East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) was created as part of the Government’s devolution programme to give local leaders greater powers and funding to make decisions for their region.
Representing 2.2 million people across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the Authority is responsible for strategic investment and the delivery of the Mayor’s manifesto commitments across areas including transport, skills, housing, economic growth, net zero and public services.
EMCCA brings together regional leadership, including the Mayor of the East Midlands and responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioner functions, with a clear ambition to unlock opportunity and deliver better outcomes for communities across the region.
EMCCA needed a headquarters capable of supporting collaborative working, organisational growth and the delivery of its long-term regional priorities, while bringing together colleagues and partners from across a wide range of functions and services.
EMCCA was operating from an enterprise business centre, but as the organisation evolved and staff numbers grew and its responsibilities expanded, it required a headquarters that could support future growth and changing ways of working.
To support this evolution, EMCCA undertook the refurbishment of a former retail unit to create a modern headquarters for the combined authority. The goal was not simply to provide office accommodation, but to create a flexible, collaborative workplace where teams could work together effectively in one shared space.
The project came with demanding timelines. The new headquarters needed to be ready quickly, with the network infrastructure procured, designed, installed and operational alongside Gigabit network access and wider building works.
The building design placed a strong emphasis on wireless connectivity rather than fixed connections. With collaborative spaces, flexible layouts and hybrid working built into the operating model, high availability and performance of Wi-Fi was business critical. The network needed to provide the resilience and flexibility required by a fast-growing public sector organisation from day one.
EMCCA needed a partner that understood the demands of public sector delivery, could work at pace, and had the experience to manage a complex network implementation alongside multiple stakeholders and changing project dependencies.
Roc Technologies was appointed because of our strong public sector experience, particularly across local government and higher education, and our proven track record for quality and speed of delivery.
Working closely with EMCCA and its partners, Roc Technologies designed and delivered the network infrastructure required to support the Authority’s new headquarters.
The solution was built around a high-performance, resilient network architecture capable of supporting a predominantly Wi-Fi-first workplace. Roc recommended Juniper switching technology to take advantage of AI-driven capabilities, support simplified network operations and ensure resilience across the environment.
Our work included the design of the network solution, procurement of the required equipment, coordination with other delivery partners, and installation within the required programme timescales.
Throughout the project, Roc had to respond to a number of challenges, including changing dates, evolving requirements and dependencies on third-party partners involved in the wider refurbishment. Roc’s delivery team remained flexible and responsive, helping EMCCA maintain progress against a tight deadline and ensuring the technology workstream remained aligned with the overall opening schedule.
The result was a modern, scalable and resilient network foundation, designed to support the Authority’s immediate operational requirements as well as its future growth.
Roc Technologies successfully delivered the network solution, equipment procurement and installation within the required timescales, enabling EMCCA to establish the digital foundations for its new headquarters.
The technology fully met the team’s requirements, providing the performance, availability and flexibility needed to support a modern collaborative workplace. With Wi-Fi at the heart of the building design, the network gives EMCCA the ability to support different working patterns, meeting spaces and user needs across the headquarters.
The new headquarters now provides a modern working environment for the East Midlands Combined County Authority, helping bring teams together in one space and supporting the Authority’s wider mission to deliver strategic investment and better outcomes for the region.
Sean Green, Director of Digital and Operations at EMCCA, said
Roc Technologies understood the importance of this project from the outset. As a new combined authority, we needed a modern headquarters that could support collaboration, flexibility and future growth. Roc brought the public sector experience, technical knowledge and responsiveness we needed to deliver the network infrastructure within challenging timescales.
Matt Franklin, CEO Roc Technologies, commented:
East Midlands Combined County Authority is a newly created organisation with an important role to play in shaping the future of the region. The headquarters needed a resilient, flexible and high-performing network that could support the Authority from day one and scale as the organisation grows. We are proud to have helped EMCCA put those digital foundations in place.