| Each
year Councils spend almost £40 billion of public
money externally. It is, of course, vital that this
money is spent wisely and that best value is obtained.
The importance of procurement within Local Authorities
is growing and Councils are striving to ensure that
their procurement performance provides a positive contribution
to the delivery of strategic objectives and improving
the quality of services delivered to the public.
Several reports in recent years have identified the
role of procurement in the context of wider Local Authority
responsibilities culminating recently in a ‘National
Procurement Strategy for Local Government’.
The Better RegulationTask Force and Small Business
Council have identified the role which small businesses,
often described as ‘the engine of the economy’,
have to play and have provided recommendations detailing
the steps which Local Authorities might take in recognising
their role.
A lot of Councils’ websites provide guidance
and advice to prospective contractors, suppliers and
service providers on how to do business with the Council
together with links to other relevant organisations.
It also provides opportunities for small, medium and
large companies/enterprises to be more aware of procurement
activities and tendering opportunities that are available
through Councils and other public sector organisations.
Locally, St Helens Council is keen to embrace the development
of e-commerce for all it's business transactions - the
vast majority of official purchase orders are sent to
suppliers electronically and increasingly you will find
tenders being conducted in the same manner - to that
end it has initiated the development of an E-Tendering
System which is currently being piloted for future wider
deployment. Further information relative to all procurement
matters can be obtained via the following link:
St
Helens Council
Other Councils in Merseyside also provide a lot of
information about how to supply to them and this information
can be found via the following links:
Knowsley
Council
Liverpool
Council
Sefton
Council
Wirral
Council
For any further relevant information through the Chamber
contact Helen
Graham on 01744 742006
What is One Form?
One
Form is a new online pre-qualification form designed
to be completed once, so that suppliers no longer have
to repeatedly fill in a variety of pre-qualification
forms to tender.
It is being developed by St Helens Chamber and the University
of Liverpool, in partnership with main contractors and
small-to-medium sized suppliers within the construction
industry.
Why is it needed?
Suppliers can spend more than 10 hours a week, or 500+
hours per year, completing pre-qualification forms for
new and existing customers. The current paper-based
system is expensive, time consuming and repetitive.
How will it work?
The tool will be utilised by both suppliers and buyers
through a secure internet-enabled database. It will
be interactive and act like a company C.V., enabling
suppliers to complete pre-qualification forms online,
and edit their details quickly and easily.
The information will then be merged with the selected
buyers’ forms, giving them the opportunity to
review and print it in a format of their choice.
What are the benefits?
One Form will:
• Streamline your pre-qualification process to
help improve competitiveness.
• Save time and money, thus enabling you to utilise
your resources more effectively.
• Enhance regional supply chain partnerships,
providing an opportunity to meet participating buyers
and raise awareness through networking.
• Encourage the development of IT skills within
the workplace.
What does it involve?
• Entering your company details into an electronic
form.
• Reviewing and using the tool online, via a unique
username/ password
• Providing feedback on the usage of the tool.
• This will be carried out with the full support
of the one form team.
• Qualifying companies based in Merseyside will
be able to use the tool, which is being developed throughout
2004 - 2005, free of charge.
To access the One Form website, click here
This
is funded by
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