Luton Borough Council Corporate Procurement Strategy ( )

Transcription

1 Luton Borough Council Corporate Procurement Strategy ( ) Version: V1.7 Revised July 2015 Due for Revision March

2 Contents Foreword... 2 Executive Summary... 3 Introduction... 4 Sustainable Procurement... 7 Principles for Effective Procurement Strategic Framework and Corporate Objectives Value for money Performance Management in Procurement Partnerships and Partnering E-Procurement Ethical Procurement and Code of Conduct Strategic Risks and Effective Risk Management Appendix 1. Definitions

3 Foreword Luton Borough Council provides a massive range of services. It is easy to forget that in order to deliver those services, the Council has to be a major consumer. We are committed to improving our front-line services and driving out waste. To ensure we have the funds available to do this it is essential that we find new ways to become more efficient and effective. Each year the Council spends more than 200 million buying goods and services everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to social care or contract cleaners to specialist healthcare. That is a huge amount of money, and with it comes an equal amount of responsibility. It is imperative that we spend that money wisely and effectively, because we are using public funds something we must never forget. We want our buying to be sustainable and support the local economy, employment and the environment especially in terms of emissions, carbon footprint and sustainable and efficient energy use. This, perhaps more than any other issue within the Council, directly concerns all of our employees. Everyone has some control over what materials and services they use and how efficiently they use them, which affects how and when supplies need to be purchased. Procurement really does concern us all. How we spend the money we have been entrusted with is crucial, but there is also the question of where we spend it. Luton Borough Council is a major buyer in the local economy, with over a third of the 200 million we spend each year going to local businesses those with a Luton postcode. This Corporate Procurement Strategy is designed to ensure that every pound spent by this authority is spent wisely and transparently. It, looks at the whole life cost of the goods and services we buy so we are confident of getting the best possible value for money on behalf of council tax payers at the same time as stimulating the local economy and helping to make Luton a great place to do business, as well as a great place to live. 2

4 Executive Summary This Strategy provides a corporate focus for procurement. It embraces the authority s commitment to strategic procurement and sets out the Council s aspirations. It is not a procurement manual or how to do it guide. However, the principles within this Strategy should be adhered to in all procurement activity. It is not optional and should be read in conjunction with corporate guidance and policy documents. All local authorities have a duty to continuously improve how functions are carried out in terms of efficiency and economy. Effective procurement is critical in securing high quality, best value public services and meeting the demanding efficiency targets set for local authorities. This Procurement Strategy also emphasises the increasing importance of sustainable procurement which supports wider social, economic and environmental objectives and our responsibilities under the Public Services (Social Value) Act Efficiency and best value will only be achieved if the authority capitalises on all opportunities for innovation and genuine partnerships which are available from working with others in the public, voluntary, social enterprise and private sectors. A collaborative approach to procurement with other authorities and organisations will allow us to achieve economies of scale. This Strategy seeks to balance two priorities: delivering cashable efficiencies to enable the organisation to meet our budget challenge while enabling social value benefits. sustainable procurement - engaging with local and regional suppliers to promote the local economy and taking account of the social and environmental impact of spending decisions. 3

5 Introduction This Strategy represents the Council s procurement aims and objectives. In 2014, the Council started a major review of its procurement structure with the intention of moving towards a centralised solution with a clear category and contract management focus with which to deliver significant additional value and efficiencies to the Council whilst also providing greater control and compliance to the procurement process and policies. As the corporate approach to procurement continues to develop within the Council, this Strategy document will capture the most appropriate elements of best practice and will remain sufficiently flexible to respond to both internal and external changes and drivers. Strategic Procurement in Context Strategic Procurement is a series of activities and processes that sit at the heart of the Council. This is illustrated by the diagram below, which shows the relationship between strategic procurement and the Council as a whole. Corporate Priorities Elected Members Senior Management Strategic Procurement Contract Management & P2P (PO s) Suppliers & Partners Commissioners & Stakeholders 4

