Collaborative Procurement Programme
Download the Collaborative Procurement Programme Factsheet here
The Programme aims to enable 'transformational procurement' to support delivery of the very highest standard of public services. It will support authorities in delivering efficiency, quality, innovation and excellence to service users, contributing to the economic, social and environmental prosperity of the North East.
The Programme was developed to enable 'transformational procurement' to support delivery of the very highest standard of public services. But what does this mean in practice?
Collaborative Procurement & Commissioning ISN'T...
- A one size fits all approach...
- Meant to ignore local requirements, agendas or priorities...
- Always aggregating spend across all 12 North East local authorities...
- Choosing the cheapest price option every time...
- Ignoring other priorities, e.g. service specific requirements, sustainability...
- Just buying from national contracts / frameworks...
- Reducing the ability for local SMEs to access / deliver local authority contracts
Collaborative Procurement & Commissioning IS...
- When two or more authorities aggregate demand and consider jointly going to market
- Understanding all authorities'/departments' specific needs and requirements
- Looking at opportunities for working with other local, sub regional or regional local authorities, where appropriate
- Sharing of information, expertise and best practice - learning from the experience of others
- Sharing resource and technology
- Removing duplication of effort
- Researching and understanding markets
- Developing effective dialogue with those delivering
- Ensuring the infrastructure is in place to deliver appropriate solutions
- Leveraging purchasing spend, if appropriate
- Data, Data, Data. Understanding organisational spend, on what and with whom (and why!)
- Using a category management approach (or our interpretation of it in the North East!)
- Having the tools, capability and understanding in place to find appropriate solutions to "buying"
- Delivering optimum best value for individual authorities
- Offering a variety of solutions through promoting best practice in procurement, as well as supplier information, to help deliver real savings.
By taking collaborative and innovative approaches to procurement, the North East will soon start to see the rewards through the release of procurement efficiencies and the provision of wider benefits to suppliers and the community.
What's more, the profile of procurement will be increased as a professional function, bringing benefits to the organisation and the field.
Sustainable Procurement
The RIEP also has a number of sustainable procurement projects which include collaborative work around school meals and timber procurement. Click here to go to the Sustainable Procurement Homepage.
There are also links to the Climate Change best practice programme. Read about it here.
Programme Contacts:
Programme Manager : Diane Nielsen. Tel 07825 112 629 Email: Diane.nielsen@northeastcouncils.gov.uk
Sustainable Procurement Project Officer: Bill Kirkup, Telephone 07766 500054, Email Bill.kirkup@northeastcouncils.gov.uk.
Local Authority Sponsor/Programme Board Chair:
Barry Rowland, Chief Executive, Newcastle City Council
