Newham electronic tendering

The Council is committed to modernising its procurement process and, to this end, has purchased an integrated e-sourcing and contract managment system.

What will the procurement system do for LB Newham?

The Council's current procurement processes are largely paper-based.

In order to support the e-government agenda and keep up with current best practice in Procurement, the Council has committed to modernising its procurement process and believes the e-sourcing and contract management system will support this objective by specifically:

• minimising the duplication of effort that occurs across the Council particularly when requesting and analysing supplier details
• facilitating a more efficient procurement process based on clear rules that can be better controlled and audited through the system
• improving management overview and ensuring a consistent procurement approach
• improving capacity for monitoring procurements and ensuring compliance with law
• providing transparent decision-making as this relates to stages of the procurement process
• assist the delivery of the corporate e-commerce strategy

Why this particular system?

Our decision to use this system follows a process undertaken to identify the best solution for the Council's specific needs. It is a tried and tested system as evidenced by its use in over 90 public sector bodies across the country, some of which have acquired Beacon Status for their procurement practices.

The system comprises three separate modules - these are being implemented to manage:

• tendering
• contracts and
• suppliers

This system allows us to automate many of our manual processes. As well as saving time and effort, it will standardise processes across the Council. Everything from maintenance of the Council's Approved List of Contractors, tendering for works, supplies and services, to awarding and managing contracts can be done through the e-sourcing and contract management system.

The system will become a repository for all the Council's contract documentation enabling us to produce management information and report on the same which in turn will help to ensure the identification of areas for corporate contracts and to set targets for improving the efficiency of our procurement processes.

As the system is web-based it will make it easier for potential suppliers to access and do business with the council.

When will the system become operational?

The system is currently being tailored around Newham's needs. A series of templates are being amended to reflect the Council's requirements. This work is being led by Strategic Procurement. Officers from selected service areas have assisted the development phase of the project.

Once the development phase is complete, the Council intends to pilot the system in order to localise problems which may arise. Pending the results of the pilot, forums will be established to provide opportunities for wider stakeholder involvement. This is expected to include rolling visits to service teams to introduce the system, outline the proposed changes in procurement and seek feedback.

It is expected that presentations will take place during the year to demonstrate the operation and use of the system to the business community.

For further information contact:

Business Processes and Compliance Team
Strategic Procurement Unit
Tel: 020 3373 8350
Email: eprocurement@newham.gov.uk