How and what do we buy?
Procurement Strategy 2021 to 2025
In December 2020 the Executive and Full Council approved the Council’s Procurement Strategy for the period 2021 - 2025.
The strategy is a key document that outlines the Council’s procurement aims over the next four years and is a strategy to deliver the Council Plan within the priority area of an ‘Enabling Council’.
The vision for this strategy is to provide a procurement function that will:
- Support local businesses and work to enable the third sector in its activities and enable the local market, both large and small organisations, to feel able and willing to work with the Council.
- Deliver tangible social value and inclusive growth to the benefit of the residents of the District specifically addressing climate and environmental issues.
- Be an influencer in shaping procurement with public sector organisations within the District.
- Achieve value for money through procurement and contract management practice for the Council and the residents of the District.
Over the coming months all our procurement activity will be aligned with the five key deliverables in the strategy. Case studies will be published on this page.
- Enhanced and Embedded Social Value and Inclusive Growth
- Good Governance
- Behaving Commercially
- Developing the Procurement Community
- Digitally Transforming our Procurement Processes
We know that the procurement strategy document is not fully accessible. If you have problems accessing the document please contact procurement@bradford.gov.uk.
What does the Council buy?
In 2019-20 we spent circa £474m with third parties. This is mostly with commercial companies but also with not for profit companies and other public sector organisations. About £196m of our spend is with businesses and other organisations operating from a base in the Bradford district.
The image below shows what we spent during 2019/20. The top five categories of spend were: Social and Community Services - Adults, Children's Services, Social and Community Services - Children and Young People, Building Construction, Maintenance, Supplies and Demolition and Public Health.
| Category | £m |
|---|---|
| Social and Community Services - Adults | £145.5 |
| Children's Services | £50.7 |
| Social and Community Services - C&YP | £37.0 |
| Building Construction, Maintenance, Supplies and Demolition | £34.2 |
| Public Health | £26.8 |
| Human Resources | £21.6 |
| Waste Management | £18.2 |
| Professional Services | £18.1 |
| Highways and Civil Engineering | £16.5 |
| IT and Telecoms | £14.8 |
| Transport | £14.4 |
| Grants | £13.3 |
| Social and Community Services - Housing | £12.9 |
| Utilities | £11.5 |
| Arts, Culture and Leisure | £10.4 |
| Business and Office Services | £9.7 |
| Catering | £7.8 |
| Facilities Management | £4.8 |
| Env Serv, Property, Plant | £5.4 |
| Total | £473.6 |
More information and data on what we buy can be found in the Open Data pages under 'our datasets'.
How does the Council buy?
We are committed to increasing business interest in working with us and aim to be a preferred client of suppliers who can deliver the best value to the Council and the District. Wherever possible within the rules and regulations that we have to follow we will support the economic regeneration of the District by buying directly and indirectly from local suppliers wherever this gives best value.
A summary of the rules that we must follow are described below:
Council rules (Contract Standing Orders)
There are set clear rules called Contract Standing Orders by which the Council spends money on works, goods and services. The rules apply to any Contract entered into by the Council and must be followed by all members of staff.
The procurement process covers the full life cycle of activities starting with the identification of need, through to evaluation, purchasing and contract management. Procurement can range from purchasing day to day commodities to purchasing key strategic items such as large capital assets, or commissioning a service or buying an entire service.
Public procurement must be undertaken in accordance with principles enshrined in Procurement Legislation. The Council must always act to promote competition and to ensure that each procurement is conducted as an open, transparent and fair competition. The Council must avoid practices which may restrict or distort competition.
Depending on how much is being spent (total contract value) there are different rules that we must follow:
| Total contract value | Procurement options | Additional procedures |
|---|---|---|
| £0 - £24,999 (inclusive of VAT) | Must demonstrate Best Value Must use in-house or Corporate Contract where applicable unless otherwise agreed with the Head of Procurement Must use Local Supplier where possible Consider using purchasing card for low value, low risk purchases |
All quotes in writing Contracts of £5,000 and above must be recorded on YORtender All Contracts of £5,000 and above to be entered in the Contracts & Grant Register |
| £25,000 – Threshold for Goods and Services (inclusive of VAT) | Must use in-house or Corporate Contract where applicable unless otherwise agreed with the Head of Procurement Consider availability of an existing suitable Framework Agreement or DPS Seek minimum of four quotes inviting local suppliers if available or Open tender process |
Consider all pre-procurement requirements All quotes in writing Use YORtender for quotes or formal tender £100k and above Complete briefing note for Contract award All Contracts to be entered in the Contract & Grant Register |
| Light Touch Regime Contracts, Concession Contracts and Works Contracts £214,904 to relevant Threshold (inclusive of VAT) | Must use in-house or Corporate Contract where applicable unless otherwise agreed with the Head of Procurement Consider availability of an existing suitable Framework Agreement or DPS Open tender process or process agreed by the Head of Procurement. |
Consider all pre-procurement requirements Use YORtender for quotes or formal tender Complete briefing note for Contract award All Contracts to be entered in the Contracts & Grants Register |
| Above relevant Threshold (inclusive of VAT) | Must use in-house or Corporate Contract where applicable unless otherwise agreed with the Head of Procurement Consider availability of an existing suitable Framework Agreement or DPS (call-off) Formal tender process Full tender process with advert published on Find a Tender in accordance with Thresholds |
All proposed Contracts must be referred to Procurement Services Consider all pre-procurement requirements Use YORtender for formal tender Complete briefing note for Contract award All Contracts to be entered in the Contract & Grant Register Report to Overview & Scrutiny for Contracts of £2million and above prior to publishing tender |
Notes:
‘DPS or Dynamic Purchasing System’ is an electronic process for commonly used purchases that are generally available and is open throughout the contract period to any new supplier that meets the selection criteria.
‘Framework Agreement’ an agreement which sets out the terms and conditions under which the Council can make specific purchases ("call-off") from a Contractor(s) to provide services, goods or works at agreed standards and prices. If the Council calls off services, goods or works from the Contractor then a binding contract is formed.
The Threshold values from 1 January 2024 are:
Supplies (Goods) and Services - £214,904 inc.VAT
Works - £5,372,609 inc.VAT
Light Touch Regime for Services - £663,540 (Unchanged from 2022)
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Other pages in this section
- Procurement
- Apply to do business with us
- Who are our buyers?
- Why do business with us?
- Contact us about Procurement
- Contract Terms and Conditions
- Social Value and Inclusive Growth
- New invoice management system for supplier invoices
- Sustainability support for local VCSE organisations
- Tender ready support (Go4Growth programme)