Presentation by the Assistant Director Law and Governance

The Head of Procurement and Principal Lawyer (Commercial)gave a presentation on the process and procedures in place within the Authority in relation to procurement.

The presentation covered the legal and contractual obligations, the internal and EU thresholds, the role of the Procurement Board, compliance and monitoring of the agreed processes, existing frameworks, documentation, spend information and social value in Procurement.
 

Discussion ensued on the role of the Procurement Board as the main Officer decision-making forum for procurement decisions; the involvement of Members in monitoring compliance with the processes and procedures, through the Annual Procurement Plan which was reported to Cabinet and which gave visibility to Members of all existing and new contracts which were over £100,000; the requirement, under the Local Government Transparency Code 2014, to publish all procurements with a value that exceeded £5000 on a Contract Register; the need for all Officers to comply with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules; and the approach in balancing cost and quality when considering tender specifications.

Particular reference was also made to the social value of contracts and it was reported that all local businesses and small and medium enterprises were encouraged to participate in tendering processes and that Officers should use tender procedures which encouraged maximum participation, including preliminary market consultation and the splitting up of contracts into lots that might encourage wider participation.

RESOLVED – That the presentation be noted.