North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership

week ending 17.08.2007

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North West Centre of Excellence WEEKLY NEWS
week ending August 17 2007

Dear Colleague,

Welcome to this week's edition of the NWCE weekly news. Our weekly newsletters are also available via our website. Click here to access.
We want to hear good news stories and lessons learned from around the region for inclusion in our news updates - particularly relating to improving efficiency or partnerships/collaborations. If you have news you want to include in our update, please contact Beverley Brooks.

Kind regards,
North West Centre of Excellence

Procurement News

SPIN the web

Local authorities can now procure sustainably by signing up to a 'one-stop' website.

The website is called SPIN (sustainable procurement information network) containing the latest information relating to the sustainable procurement agenda.

The NWCE has now signed up to SPIN which was initially launched as part of an East Midlands Centre of Excellence sustainable procurement project.

To access or to contribute to the content of the website please view here.

Too hot to handle

Ten local authorities in the north west have volunteered to form the pilot group of a ground breaking project - carbon budget and trading scheme that will look at measuring and monitoring carbon emissions, carbon pricing, budget management and trading, and carbon emission reduction.

The councils responded to a to a call put out by NWCE and now, due to high demand the NWCE has decided to extend the group if there is still interest. A small fee of £1000 will apply. For more information, the prospectus for the scheme can be found by clicking here.

Focus on a Framework - Agreement for Lease Cars

The NWCE's 'focus on a framework' highlights key frameworks or agreements councils can use.This week's offer can help councils to save money on leasing cars via a website.

Councils will be able to get their hire cars on–line, following the development of a new set of frameworks for the NHS. Framework agreements for lease cars have been issued to 10 suppliers and will be available on a web site, from September 1.

The frameworks will also offer annual advance rental based on a three- year term, fully inclusive of maintenance.

For further details please email the application form to: transport@pasa.nhs.uk

Shared Services News

4Ps on the menu

THE NWCE is working with 4Ps to promote shared services among local authorities in the region.

4Ps are holding two Shared Services Network Group events in September – one in Sheffield and the other in London.

The agenda for both events will be the same and will include presentations from the participants in a number of shared services projects, including Devon Building Control team and a three-way offering from Watford, Dacorum and Three Rovers Councils.

The event in Sheffield will be held on September 11 and the London event will be held on September 13.

For further enquires, contact Lynsey Whitmarsh on 020 7296 6670 or email lynsey.whitmarsh@4ps.gov.uk.

Events

P-Cards: what next?
September 20 2007, Wigan Investment Centre

This session is aimed at those with procurement card projects underway and those still planning to implement them. It will bring together latest thinking from OGC.buying.solutions and Barclays with local authority case studies. For further information and/or to book a place click here.

Sourcing Sustainable Solutions – Meet the Buyers
November 21 2007, Manchester

THE NWCE will be supporting a sustainable procurement event in Manchester in November.
Sourcing Sustainable Solutions - Meet the Buyers will provide delegates with the opportunity to meet suppliers who can provide innovative environmental and sustainable products and services.
The NWCE will also be presenting The Chest, the new portal for local government business opportunities.
A unique feature of the event will be pre-arranged meetings with suppliers, selected according to delegates’ criteria. Delegates can tell the organiser their specific areas of interest, when booking, and the information will be used to research and identify suppliers that match their criteria. On the day of the event, delegates can take part in a series of private, pre-scheduled meetings with the pre-matched suppliers.
The event on November 21 is free to attend for buyers. For further information and/or to book a place click here.

For more information, contact Emma-Jane Allen on tel: 020 7700 0008 or e mail emma-jane@actionsustainability.com

The 3rd Annual NWeGG Conference - New Frontiers for Transformation
December 12 2007, Manchester Central

This event will focus on the future for the transformation agenda - a key factor in the Government's plans to reform the public sector.
Delegates will hear from the government on its latest strategy to modernise public services through Transformational Change, understand the need to be customer focused, examine the key role that technology can play in redesigning services for the benefit of both citizens and government alike and network to share best practice and seek answers to the challenges councils face.
There will be six seminars designed to deal with different aspects of delivering effective change in local government.
For further information click here.