Ensuring value for money
What is procurement?
Procurement is the process of acquiring goods, services or works from an external source and agreeing to terms, often via a tendering or competitive bidding process.
Will Hunter Rowe, Procurement Officer, explains the work of Broadland’s Procurement Team.
The Procurement Team works hard to deliver value for money (VFM) for Broadland and our tenants. To do this we use the 5 Es procurement cycle:
- Economy (spending less)
- Effectiveness (spending wisely)
- Efficiency (spending well)
- Environmental (spending sustainably)
- Equity (spending fairly)
At each stage of the procurement cycle we use the 5 Es framework to help us define what Broadland needs, evaluate what suppliers are offering and manage delivery of the contract.
At all times Broadland must comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. For big contracts this can be quite complex. Our team’s role is to keep the process as simple as possible, so our colleagues can focus on their day-to-day jobs.
Our approach to procurement
When we look at new contracts, we work with our colleagues (and where appropriate our tenants too) to help us decide what is important. We discuss feedback received from meetings or questionnaires with the budget holder or Senior Manager responsible for the contract, to ensure the right information is incorporated into the tender documents.
Wherever possible we use local suppliers to support the local economy. We also encourage our suppliers to offer apprenticeships, work experience or job opportunities to contribute ‘social value’ as part of the supply agreement.
We try to make sure that each project delivers the best possible outcome for Broadland and our tenants. If difficulties arise, we work with our operational teams to resolve these with suppliers and incorporate lessons learned into the next contract.
A challenging environment
Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine situation have led to challenges for our supply chain, including supply continuity issues and price inflation. However, we are working closely with our suppliers so that colleagues are aware of issues in advance so that Broadland can maintain its operations efficiently.
Recent projects
- domestic appliances
- commercial gas servicing and repairs
- fire doors and fire stopping
- UPVC windows and doors and composite doors
- waste management
- arboricultural services
- battery-powered garden machinery
- cleaning products
Future projects
- flooring
- commercial kitchen equipment
- architectural services
- fire alarm services
For more information about our Procurement Team, visit broadlandgroup.org go to ‘About us’ – ‘Tender and procurement’
- architectural services
Get involved!
Our Digital Panel joined the initial discussion for the UPVC windows and doors project. They gave feedback on their preferred door choices, colours and styles. More recently, tenants have also been involved in our out of hours service consultation. If you’d like to join our Digital Panel, let us know!
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