6 Procurement covers the negotiation and monitoring of contracts for routine goods and services through to complex partnership arrangements such as public/private partnerships, joint provision with other public sector organisations and construction projects. This Strategy supports the Councils Corporate Portfolio and the Mission Statement, Vision and Values it contains. The Council s corporate mission statement: The needs of Luton s people will be first in everything we do. The Council s vision: Luton Borough Council will be a high performing, financially viable authority, delivering high quality services that improve health and opportunity for local people and protect the most vulnerable. Together with our partners, we will help make Luton a place where everyone can learn and thrive and where business can grow and prosper. Celebrating and building on Luton s rich history and its vibrant, cultural mix, we will develop safe, strong, sustainable communities. We will be responsive, accountable and innovative a leader in what we do and a voice for our town. The Council s values: These are: accountable customer focused embracing equality and diversity improving integrity respect for others 5

7 Procurement can effectively support the Council s objectives around our Corporate Plan commitments. Co-ordinated and well focused procurement also contributes in a range of areas including: a dynamic, prosperous and active town learning skills and employment sustainable communities crime reduction health quality of the environment The Strategy also supports the Luton Prospectus, Transformation Strategy and Investment Strategy and four key themes: stronger and safer communities health and wellbeing environment and economic development children and young people Equally, the Procurement Strategy supports the underlying principles where all residents enjoy fair access to goods, services, employment and justice (equality), are able to participate in and feel part of the community (inclusion) and feel respected and able to live in dignity and harmony with others (cohesion). The Council has set out its Transformation Strategy, where reducing expenditure and maximising income is a major element in order for the organisation to meet the challenges it faces as a result of reduced budget support from Central Government.. 6

8 Sustainable Procurement Sustainable procurement is good procurement. It is a process whereby organisations obtain the goods, services, works and utilities they need in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits for the organisation, society and the economy whilst minimising damage to, or even improving, the environment. The Council is working regionally and nationally to develop and promote models of sustainable procurement. It is engaging with local partners, public and private sector organisations, social enterprise and the voluntary sector to test these models. Economic Regeneration The Council is one of the largest spending organisations in the local area - indeed the region - and the more we spend locally the greater the positive impact this will have on the local economy, particularly for small and medium sized businesses. Currently, the authority spends circa half of its commercial turnover in the region, supporting local, new and young businesses, and aims to increase this figure year-on-year. Analysis of our spending is undertaken through a quarterly audit of all relevant spend. There are numerous ways in which we can legitimately support local businesses, including: Providing information about future procurement activity Supporting Meet the Buyer events Packaging contracts in a manner which supports local and regional companies, SME enterprises, newly formed businesses and voluntary sector organisations Steamlining qualification and tendering procedures Including contract clauses that require tenderers to support the local economy, and having method statements in the tender submissions for them to describe how they will do this Developing local and regional contract databases Working proactively with local businesses, explaining how to do business with the Council and obtaining feedback on our procurement processes Using on line sourcing and tendering tools 7

9 The challenge for procurement is to balance the potentially conflicting pressures of obtaining value for money and the required quality, sourcing locally where possible, procuring in a sustainable way and reducing the number of low-value creditors (especially those where annual spend is below 1,000) and associated manually processed invoices. Social Development As one of the largest spending organisations in the region the Council has a role to play in addressing social impact and cohesion. Social benefits arising from our procurement activity range from creating employment and training opportunities to procuring sustainable solutions that minimise our environmental impact on the community. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 legislation requires all public bodies in England and Wales to consider at pre-procurement stage how the services they commission and procure might improve the economic, social and environmental well being of the area. The intention of the Act is to ensure any business that can provide social value as a consequence of securing contracted work is able to identify, measure and report on such impact, thereby increasing the effectiveness of procurement decisions. Social value is defined as a way of thinking about how scarce resources are allocated and used. It involves looking beyond the price of a contract and determining what the collective benefit to a community is when a public body chooses to award a contract. Wider impacts include the elimination of child labour in the supply chain and environmentally sound sourcing solutions. The Council recognises and values the added benefits that the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors can provide, and in this respect enforces the Social Value Act (SVA) as a mandatory process within the preprocurement stage of all procurement processes. In addition, the Council has created a Procurement Portal on its website to inform organisations of current and future opportunities and advertises via a range of portals including Contracts Finder (aimed at Small and Medium Enterprises) and LGA East s contract tool (aimed at the Eastern Region). The Council continues to work with its supply chain to seek improvements, support the adoption of the Living Wage standards and address ethical issues, such as using Fair Trade products and supporting suppliers in the region via our buy local initiative for fruit and vegetables. 8

