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 SUPPLIERS are now queuing up to register on The Chest.
There are now 138
suppliers, the majority from the north
west, and nine councils and other public sector
organisations from the region, subscribing to the on-line, e-tendering
portal that was officially launched by the NWCE earlier this month.
Phil Gardner, The
Chest project manager, said: "Feedback from all has been very
supportive which is hugely encouraging. Now councils in the region need to
focus on signing up to The Chest and populating it with opportunities, as
and when they arise."
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing were the
first to pilot a tender on The Chest.
Councils who have
already signed up to The Chest are Rochdale MBC, Stockport MBC, Manchester
City Councils, Salford City Council, Tameside MBC, Cumbria County Council, Bury MBC.
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Telephone
troubles resolved
 A WORKSHOP staged by the NWCE has revealed how councils can
save £thousands a year on BT bills.
Councils who
currently receive individual phone bills can save money if they switch to
BT's new, One Bill system. Councils switching to One Bill will avoid paying
BT's surcharge of £4.50 per bill. In the case of larger councils, who
receive around 6,000 separate bills a year, that
can add up to savings of around £25,000.
Additionally,
councils who switch to One Bill before December 31, 2007, can reclaim every
£4.50 they have already incurred.
The workshop also
revealed that councils can make savings on their phone bills by using an OGCbuying.solutions BT framework.
"Even those
authorities who have a service provider other than BT can save money by
using the framework," explained Neil Hind, NWCE programme manager.
"Many authorities still have BT lines and the framework will,
therefore, provide savings."
Copies of
the workshop's can be found here.
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Lock on
to The Docking Station
 COUNCILS in the north
west are taking advantage of the NWCE's ground-breaking documents store, The Docking
Station.
Both Fylde and Wyre Borough
Councils have produced equality and diversity guidance using the templates
on The Docking Station.
The Docking Station is available
as a link on all nine Regional Centres of Excellence web sites, and
provides provides council officers with a
blue-print for buying. It contains a fully validated suite of contract and
tendering documents that council officers can use when searching for new
contracts.
Allan Williams of Wyre BC
said: "The Docking Station helped tremendously when Fylde and Wyre
were looking to create new guidance for equality and diversity. What
would normally be a time-consuming and expensive exercise was completed,
successfully, using a fraction of the time and resources."
Lock on to The
Docking Station here.
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Focus
on a framework - multiply the money
 THE NWCE's 'focus on a framework'
highlights key frameworks or agreements that councils can use.
Looking to multiply your savings? This agreement
can help councils save money when buying multi functional devices/printers.
The framework agreement can be used by the public sector in England and delivers, for the first time, a
standard agency nursing agreement for all English NHS regions outside London. It
introduces Agenda for Change job specifications, and delivers
cost-efficiencies through a new pricing structure and the use of eAuctions to maximise competition.
Read more
here.
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Health and Social Care News
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The
right toolkit for the job
 INFORMATION about the new national care casting toolkit for
adult social care, including an example of the toolkit, is now available
online.
The NWCE held two training events for interested councils at
the end of October, to explain how the toolkit is being developed, how it
will work and the potential savings for councils.
The toolkit will help councils deal with the challenges of increasing
demand and spend on residential and other care, provide a united approach,
both between councils and care management and procurement departments, and
lead to a more consistent approach.
Details of which councils will join the pilot phase of the project will be
available soon, along with details of two follow-up events for the next
phase, which will take place during January 2008.
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 THE Local Government Association has issued advice to
support the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships in the
development of their strategies for 2008 to 2011.
This guidance comes in advance of the soon to be
published National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy.
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Bowled
over by
CSR07?
Regional Roadshow, November 28, 2007, Lancashire Cricket Club
 SENIOR council officers and members have a 'must do' date
for their diaries.
The north west's
regional improvement and efficiency partners - the North West Centre of
Excellence and the North West Improvement Network - are hosting one of nine
regional roadshows being delivered by CLG.
On November 28,
at Lancashire Cricket Club, Old Trafford, speakers from CLG will outline
the range of resources and support available to councils to unlock value
for money, to meet the 3% efficiency target and to improve services by
building strong relationships. There will also be several Q&A sessions
with speakers throughout the morning.
Additionally, the event will give
council representatives the opportunity to build relations with the NWCE
and NWIN.
The event starts at 9.30am and finishes at 12.15pm with lunch immediately
afterwards. Places at the event are limited and should be booked
immediately. Email
christine.acton@tameside.gov.uk or call 0161 342
3301.
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Sustainable
procurement conference
December
6, 2007, Aintree Racecourse
 THE NWCE is hosting a sustainable procurement conference to
consider the latest information on sustainability and discuss the suppliers
in this area.
Delegates will also be given the
time for discussion and debate on the way forward for the north west region.
For more information and to register click here.
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The
3rd Annual NwEGG Conference
New Frontiers
for Transformation
December
12, 2007, Manchester
Central
 THE 3rd Annual NWeGG Conference
promises to be an explosive event!
For a 38ft rocket
- the SKYBOLT - will take centre stage at the conference that will look at
'New Frontiers for Transformation'.
The SKYBOLT is
the brainchild of Manchester
man Steve Bennett and Starchaser Industries.
Steve is proof that, with determination and a will to succeed, anyone can
turn vision into reality and he'll be explaining at the conference how pushing
the boundaries can often lead to the achievement of the seemingly
impossible.
There will also
be a host of other speakers at the event who will be
discussing how the transformational government agenda can also go
beyond the norm to create public services that are fit for the 21st
Century.
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Get
the inside track on CSRO7
4th
National Public Sector Procurement Conference
February
7, 2007, City of Manchester
Stadium
 THE NWCE will be playing a major part in a national
procurement event that will throw new light on meeting targets set by
CSR07.
The 4th National Public Sector Procurement Conference 2008 will be chaired
by the centre's regional director, Colin Cram.
The event on February 7 will be at the City of Manchester Stadium and is a must for
everyone in local government who is concerned with CSR07.
Speakers confirmed for the event
include Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, and
Helen MacCarthy, director, NHS Purchasing and
Supply Agency.
Some of the seminar areas that
will be covered include: a guide to implementing a successful e-commerce
strategy, procuring sustainable goods and services and ensuring their
provenance and identifying quick wins in procurement.
Tickets for the event are discounted
for a limited period at £175 + VAT.
Register for the event at www.govnet.co.uk/procurement
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North West Centre of Excellence
Room 5.15,
Council Offices, Wellington
Road, Ashton-under-Lyne
OL6 6DL
www.nwce.gov.uk
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