Earlier this year, the council set up a new centralised Procurement Service which centralises the management of strategic procurement activities which includes, but is not limited to, high value contract delivery and management, supplier management and development, continuous improvement and the delivery of procurement efficiencies. The Service has been in place since the beginning of February this year and has been structured into four teams which are aligned to the Councils Resources and categories of spend. The organisation chart below shows the team structure within the teams and the key contacts are detailed. This structure is intended to simplify the control of category spend, drive compliance to contracts and the communication between our internal stakeholders and our suppliers. Also detailed is the categories linked to each team.
Over the next few months we will be reviewing our external web pages and communication in general, in particular, looking at ways of providing information to our external stakeholders and suppliers as it is important that we provide relevant and timely information about procurement within the Council.
Key to the success of the new Procurement Service will be improving the way that we work with our supply chain. We should partner with our suppliers to drive innovation, develop the way we do business and realise efficiencies. Our suppliers are a great source of information, have knowledge of the markets they work in and can have a positive impact on the supply of goods and services to the Council through delivering innovation and continuous improvements. Developing the relationship with suppliers will be one of the next steps in the Service's creation, this will be achieved though improved communication and better engagement with our suppliers, clear accountabilities, implemented strategies and defined processes for example supplier management and development.
The Council buys a wide range of goods, works and services which support both day-to-day frontline services and major building works such as the schools modernisation programme and HomeHappening. Whilst we must secure best value for these, we must also be accountable to the public and must conduct business openly, fairly and in a way that can be audited.
At the present each Resource is responsible for procuring low value goods, works and services with the Procurement Service delivering high value Council-wide contracts. The Service also collaborates with other public sector partners for example Scotland Excel (insert link) to contract on a wide range of things such as bottled water, photocopiers, stationery and corporate clothing, and in doing so, maximises savings.
A competitive contract notice is posted on the Council's Buyer Profile when a purchase requiring a tender is identified. You can see this, along with supporting information and documents, on our Procurement portal (this link will open in a new window).
Simply register your company details then you will be given a username and password. Each contract will have a tender access code number (TAC code) which you will need to access the tender documentation. If you experience any problems, contact the Delta Helpdesk or call 0845 270 7050.