10 Environmental Management The Council, along with its partners, is committed to delivering services in a way that protects the environment and minimises adverse impact on community wellbeing. Procurement is integral to these aims, which means environmental and broader sustainability considerations must be taken into account throughout the procurement process. The Council has a sustainable procurement policy and an environmental policy regarding key product groups; for example: Procurement works closely with the Council s Energy Manager to promote the message of good energy management and environmentally aware evaluation processes, including a standard whole life costing approach. Similarly, a whole life costing model was developed for all vehicle purchases, and this has since been modified for use in other areas. Equally important is the safe and proper disposal of assets at the end of their life to minimise environmental damage. Equality, Diversity and Cohesion Sustainable procurement also means ensuring that our values around equality, diversity and cohesion are reflected in our procurement activity, whether goods and services are provided from within the Council or through another organisation. The Council is addressing this by: Building equality and diversity into our standard contract terms and conditions Undertaking Integrated Impact Assessments Providing Meet the Buyer events to all potential suppliers who express an interest in our major contracts to explain and answer questions on our terms and conditions Issuing questionnaires with all our documentation to monitor the companies we are attracting Monitoring and providing feedback to successful contractors throughout the life of the contract on a range of equality issues to help improve standards Adopting standardised documentation. 9

11 Relevant Legislation The Community Right to Challenge Act 2012 This Act allows organisations and local councils/parishes and sections within the Council to bid for all or part of a service that is currently delivered by the Council. The Council has an obligation to consider these proposals prior to tendering for a service. The Council will publish the contract register and indicate windows of when expressions of interest can be received. This will allow us to shape the future tender requirements to take into consideration this Act. It is therefore imperative that the Central Procurement Team and the Service Areas work collaboratively to maintain an up-to-date contract register and pipeline of procurement projects (detailing forthcoming works and services that have not been previously identified in the contracts register, but are likely to be procured in the period of the pipeline, as well of projects coming up over the next 1-3 years requiring procurement). The Social Values Act 2012 (SVA) This Act requires the Council to consider the value for the community in any tendering exercise or contract, understanding how the provider(s) proposal might offer social, economic or environmental benefits to the community (this can be in the form of jobs, apprenticeships, training and other activities). The Act covers public service contracts (including primarily service contracts with a works or goods element where the service element is greater in value), but not to goods contracts. The Act applies to the pre-procurement stage of the commissioning/procurement process, during which services are conceived and designed, specifications developed, and engagement with partners, stakeholders and current and potential providers take place. In addition, all tender documents must include a detailed question regarding the Social Value Act, requiring bidders to specify how they will contribute to the community. This is a mandatory question and must not under any circumstances be removed. Depending on the type of contract, responses to Social Value questions can be weighted to reflect the priority of the service area. The SVA is a mandatory process within the pre-procurement stage of the Council commissioning decisions and the Central Procurement Team will be responsible for leading and enforcing the compliance in the use of the SVA 10

12 across the Council. Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regs (TUPE) Under provisions in the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) [SI 2006/246], the pay, and terms and conditions of employment for transferred employees are protected, preventing these entitlements from being changed without agreement. The Transfer of Employment (Pension Protection) Regulations 2005 [SI 2005/649] covers the pension and contribution arrangements for employees to which a TUPE transfer applies. Where a procurement exercise is likely to involve transferring service delivery to an external provider, the Central Procurement Team and Service Managers should be aware that TUPE regulations are likely to apply, and advice from HR must be sought at the earliest opportunity. There can be potentially significant financial implications in respect of pension entitlements and specific actuarial advice may need to be obtained. Similarly, where services have already been externalised, and are to be reprocured, those staff that were transferred to the existing provider are liable to be transferred again to a new provider, under the re-tendered arrangements. Any pension scheme deficits on the termination of the original contract will need to be addressed. Public Procurement Directives It is the responsibility of the Head of Technology and Procurement to ensure that any relevant changes to the EU and UK law affecting Procurement are reflected in the Councils procedures, updating them as required and communicating them across the Council. 11

