News Update

Week Ending 16th December 2005

Forum for the Future Survey

We hope you can find five minutes to complete this survey.  It has been commissioned by the Government's Sustainable Procurement Task Force.  The aim is to find out more about what's working, what isn't and what needs to change if sustainable procurement is to become the norm in public and private sector. 

Why bother?  Filling in the survey form won't take more than 10 minutes. Your response will feed directly into the Task Force Action Plan, to be published in the spring, and you'll receive a report on the results.   All respondents also will get a free year's subscription to Green Futures Magazine, including a special publication on sustainable procurement to be published in the Spring.  If you are already receiving GF, you can allocate your free sub to a friend or colleague.

Confidentiality: We appreciate that being honest about what has worked and particularly what has not worked is often difficult in a public arena.  Because of this, you have the option to make your return confidential to the survey team.  Please put an x the box at the end of the questionnaire if you would like to take up this option.

Above all, the Government is looking for evidence.  If you haven't time to write much about your experiences today, it would help enormously if you could at least flag up where you have experience and examples to offer, in the various boxes provided.  We plan to interview a small number of respondents about their experience during January 2006.  Interviews will be conducted by phone, will take about 20 minutes and will be in complete confidence.   If you do not wish to be contacted in this way, please indicate in the box provided at the end of the questionnaire.

All you need to do is save the attachment to your desk top, fill it in, and email back to w.twist@forumforthefuture.org.uk by 3^rd January 2006 (but before Christmas would be great!).

Can You Help?

Fylde Borough Council would like to know if any other councils have gone out to tender consultancy for specialised landscape parks and gardens?  If you can offer any advice in this area please contact Shelley at the NWCE.

EU Procurement Directives

Thank you to all of you who have attended our new EU Procurement Directives Seminars.  Lee Digings’ presentation, used for the events, can be found by clicking here.  NWCE would also like to express their sincere thanks to Lee Digings for offering this essential service and his superb expertise to the North West.

Update on E-Procurement

All the applications for E-Auctions have been submitted to the RCoE e-procurement lead. We are hopeful that all those which are guaranteed to take place by 31^st March 2006 will be funded.

We are being asked by David Pointon the Lead Officer for e Procurement  for the RCEs Commodities Goods and Services programme to develop a programme of Auctions for the next financial year. We have been asked for an early indication by 23^rd December so people who already have a forward programme could they let the Centre know.

E–procurement Support for Authorities

The RCoE have secured funding for practical support using the IDEA as a contractor which comes in the form of 36 days of free high level consultancy for each Region to deliver a range of e Procurement workshops and support packages. We have confirmed that the NWCE would like this consultancy support and have started to make contact with the sub regional procurement teams to identify the specific support that is needed.

Transformational Government

The Local eGovernment website has lots of information regarding national projects and more importantly quite a number of actual products from NePP

One new product is some Detailed Guidance for Supplier prequalification and accreditation

– please follow this link -http://catalogue.localegovnp.org.uk/pp/publication/results.asp?InitialLetter=A

The Document aims to assist Local Authorities who wish to move towards a simple, appropriate and unified approach to pre-qualification and accreditation of potential suppliers as recommended by the Better Regulation Task Force (BRTF) and now adopted by central government and incorporated into the National Procurement Strategy.

EVENTS

Framework Agreements Workstream Meeting

The next meeting of the Framework Agreements workstream is taking place on Tuesday 20^th December 2005 at 1.00pm in Knowsley.  For further information about this workstream please contact Bev at the Centre.

P-Cards Event

The NWCE, in conjunction with OGC Buying Solutions – and responding to requests from Authorities are hosting an event on P-Cards  This event will take place on 16^th February 2006 at Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall.  To register your interest in this event or to secure a place please contact NWCE.