Corporate procurement mission statement
Corporate Procurement will build strong relationships with our stakeholders to deliver Building Harlow’s Future Plan by:
- sourcing the right commercial solutions to deliver improved whole life value for money, sustainability and compliance
- managing risk and ensuring process and contract compliance
1. Introduction
1.1 This strategy has been drafted to replace the previous document adopted in 2020. It reflects the current council priorities, updated legislation and the key role procurement will continue to play in enabling the council to meet ongoing challenges.
1.2 The strategy is integral to delivery of the council’s strategic aims; whilst the primary focus is of procurement is delivering value of money, the strategy also champions:
- Maximising public benefit: Aiming to achieve the greatest possible benefit for the community through our procurement activities. This includes embedding sustainability, social value and supporting small, local businesses.
- Transparency in communication: Providing clear and accessible information to suppliers about our procurement policies and decisions to foster understanding and fair competition.
- Integrity: Maintaining the highest standards of integrity in all procurement actions and ensuring that our processes are transparent, promoting trust and accountability.
2. Strategic priorities and actions
2.1 This strategy acknowledges the changes implemented by the Procurement Act 2023. Where needed this strategy will be varied to meet any obligations of this Act as it is implemented.
2.2 The strategy and operation of procurement activity will have to adhere to government’s guidance addressing all aspects of the new regime, covering subjects from transitional arrangements and covered procurement through to premarket engagement, award rules, exclusions and contract modifications.
2.3 To aid navigation the government have published guidance documents under the four stages of the commercial pathway being:
- plan
- define
- procure
- manage
2.4 The Corporate Procurement Service (CPS) will ensure procurement activity is delivered in line with the above objectives of the Procurement Act 2023, specifically:
- 2.4.1 Plan: Having clear and transparent commercial pipelines and a good understanding of the market to plan for the procurement process. This will be achieved through:
- Supporting the creation of a detailed representative contracts register and a combined forward plan of procurement activity to enable understanding of spend and ability to deliver the requirements around transparency as set out in the Procurement Act 2023.
- Moving to a proactive model, supported by a forward plan, to work with colleagues to develop a good understanding of the market and the most advantageous approach.
- 2.4.2 Define – Achieving flexible, efficient procurement process that encourage broad participation and are open and accessible to all. To enable this CPS will:
- Ensure procurement is embedded as part of the operational service teams across the authority to, in a phased manner, undertake sourcing activities above threshold and provide a structured compliant approach to all procurements over £30,000.
- Develop procurement documentation which is easy for suppliers to understand and access through an eSourcing platform, in particular reducing barriers for SME and voluntary sector organisations.
- Understand and align procurements with the service needs, expectations, and objectives.
- Apply outcome-based and value-based procurement approaches to specify and evaluate the procurement requirements and bids maximising the increased flexibility brought by new procedures as set out within the Procurement Act 2023.
- Identify and exploit opportunities for aggregation, standardisation, and rationalisation of procurement spend and contracts enabling the authority to push efficiency.
- Negotiate and secure the best value for money and terms and conditions from the suppliers.
- Optimise the use of existing frameworks and contracts, both internal and external to enable value and the ability to flex with organisation needs.
- Identify and leverage the economies of scale and the collective bargaining power of partner organisations.
- Embed a structured and robust approach to evaluating social value enabling consideration of a range of factors which will best advantage the authority as set out in the ethics and sustainability section below.
- 2.4.3 Procure – Evaluating bidder compliance with exclusion grounds and selecting suitable suppliers for the contract, CPS will:
- Ensure robust and effective evaluation methodologies are used to ensure the most advantageous tender is chosen and that there is clear evidence for the decision to award, including a both a letting strategy and award report for those procurements above the public contract threshold.
- Apply outcome-based and value-based procurement approaches to specify and evaluate the procurement requirements and bids using the new procedures as set out within the Procurement Act 2023.
- Ensure suppliers are checked against the exclusion grounds as part of the procurement process and suppliers are reviewed against the ‘excluded’ and ‘excludable’ suppliers list.
