North West Centre of Excellence

Centre of Procurement Excellence - North West

Possible outcomes for the North West Regional Centre

The Centre will develop a common procurement policy and strategy which will deliver the following outcomes:

°          significantly reduced costs of procurement

°          significantly improved value in goods and services - bought-in, back office and direct

°          significantly improved value in works

°          development of local economies including healthy voluntary and community sectors

°          all North West Councils to achieve the milestones set out in the National Procurement Strategy.

This paper contains some suggestions of what the Centre for Procurement Excellence might deliver to help achieve the above outcomes.  The suggestions are made to promote discussion and amplification.

1.      Call off contracts for goods and services, construction, consultancy which any member can use without having to go through EC/tendering processes.

These contracts will require specific reference to their use across the region by councils and other public bodies at the outset.  They will derive from the individual and existing consortia contracts initially and from innovative proposals from the private sector.
  

2.      Regional vetting/accreditation of suppliers and shared information on performance. This has some synergy with the work of the Office of Government Commerce.

3.      Concordat with the voluntary and community sector at a regional level with a blue print for local arrangements.

4.      Concordat with SMEs - blue print for a local concordat in line with the National Concordat.

5.      Templates for Council Procurement Strategies, for procurement exercises, for gateway reviews and for "Selling to the Council" guides.

6.      A North West Procurement Fitness Test and a list of accredited consultants to assist with the work accessible via a regional call-off contract.

This will fulfil the health check requirements of the National Strategy but will also be used to produce a practical action plan for improving a council's procurement.

7.      A seminar programme and newsletter (electronic) for the dissemination of good practice.

8.      A website/extranet/portal for dissemination of good practice, templates, frequently asked questions, contacts and procurement intentions.

This will facilitate via a private portal discussion groups, notices of procurement intentions and information on supplier performance.

9.      Scoping work for consultancy with access to a call-off contract for such work.

10.  Staff development and secondment brokerage

This will provide pointers to suitable training and development with user evaluations and in due course training material provided via a virtual learning environment.  The latter will require collaborations across the FE sector.

Staff secondments may be to the Centre but also between authorities.

11.  Collaborations for service delivery

This could be initially based on existing organisations which have geared up for taking on work for others, supplemented by new ones based on a gap analysis.  Some support would be required for a seller's pack including outline strategic risk assessment and a business case for existing centres.  Some process of market stimulation will be required for new ones.

12.  Specific advice on the telephone from the Centre, either directly or by referral to expert practitioners.

13.  Electronic tendering and procurement including e-auctions

This will provide a range of 'e-service' solutions which will link into regional and national contracts but which will also provide for the local market place.

This will involve work with the ODPM's National e-procurement project to assist councils in selection and implementation and work with the Regional Development Agency and the National Project to determine the impact on SMEs.

14.  Methodology for partnering with the private sector.  Accumulated knowledge of the process of partnering either strategically or with best of breed, including defining and quantifying objectives and baselines and establishing business/investment plans.

15.  Options Appraisal - a template for the make or buy decision as part of performance improvement.

16.  Area-wide Public Service Agreements

29^th April 2004