Procurement Strategy

According to the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government:

"Procurement is the process of acquiring goods, works and services, covering acquisitions from both third parties and in-house providers. The process spans the whole lifecycle from identification of needs, through to the end of a services contract or the end of the useful life of an asset. It involves an options appraisal and the critical 'make or buy' decision."

In the broadest possible terms, everything a local authority uses in the provision of services to the public - people, tools, vehicles, time, systems, expertise, energy etc - can all be procured.

Monitoring of procurement activity is important to a local authority in delivering better, more cost-effective services to local taxpayers. Improvements in procurement can contribute significantly to the results in the Council's Annual Efficiency Statement (AES), and in achieving value for money in the costs of service delivery.

There is a National Strategy for Local Government Procurement, which is available from the Communities and Local Government website.