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practice Procure4London

Procure4London

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Acronym of the case:

P4L

Web address of the case:

https://www.procure4london.com/

Country of the case:

United Kingdom

City/region:

London

Posting Date:

4 May 2012

Last Edited Date:

14 May 2012

Author:

ePractice Editorial Team (EUROPEAN DYNAMICS SA)
tags

procurement | portal | cost effectiveness

Procure4London Logoeurodyn4's picture
Editor's Choice 2012

Type of initiative

  • Project or service-imgProject or service

Case Abstract

Procure4London is a portal designed to be the home of public sector procurement in London.

It provides details of contract opportunities of all values for London local authorities. The councils collectively spend approximately £8.8 billion on goods and services across more than 5,900 contracts. Suppliers can browse through contract notices for free and express interest in the opportunities. Procure4London also provides news and information to help suppliers respond to and deliver services for the London public sector. Procure4London is a one-stop shop for local government procurement in London and allows authorities to share and create better streamlined practices. It promotes and supports collaborative procurement opportunities across London councils to generate greater savings and efficiencies.

The identified buyer community for the Portal encompasses the Greater London Authority (namely, the Greater London Authority itself, Transport for London Group, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Metropolitan Police Service) all London borough councils and all NHS bodies in the Greater London area.

Description of the case

Domain
eGovernment
Topic
eProcurement | Services for Businesses | Infrastructure | Regional and Local
Sector
Communication (infrastructure) | Procurement
Start date - End date
September 2011 (Ongoing)
Date operational
October 2011
Target Users
Administrative | Business (self-employed) | Business (industry) | Business (SME) | Civil society | Intermediaries
Target Users Description

Buyers: the 33 London councils

Suppliers: the companies which provide products and services for the councils

Scope
Local (city or municipality)
Status
Operation
Language(s)
English

Policy Context and Legal Framework

Local London authorities and other London public sector organisations have to use competitive tendering processes that are transparent, provide essential information to potential suppliers and ensure a level playing field for small businesses. They also have to be fair and honest in the way they choose suppliers and must pay suppliers promptly within agreed contract terms. As the UK is a Member State of the European Union, EU procurement directives also need to be followed.

 

Current Barriers To Buying and Selling:

  • Don't know where to look on websites
  • Too many buyer websites to keep up
  • Don't understand the procurement vocabulary
  • Having to complete a registration every time they are interested in working with a new local authority
  • Constantly having to complete pre-qualification questionnaires
  • Too many codes and buying conventions e.g. Proclass, CPV, UNSPSC
  • Rules are different at different thresholds
  • Lack of Transparency
  • Poor/No feedback on why they were unsuccessful
  • Process is costly and time-consuming
  • Unrealistic timescales

 

Improving access to public sector contracts:

  • Simplification of Council's Own Buying Rules
  • Improving access to adverts on council websites
  • e-Commerce
  • Actively encouraged sub-contracting with SME suppliers
  • Networking with buyers & suppliers e.g. Meet the Buyer
  • Business friendly guidance issued with tender documentation
  • Raised RFQ thresholds
  • Training for buyers and suppliers
  • Improved Governance arrangements
  • London Contracts Register

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative
Inclusive services of general interest
Overall Implementation approach
Partnerships between administration and/or private sector and/or non-profit sector
Technology choice
Not applicable/not available
Funding source
Project size
Implementation: Not applicable/not available

Implementation and Management Approach

Procure4London is a project commissioned by Capital Ambition to deliver a procurement portal for London which, as a key resource for authorities and their procurement officers, will:

  • Support smarter procurement and the achievement of cashable savings by facilitating shared spend and supplier analysis, standardised processes and documentation, and pointers to good practice
  • Identify opportunities and scope for demand/market management, supplier engagement and collaborative procurement
  • Enable suppliers to access public sector opportunities and simplify and streamline their access to work and engagement with the London local authorities

The project has been jointly developed by the London councils, with a lead from City of Westminster, City of London, the GLA and the London boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Havering, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, and Tower Hamlets. The portal is being delivered by BiP Solutions Ltd.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

London Councils held a launch event for Procure4London on 6th October, 2011. The launch included a demonstration of the portal as well as a showcase of the collaborative projects happening across London now. Below are the presentations from the launch.

Procure4London is a pan-London procurement portal that allows all London authorities to create and share streamlined procurement practices. It will promote collaborative procurement opportunities across London's councils, generating greater savings and efficiencies. The portal is a "one-stop shop" for local government procurement in London.

London's councils currently spend approximately £8.8 billion collectively on goods and services per year, across more than 5,900 contracts. The portal will make a wide variety of these contract opportunities available, covering all values, all in one place, for all of the local authorities in London. Suppliers can browse through these contract opportunities and express their interest in them - free of charge. The portal also provides news and information to help suppliers to deliver and respond to contract opportunities for the London public sector.

Amongst its many features, it has:

  • An opportunities notice board that will provide details of contract opportunities, high and low value, from across the London public sector.  Suppliers will also have the facility to post for sub-contracting opportunities for public sector contracts.
  • eTendering facilities for buyers to run RFQs, PQQs, mini-competitions and tenders
  • A document library for buyers to help standardise procurement practice across London and make it easier for businesses to engage with the public sector
  • Collaborative tools such as shared workspaces and discussion forums to help promote cross boundary working between boroughs
  • Links to other procurement systems

Future developments of the P4L Portal:

  • Access to procurement opportunities through a single registration in P4L
  • Using bespoke buying arrangements
    • Framework Agreements
    • Select/Approved Lists
    • Request for Quotes
  • Improved Opportunities for Collaborative Working
  • Standardise on procurement documentation e.g. Pre-qualification Questionnaires
  • Cross-border work or access to markets outside traditional areas
  • A vehicle for sub-contracting on larger-value procurements
  • Advance the efficiency, sustainability and eCommerce agendas
  • Links to e.g. London Contracts Register and other Regional Initiatives e.g. Athena

Lessons learnt

This field will be completed by the submitter when the lessons learnt have been identified and understood.

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