technology.
• It brings the full range of grants within easy and accessible reach of professionals and small business owners, ensuring no opportunity is missed.

SOY+

A biotech project involving the clinical validation and implementation of an information system based on the non-invasive analysis of biosignals for the multimodal and remote monitoring of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

At EPUNTO Interim Management, we have always integrated ourselves into the fabric of organisations, optimising their resources and enhancing their competitiveness. Continuous innovation and the pursuit of competitive solutions make us the ideal partner for the implementation of strategic projects.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements: info@epunto.es (34) 901 727 727