- 2.4.4 Manage – Working with suppliers and managing the contract to ensure successful achievement of the contractual outcomes, CPS will:
- Incorporate quality assurance and improvement mechanisms into the procurement and contract management processes.
- Work with the contract managers to ensure the procurement includes quality assurance and contract management processes and they are able to be appropriately managed.
- Contract managers will work with suppliers and manage in a robust manner to ensure services are delivered in line with the terms of the contract agreement.
2.5 In addition to delivering against the Procurement Act, the CPS will benchmark activity against the National Procurement Strategy and LGA toolkit, identifying areas of weakness and implementing actions plan to deliver against these. This will be reviewed on an annual basis, evaluating performance against the action plan and revising where needed.
2.6 In consideration of this, ongoing monitoring and review will consider:
- 2.6.1 Skills and capabilities - The CPS will enhance the skills and capabilities of the staff and stakeholders by:
- Conducting a skills and capability assessment and gap analysis for the procurement staff and stakeholders.
- Developing and implementing a procurement competency framework and career development plan for the procurement and contract management staff.
- Developing and delivering a procurement and contract management training and development programme for all stakeholders.
- Providing coaching and mentoring support all stakeholders with procurement or commercial responsibilities.
- Establishing and facilitating procurement communities of practice and networks.
- 2.6.2 Improvement and innovation - The CPS will foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in procurement by:
- Establishing and implementing a procurement performance management and improvement framework and plan.
- Setting and monitoring key performance indicators and targets.
- Measuring and reporting the impact and benefits of the procurement activities and contracts on service delivery and outcomes.
- Conducting regular procurement audits and reviews to identify and address the issues and risks.
- Soliciting and acting on the feedback and suggestions from staff, stakeholders, suppliers, and partners.
- Encouraging and rewarding the procurement best practices and innovations.
- 2.6.3 Ethics and sustainability: The CPS will promote ethical, sustainable, and inclusive procurement practices that support environmental, social, and economic wellbeing by:
- Developing and implementing a procurement social value policy and strategy.
- Integrating social value criteria and measures into the procurement and contract management processes and decisions.
- Engaging and collaborating with the local communities, businesses, and organisations to identify and deliver the social value outcomes.
- Developing and implementing a procurement environmental policy and strategy.
- Engaging with suppliers early in the procurement cycle on and sustainable practices and foster collaborative innovation on social impact.
- Embedding sustainable procurement principles into all purchasing activities, ensuring that goods, services, and works deliver long-term social, economic benefits through responsible sourcing, lifecycle considerations, and reduced negative impacts.
- Integrating targets for suppliers to adhere to labour standards, ensure living wages, safe working conditions, and proper modern slavery and human rights due diligence.
- Targeting traceability and ethical sourcing of materials aligned with recognised standards (e.g., ILO, FSC, fair trade) and require audits or certifications.
- Supporting and promoting the participation and representation of the underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in the procurement activities and contracts.
- 2.6.4 Relationships and trust: The CPS will strengthen the relationships and trust internally and with suppliers and partners by:
- Communicating and consulting on the procurement strategy, plans, and activities.
- Sharing and disseminating the procurement information, knowledge, and best practices.
- Resolving and managing the conflicts and disputes that may arise.
- Recognising and celebrating the achievements and successes.
- Engaging and communicating with the suppliers and potential suppliers on the procurement opportunities, processes, and expectations.
- Providing fair and transparent procurement processes which are clear, open and transparent taking a whole contract lifecycle approach and setting out clear accountabilities.
- Collaborating and co-creating with the suppliers and partners to deliver innovation and social value.
3.Conclusion
3.1 This procurement strategy sets out the vision, goals, scope, and priorities of the CPS for the next three years from the date of agreement. It also outlines the actions that the service will take to achieve its goals and to support the wider authority in its procurement activities.
3.2 The CPS will review and update this procurement strategy annually to ensure that it remains relevant and responsive to changing needs and circumstances.
3.3 The CPS will also monitor and report on the progress and performance of this procurement strategy.
3.4 The CPS is committed to delivering efficient, effective, and sustainable procurement solutions for the benefit of the local community.