Local Government Procurement

During 2000, a joint DETR/Local Government Association (LGA) Taskforce was established to undertake a review of procurement practices within local government. The objective of the review, which was chaired by Sir Ian Byatt, was to consider the state of procurement and commissioning skills and practice in local government in the light of Part 1 (Best Value) of the Local Government Act 1999 and the statutory guidance contained within DETR Circular 10/99.

The report of the task force Delivering Better Services for Citizens - A Review of Local Government Procurement in England was published in June 2001 as a consultation paper. The report directly addresses the role of modern procurement practice in delivering best value and recommends practical measures which local authorities can take to secure real benefits for local people from efficient and effective procurement.

In July 2002 the LGA and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), issued a joint response to the report of the Taskforce entitled Towards a National Strategy for Local Government Procurement.

One of the recommendations of the Byatt Report was the formation of a National Local Government Procurement Forum, which held its first meeting in November 2002. Following the issue of a consultation paper in July 2003, the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government was launched by the Forum in October 2003. The National Strategy sets out challenging milestones for councils to meet by 2006.

In accordance with the National Procurement Strategy, nine Regional Centres of Procurement Excellence were announced in February 2004. Each centre is hosted by an authority that has demonstrated best practice in the past, and each is expected to work in close co-operation with other authorities in their region. The centres are intended to drive innovative change in procurement by enabling expertise to be shared by councils across the country and by building on existing good practice.