Procurement is about making choices and can be defined as the
process of acquiring goods, works and services from suppliers.
The process covers the whole lifecycle from identification of
needs, through to the end of life of the asset or service.
Procurement, therefore, has a broader meaning than that of simply
purchasing.
It is concerned with securing services and products that best
meet the needs of users and the local community in order to help
achieve the Council’s key priorities.
'Our vision is
to procure in a sustainable way, delivering the best
possible value for the citizens of Copeland.’
Our Procurement
Strategy 2010-2013 and Strategy Action
Plan sets out how we are seeking to achieve this vision.
Alongside this is the Sustainable
Procurement Policy 2010-2013 and Policy Action Plan, which
details how our procurement activities will take account of
environmental, economic and social impacts. A major issue within
our sustainability agenda is Equality & Diversity, and
templates for E&D and harassment policies and procedures
are available for contractors.
Another significant part of improving
our procurement is EPiC (Effective Procurement in Cumbria). EPiC is a formal
shared service for procurement, where the participating local
authorities work on a joint approach to areas like tendering
programmes, e-procurement and sustainable procurement.
Savings
An important part of Procurement is achieving savings. We want
to ensure that we make the very best use of public money whilst
still delivering high quality services.
Savings generated directly by Procurement are reported to
Executive every quarter. In 2009/2010, a saving of over £90, 000
was achieved through things like new methods of advertising
tenders, the centralised purchase of stationery and a comparison of
savings achieved in relation to like-for-like contracts.
For the first quarter (April - July) of 2010/2011, savings of
£18, 953.65 have been achieved. The saving mainly came from our
decision to rationalise the number of desktop printers at the
Council offices.
£18, 953.65 saving for the first three months of
2010/2011:
Our next savings figures will be published in October. Please
check back then to see how far our money stack has grown.