Support For North East Businesses
Further details have been unveiled on an initiative to strengthen the regional economy and help North East businesses win a greater share of the £1.5 billion regional budget for goods and services.
The North East Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership, representing 12 North East Councils and four Fire & Rescue Services, is seeking to make the region the best place to do business for suppliers with a major programme of procurement reform.
The initiative aims to strengthen the procurement landscape across the region through collaboration, promote more efficient business practices, reflect equality of opportunity and diversity and improve value for money.
The programme seeks to equip local suppliers with the knowledge and skills to win more public sector business through a better understanding of public procurement by simplifying businesses processes and smarter use of public spending.
There are five work strands; improving engagement with the supplier community; standardising procurement policy and practice; providing rich procurement and market intelligence across the region; having co-ordinated sourcing activity to satisfy regional objectives; and improving regional governance.
This regional collaborative procurement programme is also working on simplifying documentation, providing toolkits for buyers and suppliers and launching a regional series of supplier work shops for 2010.
These include ‘Delivering Greater Equality Together' (27 Jan) which focuses on the needs of small businesses in the supply chain and delivering to diverse communities and a ‘Business Exchange North East' event (3 & 4 March) which is a NE regional business fair. Further details on how to register for these events can be found at www.northeastiep.gov.uk/event.htm
Barry Rowland, chief executive of Newcastle city council, said: "This project highlights the scale of local Government commitment to the regional economy and our support for the sector as we head towards an upturn.
"By smarter working we can promote more efficient business practices, improve value for money and make the North East the best place to do business."
This project is being conducted in conjunction with partners from the North East Chamber of Commerce, whose 2009 survey of 190 local businesses illustrated the complex nature of current procurement practices and influenced proposed reforms.
Other partners include ONE NorthEast, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Voluntary Organisations' Network North East, who are ensuring that the views of the third sector are fully represented.
North East local authorities have already made considerable progress on procurement reform.
All 12 local authorities are using identical documentation, sharing spending information, employing standard indicators to measure performance and using results from an independent evaluation of supply issues to drive reform.
