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Welcome to our National Advisory Group (NAG) e-bulletin. Feel free to circulate this email to your colleagues and suggest that they sign up to receive it themselves. This bulletin is delivered through our corporate communications service through which you can create or manage your subscriptions and read previous editions of this bulletin.
National Procurement Strategy 2022
With thanks to all of you who responded to our consultation on update of the National Procurement Strategy 2018, it went out to 333 councils and other key stakeholders. We had a good response with 35 per cent of councils making comments (both district and larger councils) which we have taken on board. During this month’s ‘quiet’ period we’ve been working away at the final version of the new strategy 2022-2026 and we are pleased to say that we are hoping for a final version to be available for you to view by the end of the month. Watch this space for the actual date and a link.
Social Value Statements Support
We recently ran a webinar for councillors - Introducing and implementing social value – a councillor’s guide. We had a great deal of interest from councillors. At the webinar we introduced an offer of further support, conducting a deeper dive of individual council’s requirements aimed at working with elected members and officers to develop a social value statement for the council. This offer of bespoke support is open to 12 councils and we encourage you to contact us at Productivity@local.gov.uk with expressions of interest. It is likely the offer will be based on a first come, first served basis, so if you and your council are interested please get in touch.
You can find out more about the programme’s support on the LGA Achieving Community Benefits pages.
PPN 01/22 Updated Guidance
Government have this week updated Procurement Policy Note 01/22 in relation to contracts with suppliers from Russia and Belarus. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has modified the effect of the Local Government Act 1988 through secondary legislation for specified bodies. The Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2022 came into force on 1 July 2022, to allow best value authorities and parish councils to apply this PPN.
Public Procurement Legislation Reform
Cabinet Office is keen to hear the views of stakeholders from all sectors to inform development of the Reform programme, guide implementation of the new reforms when they come into force, and help measure the impact of the programme over time. They have developed a short user survey and are keen to hear views from local government stakeholders. We encourage you to participate if you can. This survey closes on 19 August 2022.
As lead for the Transforming Procurement Learning and Development (L&D) Programme, Cabinet Office would like council procurement officers to volunteer as ‘superusers’ for the forthcoming training. If you are interested please contact procreformspocs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
A super user is a subset of procurement professionals who have completed the online learning and deep dives for the Transforming Public Procurement programme. They are commercial individuals with a clear understanding of the new procurement regime and who can provide strong leadership within their departments/organisations. The superuser will support the L&D project by
- identifying common challenges and issues when implementing the new regulations in their business unit
- gathering case studies, best practices and innovative approaches implemented in their organisation
- being a key problem solver amongst the learning population (the eyes and ears on the ground), by being a visible advocate of the implementation
- championing the communities of practice
- where possible, presenting case studies on community of practice meet-ups
Innovation-friendly Procurement support
The Connected Places Catapult are looking for up to three public authorities (ie any organisation that is bound by public procurement regulations) that are planning to buy goods or services this financial year to deliver on one of three net zero missions:
- Decarbonising local or regional transport;
- Decarbonising social housing; or
- Decarbonising the public sector estate.
The selected partners will receive specialist hands-on support in the following areas from Connected Places Catapult and their network of experts including; scope; trends and technologies; innovation-friendly procurement procedures; market engagement and the identification of potential suppliers; and support to validate shortlisted solutions. Their academic partners from the University of Birmingham and Manchester University will be following each procurement to generate an impact case study on the process.
Councils are invited to apply to join their new innovation-friendly procurement programme via our website. The deadline for applications is 16 September 2022.
LGA Digital Construction Working Group
The LGA has taken on responsibilities for this area of work from the Cambridge University-led Local Authority Digital Working Group who held their first meeting on 13 July 2022. We are keen to include more council construction procurement officers in the group so do please get in touch with tom.denman@local.gov.uk if you would like to get involved. There is more information on the LGA website.
Adult social care charging reform
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a technical consultation seeking views on how best to distribute funding to support delivery of adult social care charging reform in 2023/2024. This covers funding for needs and financial assessments, means tests, and the care cost cap. Within the consultation is modelling from the National Institute for Health and Care Research which estimates the additional relative needs to local authorities resulting from charging reform. The consultation will close on September 23rd, with the chosen approach confirmed by the 2023/24 Local Government Finance Settlement, likely in December.
Workforce Development Fund
DHSC has confirmed that the Workforce Development Fund will continue for an additional year (2022/23). It means that social care staff will receive help to develop their careers and wellbeing over the next three years. The department will be working with councils and the social care sector on plans for staff training and support, including creating a new knowledge and skills framework.
Cost of living: children’s services
We are working to understand the impact of the increasing cost of living on children’s services and would welcome any information from member councils to support this work. In particular, we are keen to hear about any work to support families (including kinship and foster families), and how councils are supporting children’s homes with increased costs. We would also like to hear about those councils where budgets have increased in anticipation of families needing more support from children’s social care in the coming months. Please send any examples to louise.smith@local.gov.uk
Working with VCSEs
Locality have been working with the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales and trailblazer councils across England to bring their ‘Keep it Local’ principles to life. A new report published this week showcases what they have learned together about making the Keep it Local approach work when it comes to procurement, commissioning and the impact of social value. It also provides examples of what the approach has looked like in practice in different places. Alongside this Locality have produced a new Keep it Local Commissioning Guide for councils . If you have any questions on the LGA’s current policy work with VCSE, please get in touch with Hannah.small@local.gov.uk
Local Area Toolkits for Electric Vehicle Charging Points
We’ve been contacted by New AutoMotive, an independent, not for profit research organisation. Their monthly Electric Car Count and Electric Van Count reports track the progress the UK is making in the transition to EVs. New AutoMotive is preparing to launch a Local Area Toolkit in the autumn - this will be a free resource specifically designed to equip local authorities with data they need to effectively plan their charging networks. If you are interested in receiving this data please contact Jack Richardson-Cooke jack@newautomotive.org
Sustainable Procurement Webinar
Tuesday 13 September, 10:00am – 11:30am
In this session, we will hear about successful green procurement projects, including Oxford City Council’s unique Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) tailored for the fast-paced, innovative and ever-growing world of electric vehicle infrastructure. We’ll also be introducing the LGA’s new Energy Category Strategy that’s been updated to help councils optimise the way they procure and manage energy in today’s markets.
E3M Webinar: Procurement to Partnership – Your Questions Answered
Wednesday 21 September, 2.00pm -3.00pm
E3M are pleased to announce the latest in a series of webinars connected to our Procurement to Partnership Toolkit.
This webinar is for commissioners, social enterprise and charity personnel looking to make a difference in their communities with a purpose-centred, outcomes-focussed approach to meeting people’s needs, built on collaboration and partnership.
You can also put questions about practical projects you are working on to our expert panel, led by Julian Blake of Stone King.
Procuring and Supplying DDaT Unconference 2022
12 October, 10:00am – 4:00pm at techUK, 10 St Bride Street London
On the 12 October techUK in partnership with CURSHAW, a user-centred commercial lifecycle consultancy that specialises in procuring digital and PFI, is hosting the Procuring and Supplying DDaT Unconference 2022, bringing together the public sector and the tech industry to interrogate challenges and horizon scan together in a fun and informal environment. Unlike traditional conferences, an unconference is a participant-oriented meeting where the attendees decide on the agenda, discussion topics, and workshops.
The LGA Procurement team manages a number of webpages dedicated for your needs – please contact guy.head@local.gov.uk if you want anything uploaded to our webpages.
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