Local government in Wales currently spends in excess of £2.4 billions each year on the procurement of commodities, works and services. This spending power provides local authorities with a tool to support the achievement of their strategic economic, social and environmental community aims in parallel with the pursuit of efficiency gains through collaboration and the implementation of effective practice.
The Welsh Assembly Government has focused on the opportunities that may be addressed through the strategic and collaborative use of effective procurement in a number of recent policy initiatives, specifically “Making the Connections”, the Assembly’s vision for reform of the Welsh public service, and “Delivering Beyond Boundaries; Transforming Public Services”, their response to the review of public service delivery undertaken by Sir Jeremy Beecham.
Within “Making the Connections” the Welsh Assembly Government has outlined it’s expectations that a large proportion of the efficiency gains target identified for achievement by 2010 will be met through procurement and delivered through both the aggregation of public service demand and the establishment of improved process and practice within public sector organisations.
Local authorities continue to build on past performance by further development of procurement policy, practice and collaboration to support the achievement of their community strategic and operational objectives. The Association is providing active support to and participation in the development of the North Wales Procurement Partnership and the expansion of the Welsh Purchasing Consortium to facilitate increased procurement collaboration by local authorities in Wales to achieve greater efficiency savings.