General overview
Procurement is how we spend public money. We believe this should be spent for the public good, as well as delivering appropriate goods and services. This Strategy update allows us to change procurement and commissioning activity in line with the following principles and events:
- Our core policies as a Council
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The UK’s exit from the European Union
The Strategy sets out the principles and rules we will follow to continue to provide the public with valuable services and value for money, whilst also delivering our ambitions as a council.
Key objectives
The document is structured around our Key Objectives. These come from our core policies as a Council:
- Considering the carbon footprint of products and services
- Considering the environmental impact of our supply chain
- Encouraging the use of local suppliers
- Encouraging innovation for sustainable solutions
- Giving people a bigger say
Action plan
For each Key Objective, we have listed clear points of action. It will ensure that our spending continues to work towards the our wider policies and that the contracts we put in place achieve value for money, either long- or short-term, which includes benefitting our wider sustainability or general wellbeing goals.
Ideal outcomes
The Strategy will ensure that Bath and North East Somerset businesses and organisations, including existing and potential council suppliers, can do the following:
- Understand our aims for procurement
- Have an opportunity to respond to the key elements of the Strategy that will affect them
- Work together to achieve our goals and deliver the best service possible to the public
It will allow us to understand the business market better, with a broader view of how sustainability issues affect procurement and commissioning.
The timing of the development of the Strategy will coincide with the new UK procurement rules, as the UK exits the European Union. This means that we have the perfect opportunity to align our intentions, both internally and externally, in a coherent and co-ordinated way.