13 Principles for Effective Procurement The following principles will form the basis of all procurement activity in order to achieve the most efficient results in terms of best value: Strategic procurement will drive improved service delivery through the freeing up of resources and improving the quality of goods, services and works via a category and contract management approach Strategic procurement will realise best value in the acquisition and management of resources, balancing quality and cost All procurement activity will take place within a corporate and centralised framework All procurement activity will be sustainable, supporting and promoting Council policies and priorities All procurement will have regard to whole life costs Procurement will be transparent, fair and consistent and be undertaken to the highest standards of fairness and probity Procurement decisions must be evidence based The Council will ensure all procurement is undertaken in the most effective and appropriate manner considering all options, as well as mandating the use of corporate contracts and pre-tendered arrangements that the Council can access. Procurement will also make full use of consortia of which the Council is a member, such as the Central Buying Consortium, and continue to adopt approved e-procurement solutions and collaborative procurement with other Councils and organisations. Strategic partnerships will be developed, particularly where these will deliver significant service improvements The Central Procurement Team will handle all procurement requirements with a net value above 1,000 and will be responsible for managing all categories of spend, letting and managing contracts and suppliers, supporting special projects and monitoring procurement compliance across the Council. A clear corporate framework with supporting policies and documentation, plus How to Guides, will inform all staff of their responsibilities and the route to follow once a procurement need has been identified. There will exist three different procurement processes dependent upon the value of the spend commitment, as follows: Minor spend commitments - 0 to 999: these commitments will be the responsibility of the budget holder and business unit that requires the 12

14 service/goods. The procurement process for these requirements is to get two to three competitive quotations prior to raising a PO or placing against the Government Procurement Card (GPC). The Central Procurement Team will not have a day to day role in processing these requirements, however, they will regularly monitor this spend to ensure compliance to policy and to identify areas for future collaboration. Medium spend commitments - 1, ,000: these requirements will be sourced and managed by the Transactional Procurement Team within the wider Central Procurement Team with the support of the Council s Quick Quote tendering tool. Major spend commitments above 100,000: These commitments will be exclusively led by the Strategic Procurement Team within the Central Procurement Team with input from the relevant business unit or budget holder and with the support of the Council s esourcing suite. Further details around the above processes are within the Procurement Policy, which the departmental dedicated Business Partner will provide support and advice on. The Council will continually review its procurement organisation, processes and procedures in order to demonstrate they offer value for money and achieve continuous improvement. All of its procurement activity will be transparent and compliant. The Central Procurement Team consists of a number of skilled and experienced officers and the activity of the service is predicated on maximising benefits for the Council. Strategic Framework and Corporate Objectives Procurement will take place within a strategic framework consisting of this Corporate Procurement Strategy, Procurement Policy and Contract Standing Orders. Similarly, Procurement activity must be carried out in a manner which supports the Council s strategic priorities and the Corporate Plan. As such, the following 5 step process has been developed which the Central Procurement Team will lead on: 1. Prioritise and Plan procurement activity will be planned between the Central Procurement Team and the service areas, with a Procurement Plan created at the start of each financial year, which will prioritise activity that generates significant savings, ensures regulatory compliance and/or improves quality. This will be the responsibility of the Business Partners. 13

15 The procurement activity should be planned in order to avoid panic buying. Good planning will allow areas of common spend to be identified and be subject to category reviews, to obtain economies of scale and maximise benefits realised for the Council. Procurement will also work closely with the Luton Excellence Team to identify process and organisational benefits. 2. Options Appraisal the Council is required to demonstrate economy, efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. Procurement decisions need to be taken, such as when it is necessary to obtain goods, works or services and whether to source them internally or externally, the so called make or buy decision. Options appraisal will be led by your assigned Business Partner and Category Manager, and should be rigorous and challenging, questioning the fundamental reason for purchasing goods, works or services. 3. Procurement Analysis the choice of procurement method will depend on the strategic importance, the value of the subject matter and the risks associated with the procurement options. The Council will develop its overall risk/value matrix as illustrated below. Individual procurement decisions should also be considered on their own merits following an option appraisal. It is important the option selected delivers best value for the Council. Bottleneck Low value, High Risk May be service critical Transactional Team to maximise benefits Processes may include use of multiple suppliers, secondary contracts, etc. E-procurement allows for transparent arrangements and monitors total volumes across the different supply routes Routine Low Risk, Low Value Benefits from the e- procurement system and Transactional Team to drive efficiencies Strategic High risk / High value Requires careful project planning and management Strategic partnerships may be an option Requires effective working collaboration between the central procurement team and the user area Leverage Low risk / High value Should be covered by the use of appropriate corporate arrangements such as corporate contracts, consortia and pre tendered call off arrangements. 14

