Issue - meetings

Background:

This report introduced a new Procurement Strategy for the Council, which was attached at Appendix A to the report.

The proposed strategy set out how the Council spends its money with third parties in relation to four themes: Better services, Better outcomes; Intelligent spending; Reducing red tape; and, Improving the local economy. The strategy included measures for success and case studies to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to improving procurement in Medway for the benefit of businesses and the general public.

Following Cabinet consideration the draft strategy would be the subject of consultation. This process included presentation at a supplier event on 26 July 2013 and sharing the document with the Federation for Small Business, the local Chambers of Commerce and Kent Business School. The outcome of the consultation process would be reported to Cabinet on 3 September 2013.

It was noted that the draft Strategy had been presented to the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 20 June 2013. The Committee had made a number of suggestions to the strategy, which would be fully addressed as part of the consultation exercise, and agreed to consider the strategy again following the conclusion of the consultation exercise.

Reasons:

The proposed strategy set out how the Council would spend public money better through designing services that deliver better outcomes; ensuring that public money contributes to a thriving local economy and creating local employment; reducing the bureaucracy relating to procurement and using intelligence about spend and the markets to achieve efficiencies.

Consultation will enable the business community to comment on the contents of the draft strategy.