Evaluation International (EI)
Abacus provides day-to-day and project management services to the Board of Evaluation International. EI is a technology club for large scale users of instruments for measurement and control and related safety systems. Through collaboration with organisations in France, Sweden and The Netherlands, there are almost 100 member companies across Europe. UK members include AWE, BAE Systems, BP, British Energy, HSE, Magnox Electric, Rolls-Royce and Sellafield Ltd.

In addition to managing EI’s instrument evaluation projects, Abacus administers all the membership, event and financial activities of EI.

British Measurement & Testing Association (BMTA)
BMTA has almost 100 member companies most, but not all, of which operate UKAS accredited laboratories. The Abacus Senior Partner is a BMTA director and is also its company secretary. Abacus administers BMTA on a day-to-day basis and organises a range of services and technical events for its members. In the first four years of management of BMTA by Abacus the total number of members has grown by almost 50% and is now approaching 100.

BMTA also manages a consortium which holds the UK membership of EUROLAB and has UK stakeholder membership of ILAC – the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation.

Shell STEP Scheme
Shell Step is an undergraduate placement scheme managed across the UK by Step Enterprise Ltd.  Agencies are used to place students with small to medium sized businesses for eight weeks in the summer to carry out defined projects.  Shell Step is run as a competition so that the undergraduates compete for the title of Most Enterprising Student on a local, regional and, ultimately, national basis.

Abacus successfully ran STEP agencies in South East London and Kent, placing a total of about 250 students.  This work involved all aspects of student and company selection and the organisation of STEP events.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
KTPs are administered by the Government Department of Industry, Universities and DIUS (formerly the DTI). Abacus had a long term contract with DTI to promote the forerunner scheme to KTPs which was known as TCS – The Teaching Companies Scheme. Abacus was also involved in the transition from TCS to KTP and provided the secretariat for the formal five year review of TCS.

"Since taking over its day-to-day management, Abacus has increased BMTA membership numbers by 50%".
Peter Trainer, Quality Compliance Director, Bodycote Testing Group and Chairman of the BMTA Council.