16 Use of e-procurement routes to drive efficiencies 4. Procurement Process the actual procurement process will depend upon the required outcomes, the value of the requirement and the risk/value analysis detailed above, but a typical process is illustrated below. In all cases the process must comply with the Procurement Policy and the Council s Contract Standing Orders which your dedicated Business Partner will provide support and advice on: Identify requirements and ensure budget provision Specify goods, works or service required Conduct a market analysis / review supply options Undertake selected procurement process Enter into contract/supply relationship 5. Monitor and Review the monitoring and management of contracts and suppliers is critical and can make the difference between a successful or failed contract. All contracts will be subject to continual review and vendor appraisal and, where appropriate, should contain quality and performance standards. Liaison meetings will be held with all major suppliers at suitable and regular intervals. Plans should be made well in advance of the expiry of the contract for re-letting, based on a review of the previous process and current arrangements and performance. Value for money It is not only essential for the Council to demonstrate economy, efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, it must also demonstrate best value and be able to prove efficiencies and the delivery of national efficiency targets. There is a duty upon the Council to demonstrate continuous improvement and procurement savings must be recorded, this is a key performance indicator of the central procurement team. Best value procurement is therefore driven by: 15

17 desired outputs and results balance of quality and cost whole life appraisal citizen requirements minimising administration and bureaucracy routine transactions being carried out efficiently rigorous option appraisal innovation and creativity use of competition to obtain best value support for the council s policies and objectives compliance with legislation transparency and accountability. In order to demonstrate best value and continuous improvement, the procurement activity will be: measured against performance indicators reviewed regularly linked to management of risk subject to investment in training and systems enhancements benchmarked against the various groups we participate in. Market Competition & Driving Value for Money A key objective of this Strategy is to provide a means to improve quality and efficiency through effective competition. This can either be direct or indirect competition. Direct Competition means assessing alternative providers by studying the market. Indirect Competition means assessing the competitiveness of different functions through comparison with other Councils and organisations, management techniques and models. This allows us to learn from best practice in other organisations and promote individual and organisational development. The Luton Excellence initiative is a prime example of how we are using indirect competition to improve our services, finding new solutions through adopting a lean approach. 16

18 Performance Management in Procurement Procurement activity influences a wide range of national and local performance indicators and should be undertaken in a performance management environment. Key areas to consider in respect of procurement performance management include but are not limited to: planning specifications contract management risk management review training and development compliance to regulatory measures The Council s three year high level plan, to achieve the objectives of this Strategy, is as follows: Period By the end of FY 2016/17 By the end of FY 2017/18 By the end of FY 2018/19 Implement and embed the new Centralised Procurement operating model, including revised procedures and toolkits Achieve savings through category and contract management and transactional management Provide procurement expertise and support required to deliver the Council Strategy Ensure that there are an increased number of Corporate contracts and commensurate increase in compliance Enhance monitoring of spend Rationalise the supply base Provide training on EU regulation changes (where known) and best practice procurement Achieve at least 4m savings through procurement Continue to maximise efficiencies through procurement Benchmark the people, processes and infrastructure against other local authority best practice and ensure efficiencies are being maximised and are still in line with the Council s strategic direction of travel 17

19 The above will be continually monitored by the Council through effective performance management procedures in order to ensure compliance and effective implementation. Partnerships and Partnering The Council acknowledges the importance of partnerships in delivering services and already benefits from a range of partnerships with the private, public, community and voluntary sectors. The Council will follow good practice guidance and support social enterprise. Partnerships can provide access to new opportunities, investment and skills not available to the Council alone. We remain committed to exploring all options in order to provide the quality services required now and in the future. E-Procurement E-Procurement means doing procurement electronically and the benefits include: delivering savings through streamlined, auditable, internal procedures a framework to make ordering and tendering for goods, services and works easier whilst complying with legislation improved services better unit costs and terms from suppliers informing category management reviews identifying non-contract spend and maverick buying patterns The Council has implemented an e-procurement suite and a Governance Procurement Card (GPC) to support the procurement process. Additional investment in technology is also being made as part of the procurement centralisation programme to harness improvements in contract management, vendor management, spend analysis, and low value procurement processes. These technological advances eliminate unnecessary cost from the procurement process releasing resources to be used more efficiently elsewhere. E-Procurement also enables authorities to work more collaboratively to achieve economies of scale and shared expertise. 18

