North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership

Happy New Year!

The North West Centre of Excellence wish you all the very best for a happy and prosperous 2007!

NWCE January Events
Last Chance to Book!

It is your last chance to book places for the eMarketplace event on 11.01.07, Travel Procurement Workshop on 16.01.2007 and Service Transformation through Partnership Event on 18.01.2007.  Click on event title to view event details and to reserve your place.  Further details about these events can also be found in the events section of this update.

We are keen that all local authorities in the North West are represented at our events.  Please ensure that your council does not miss out!

Competitive Dialogue

The Lancashire Procurement Collaboration group were fortunate enough to receive an overview of the new Competitive Dialogue process from Professor Chris Bovis, Jean Monnet Chair of European and Business Law.  Please download the presentation and briefing note.

The procurement programme plans further briefing sessions for selected procurement topics. Please email neil.hind@hind.co.uk if you would like to suggest a topic.

Office of Government Commerce - Fleet Bulletin - December 2006 Edition

Please download the December 2006 OGC Fleet Bulletin.  Also available is a paper on emerging best practice with regard to 'Grey Fleet' matters together with a short questionnaire.  The OGC Fleet team hope you find the information in the bulletin helpful and informative and look forward to receiving your responses to the grey fleet questionnaire.  A Fleet Forum meeting is planned in London on 17.01.2007 and a Grey Fleet workshop will be hosted on the same day.

North West Shared Services Programme

A key business priority for both the NWCE and NWeGG is Corporate and Transactional Services and in particular effective Shared Services delivery opportunities that will enable local authorities to deliver efficient, effective services through transformed services and delivery mechanisms.  As such the NWCE and NWeGG are developing a joint Shared Services Programme and action plan for the North West that will support councils within this highly topical area, and help align activities.

The NW shared services programme will:

• help develop the thinking and knowledge around innovative service delivery;
• enable councils to benefit from good practice;
• explore the Shared Services opportunities and help manage the risks;
• bring together all of the work occurring within the Shared Service arena across the region; and,
• identify and develop the tools, knowledge, guidance and assistance local authorities need and want to help them move towards Shared Service delivery of local public services.

A NW Shared Services Programme Board has been established and will meet for the first time in the afternoon of Wednesday 17 January.  The Board is composed of a representative from each of the sub-regions.  We are also in the process of establishing a NW Shared Services Community to include local authority Change Agents and Senior Management Teams, and we will inform this Community as to progress made and consult with them over future activity.

Further information and a bimonthly newsletter can be found on the NW Shared Services Programme page of the new NWCE website.

NWCE Feedback Survey – One Week left

There is only one week left to leave your feedback on how you perceive us as an organisation, the areas where we are providing benefit to your local authority and those areas where you would like us to direct our focus in the future.

Please take just 5 minutes to complete the survey to provide your feedback and to enable us to tailor our future support to the requirements of local authorities across the North West. The survey can be found here.

EVENTS

eMarketPlace Workshop 
11.01.2007 at Wigan Investment Centre

Last chance to reserve your place!

This workshop will focus toward those councils who recognise the benefits of using technology to reduce authorities’ costs through increased collaboration and improved supplier management.   Please click here to view the confirmed agenda.

There are limited places so please book quickly online or email Beverley Brooks at the NWCE.  

Travel Procurement Workshop - 10am to 1pm Tuesday 16.01.2006
The Woodlands Conference Centre, Chorley

Agenda now available (click to download)

The NWCE is looking to help local authorities reduce travel and hotel procurement costs. This first workshop will look at deals available and how procurement may be undertaken on a regional basis.  The change management activities will also be considered.  Please follow this link to reserve a place.

RCE Regional Workshops: Service Transformation through Partnership Event, 18.01.07 Stockport Football Club
Limited Places Available!

Following on from the highly successful Local Government Engagement event ran by the NWCE on 02.11.2006, this event is for anyone within local government with an interest in shared services, particularly with regards to the practical side of actually putting a shared service in place.   

It aims to:

• Explore the options and the toolkits available to enable your authority to successfully deliver a shared service partnership, including DCLG’s “Service Transformation through Partnership" A-Z toolkit published in June 2006.
• Help answer the all important "how do we do it" question including the process necessary to set up a shared service.
• Cover the tricky and at times complex shared services procurement process.
• Provide a valuable shared services networking opportunity to enable authorities to share lessons learned from their own experiences.

The event promises to be highly participative with delegates encouraged to get actively involved in proceedings, to debate and challenge the issues being raised.

These events have been hugely popular and places are limited.  View the agenda or click here for event details and to book your place.

NWCE Standards Group - Schedule of Meetings for 2007

The schedule of meetings for the Standards Group for 2007 has been agreed as follows:

• 26th January 2007
• 26th April 2007
• 26th July 2007
• 26th October 2007

The meeting on 26th January 2007 is at Manchester Town Hall.  Book your place by clicking on the above link.  All other meetings will take place at Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall.

 If you would like further information about the Standards Group please contact Beverley Brooks at the NWCE.