Procurement advice
The challenge
There is growing recognition that achieving maximum value for taxpayers’ money is not just about the highest financial value. Politicians and professionals are realising the need to achieve the ‘triple bottom line’ of the greatest economic, social and environmental benefit for every pound.
Using community benefits in procurement can be one of the most effective ways of ensuring the £175 billion spent on public sector procurement in the UK can have wider social, environmental and economic benefits than the object of the procurement itself. It is about adding value and unlocking potential. It is about supporting local economies, promoting employment, skills and training, developing communities and minimising environmental damage.
Our expertise
APSE regularly provides procurement advice and support to others on the appropriate use of the EU Procurement process to our members. APSE has also undertaken a number of projects in this area – this includes a northern authority where an APSE associate has project managed the procurement process of the changes to public convenience provision and offering critical friend support to a central authority on their highways management and maintenance public finance initiative. We understand public sector procurement and provide guidance through consultancy in addition to training and publications.
Our approach
APSE will take a pragmatic approach and will tailor this depending on your requirements. The team can offer advice and support around the different procurement options as well as taking you through the process. This can range from leading the project utilising one of our interim managers to providing support throughout the different stages from the initial tender, competitive dialogue and contracts specification.
More information
Briefings
- ‘Survey report 2009: Local authority trading, charging and procurement’ November 2009, 09/57.
Advisory Groups
Advisory groups are quarterly meeting free to all APSE members. Suggested groups relevant to this topic are:
- Service delivery models
- Service transformation and performance management
For further information and the date of the next group please click here.
Publications
- ‘Towards sustainable procurement: For local authorities’ APSE, February 2011
- ‘More bang for the public buck: a guide to using procurement to achieve community benefits’ APSE, March 2010
Related services
Interim Management
To find out more about how an interim manager could manage the procurement process for you click here.
Training
Training courses are available on a variety of topics including
- Procurement matters
The course is designed for authorities to answer the following questions:
- Are you complying with all current procurement regulations?
- How do you ensure you are compliant with the European rules on awarding a public sector contract?
For further information and the date of forthcoming courses please click here.
Contact us
For further information on consultancy services, please contact:
- Andy Mudd, Principal Consultant
- Gayle Gibson, Senior Consultant
- Alex Gardiner, Client Co-ordination Officer
Or telephone APSE on 0161 772 1810 for an informal discussion on how we can help you or about any of the other services APSE provides.
Our other offers
For information about other APSE consultancy offers, please use the links below.