20 Ethical Procurement and Code of Conduct The Council recognises its responsibility for making its procurement processes ethically sound. That responsibility extends beyond the immediate supply base, back through the supply chain to the source of services, goods or materials. Evaluation of goods and services offered by suppliers includes supply chain analysis. All of the Council s professionally qualified procurement staff are bound by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Ethical Code. The Council s corporate procurement systems and procedures have been assessed and rated as excellent by the Institute. The Council supports the Fair Trade organisation and obtains products that meet its requirements from Fair Trade sources. Fair Trade brand advertising increases awareness of these products within the Council. The Corporate Code of Conduct for all employees sets out the expectations of the Council in terms of employees behaviour and conduct. This Strategy supports the Code of Conduct and should be read in conjunction with it. 19

21 Strategic Risks and Effective Risk Management Strategic Risk 1. The wrong procurement method may be chosen 2. There is the potential for conflict between the pressures to obtain value for money and quality, to source locally where possible, to procure sustainably and to reduce the number of low value invoices 3. Economic circumstances could potentially cause key suppliers grave financial difficulties 4. Potential suppliers may not appreciate Luton s commitment to equalities, diversity and cohesion 5. Officers do not adhere to the principles of the Procurement Strategy and mandated processes Risk Mitigation High skilled and qualified professionals within the central procurement team owning all procurement delivery above 1,000 Ensure staff are aware of the Procurement Strategy and that Procurement training shows how to balance these objectives. Central Procurement team will advise on the most appropriate evaluation methods for each procurement to balance such needs and requirements Review the ongoing viability of key suppliers through effective contract and suppliers performance monitoring Ensure appropriate, standard terms and conditions are included in all contracts Meet the Buyer events held to explain corporate approach Monitor contracts effectively. This will form part of the supplier registration within the contract management service. Strategy publicised clearly through the Council, and prompt corrective action taken where required Monthly MI and compliance monitoring reports to be run and published to CLMT and Senior Management. 20

22 Appendix 1. Definitions Benchmarking means the process of comparing business processes and performance measures to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost. Best Value is government policy in the United Kingdom affecting the provision of public services in England and Wales. Best Value was introduced in England and Wales through the 1999 Local Government Act. The range of activities affected includes almost all local authority functions, including Procurement. Cashable Efficiencies means a category of financial savings achieved through incurring costs less than that of the budget available. Category Management is a procurement concept in which the range of products purchased is broken down into groups of similar or related products. Category Management is a systematic, disciplined approach to managing a product category strategically. Contract Management means the process of systematically and efficiently managing contract creation, execution, and analysis for the purpose of maximising financial and operational performance and minimizing risk. It includes ensuring compliance with the negotiated and agreed terms and conditions, as well as documenting and agreeing any changes or amendments that may arise during its implementation or execution. e-procurement (electronic procurement) means the business-to-business purchase and of goods, works and services through the Internet as well as other information and networking systems. Public Procurement Directives means a set of directives that set out the legal framework for public procurement. They apply when public authorities and utilities seek to appoint suppliers to deliver goods, services or works that exceed specified monetary thresholds. Procurement means the acquisition of appropriate goods and / or services at the best possible total cost of ownership to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of quality, quantity, time and location. Procurement Cycle means the cyclical process of key steps when procuring goods or services, from identification of a need and conducting market analysis through to the process of selecting the supplier, managing their performance and reviewing lessons learnt. Risk Management means the identification, analysis, assessment, control, and avoidance, minimisation, or elimination of unacceptable risks. 21

23 SME (Small Medium Enterprises) means any business with fewer than 250 employees. Strategic Procurement means the proactive and planned analysis of supply markets and the selection of suppliers with the objective of delivering solutions to meet pre-determined and agreed business needs. Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) means the strategic planning of, and managing, all interactions with third party organizations that supply goods and/or services to an organization in order to maximise the value of those interactions. Tender means the procedure for generating competitive offers from different bidders looking to obtain an award of business activity in works, goods or service contracts. All purchases and / or contracts must be tendered where the total cost exceeds 75,000 as stipulated in the Council s Standing Orders. Value for Money means the optimum combination of whole life cost and quality (or fitness for purpose) to meet the organisation s requirement. 22