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Local Government Procurement Expo (LGPE) – LGA Cafe
A reminder that the LGA Procurement Team are branching out at this year’s Local Government Procurement Expo on 27 April and will be residing in our very own café with colleagues from the Crown Commercial Service and NEPO. Local Partnerships and Sandwell council will also be there demonstrating their business process mapping tool, and we will be talking about the National Procurement Strategy benchmarking tool. Do come along and say hello, entry is free to public sector organisations.
Transforming Public Procurement Stakeholder Survey
Every six months Cabinet Office undertake a short survey to hear the views of stakeholders from all sectors on the new Procurement Bill, currently making its way through Parliament. The survey helps to inform development of the programme, measure the impact of the programme over time, and helps us baseline and gauge awareness and understanding of specific elements of the proposed reforms. It is anonymous and none of your views will be attributable, so you can be candid.
The survey can be completed now and will remain open until Friday 28 April.
Procurement Policy Note 04/23: Procuring Steel in Government Contracts
PPN 04/23 and guidance has been published on Procuring Steel in Government Contracts. The PPN is aimed at central Government and their agencies but other public sector contracting authorities are encouraged to consider applying the approach set out in the PPN, where it is relevant and proportionate to do so. Local authorities that choose to follow this guidance should ensure that they do so in light of relevant obligations such as those set out in section 17 of the Local Government Act 1988 and their Best Value Duty.
LGA Cyber 360 Programme
LGA colleagues are pleased to announce they are now supporting our 20th council with a Cyber 360 review this month. Given the level of interest in cyber security in supply chains this might be of interest to procurement colleagues.
We are calling for more councils to take part in an empowering exercise which provides an opportunity to explore cyber security through a different lens. A multi-disciplinary team of peers and technical experts will provide in-depth, bespoke support to your council, helping you to build your capabilities, and develop a whole-council approach to cyber-security.
We are also seeking officers to volunteer as part of the Cyber 360 teams. For more about these opportunities, please contact CyberandDigital@local.gov.uk.
Alternatively, our next drop-in session will be on 10 May 2023. Please fill out a short form to receive the link.
Childminders
The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities. The updated guidance aims to support local authorities when making decisions over whether to fund providers to deliver free early education and childcare entitlements, when they are registered at ‘ineffective’ childminder agencies. The change is in paragraph A3.13.
Rural England Prosperity Fund
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced £110 million of funding to councils through the Rural England Prosperity Fund. Eligible local authorities can invest this funding to improve community facilities, through initiatives and community infrastructure projects, or to help start local businesses to create employment opportunities in rural areas. The fund is a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Commissioned by the Home Office, the Shiva Foundation are hosting a series of lunchtime Modern Slavery in the supply chain webinars throughout April:
Shiva Foundation Modern slavery statements and policies
Tuesday 18 April, 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Virtual
Shiva Foundation Training and modern slavery leads
Tuesday 20 April, 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Virtual
Shiva Foundation Modern Slavery Risk assessments and risk mapping
Tuesday 25 April, 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Virtual
Shiva Foundation Modern Slavery Procurement protocols, supplier engagement and audit
Thursday 27 April, 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Virtual
Shiva Foundation Modern Slavery Reporting and remediation
Tuesday 2 May, 1:00pm – 2:00pm | Virtual
Local Government Procurement Expo (LGPE) 2023
Thursday 27 April, 8.30am–4.00pm | Novotel London West (Hammersmith), International Centre, 1 Shortlands, London W6 8DR
CIPFA 'Unleash the Power of Procurement to Deliver Better Public Services' Conference
Tuesday 16 May, 8.30am–3.30pm | The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Auditorium, 1 Moorgate Place, London EC2R 6EA
Supplier Development Programme (SDP) Meet the Buyer Conference
Wednesday 17 May, 10:00am – 4:00pm | Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) | In person
Procurex National 2023 Conference
Thursday 1 June 2023 | Birmingham NEC | In person conference
Towards a Social Value Economy - The Social Value Conference 2023
13-14 June 2023 | Westminster, London | In person and online conference
The LGA Procurement team manages several LGA webpages dedicated to your needs. Please email guy.head@local.gov.uk if you would like any information added to our webpages:
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