Buying team in Peterborough clinch business award

31 January 2011 | Angeline Albert

Peterborough City Council’s efforts to streamline its public procurement process saved more than £6 million and earned it a business award. 

The council reduced spending across all areas in particular room hire, catering, agency staff, training and conferences. And now the local authority’s efforts to change the way it buys goods and services scooped the team a Crème dela Crème award for outstanding public sector procurement.

The savings were delivered through the implementation of a best practice procurement process, using new software and generating information which enabled it to further streamline the buying process. The council said the average return on investment on each procurement project is between £3 and £5 for every pound spent.

Since 2006, its business transformation programme has made £48.43 million cumulative savings.

Councillor David Seaton, cabinet member for resources, said: “This award is an excellent achievement and is testament to the hard work carried out across the council to smooth and streamline the way we operate and ensure we are providing value for money for the people of Peterborough.”

The chairman of the Crème de la Crème judging panel, Simon Burgess, said: “With the public sector facing harsh cutbacks there is a need to work smarter and deliver more for less. To help achieve this, the best possible procurement process needs to be in place and Peterborough City Council has gone to great lengths to ensure that this is the case.

“With savings of over £6 million being delivered directly through the implementation of procurement best practices, the council is putting procurement at the centre to drive commercial decisions. An example for many to follow.”

To be eligible for the quarterly award, an organisation must have won at least one other recognised business award for its entry over the past year. The honours, which were launched in 2009, can be entered by any private, public or third sector organisation. Other winners include Virgin, Sketch rstaurants and The Big Issue.