Policy and Strategy
The Council must ensure organisational alignment both internally within its own departments but also externally with partner organisations. To structure this process, policies and strategies are developed and implemented to ensure effectively shared objectives and outcomes.
Policies and strategies are methods of linking goals to activities, making information available, accurate and engaging.
The following are the key policies and strategies which impact on the Council's procurement processes:
Contract Standing Orders
Contracts Standing Orders (CSO) are contained in the Council's constitution and govern procurement and contracting activity. Their purpose is to set clear rules for the procurement of goods, services, consultancy or works for the Council to ensure a system of openness and accountability where the transparency of the process will be beyond reproach.
Procurement Strategy
As part of the Changing our Council programme, there is a work stream for Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management. The intention is to change to a different operating model based on a category management approach to commissioning and procurement with a central team "the hub" and a number of departmental teams "spokes". The Council's procurement strategy (2008-2011) will be revised in 2012 after the majority of the Changing Our Council Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management work stream is completed.
Thresholds - EU Procurement Rules
As a public body the Council is required to follow EU rules governing public procurement. EU legislation requires that contracts above certain values must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and must follow the rules detailed in The Public Contracts Regulations 2006, which enact the EU laws on public procurement in the UK. The values (valid from the 1st January 2012) are:
Supplies - £173,934
Services - £173,934
Works - £4,348,350
The European Union Procurement Regulations are based on the principles of freedom from discrimination and transparency of award procedures. The rules apply whenever a contract is to be awarded where the value exceeds the above financial thresholds.
