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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:
Arvind Sidhu
Service Systems Administrator
Strategic Procurement Unit
Tel: 020 8430 3541Extn: 23469
Email:
arvind.sidhu@newham.gov.uk
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