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Please note the NWCE team are attending an awayday on Friday 30th March 2007, therefore we will be unable to take your calls or respond to emails. If you need to contact us urgently on this date please telephone 07967 690239.
Procurement News
Sustainable Procurement
The Procurement Board this week agreed to set up a workstream on Sustainable Procurement.
More details will be made available shortly, in the meantime, Action Sustainability have produced a quick reply to the government's response, which can be found here.
Framework of the Week - Liquid Fuel
OGC Buying Solutions has a partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the purchase of Liquid Fuel, which is open to all public sector bodies in the UK. Weekly price updates can be supplied by Buying Solutions, and they are committed to notify customers of market price changes on a weekly basis by email.
Key features and benefits of the framework
- A dedicated customer service team
- Buying Solutions has access to over 150 emergency suppliers
- Buying Solutions run national tenders in order to gain better coverage and competitive margins for all public sector customers
- Buying Solution has regular market information available
- Total transparency offered on all charges
- To aid efficiency, all customer orders are placed directly with the supplier
- Customers save around 6 month’s of administration time as contracts are already OJEU processed
For further information click here.
Waste Management News
Gordon's Rubbish News
The North West's challenge to deal with its waste ramps up with Chancellor Gordon Brown's annoucement that Landfill Tax is to rise by £8 per tonne each year from April 2008, until "at least 2010/11".
Waste is identified in the 2007 Budget report as one of four key areas for further action to tackle long-term environmental pressures, along with climate change, water supplies and biodiversity.
For further information please click here.
General News
The NWCE Wishes Farewell to a Key Team Member
THE NWCE’s director modernising services, Miranda Carruthers-Watt, is leaving the organisation to take up the post of Chief Executive of Lancashire Police Authority. NWeGG programme manager Phil Swan will be taking over Miranda’s role, leading on shared services.
Miranda will also be relinquishing her role with CLG as senior advisor with Government Connect to whom she was seconded in October 2006 from the NWCE to assist with its local government engagement strategy.
Said Miranda: "The opportunity to help shape policing priorities for Lancashire is very exciting, although I am leaving the NWCE at a time when the hard work and dedication of the team are beginning to show major results. In two years, the NWCE has achieved much and, I am sure, the best is still to come.“
And she added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the NWCE, working with a dedicated, professional team and I look forward to taking many of the efficiencies I have seen created, while with the NWCE, into other areas of the public sector.”
Are You Missing Out?
Councils in the region are missing out on the chance to make potential savings running into £millions on their council tax collections.
A report by Voca, commissioned by the DCLG, has revealed that there’s scope for individual authorities to make major savings - annual anticipated savings for the north west have been assessed by Voca at £1.54million.
Voca has now created a toolkit, piloted by Doncaster Council, which councils can use free of charge, from May onwards, to assess the standards they are currently applying to their council tax operations compared with the standards they should be applying to achieve efficiencies.
Doncaster anticipate a 20% increase in take-up of direct debit payment for council tax in less than 12 months after working with Voca.
For further information on Voca’s work click here.
National News
New Site to Share
Policy Dialogue International (PDI), in partnership with Socitm (Society of Information Technology Management) has launched "Shared Approach - Improved Public Services" - www.policy-dialogue.com/shared - to assist with transformational government and support the existing work of the eGov monitor platform. Produced with sponsorship and participation from Oracle, this site will explore shared approaches to resolving the challenges of transformational government, providing a gateway to narratives, case studies as well as knowledge resources.
Get the Connection
The Department of Work and Pensions has released a statement endorsing the Government Connect programme. A copy of the statement can be downloaded here.
Please note, the price offer on Government Connect closes on 31 March 2007. Details of the offer are available on www.govconnect.gov.uk
EVENTS
NWeGG
Benefits Realisation Management
A Vehicle for Transformational Change 17 April 2007
Gerald Bradley, Sigma UK and benefits realisation industry guru, recently spoke at the Project and Programme Managers group and NWeGG was then asked by members to run a training day on Sigma UK's techniques.
The cost for this training is heavily discounted from the £550 standard industry charge to £260.00 + VAT.
NWeGG can only offer 16 places and have received much interest already so please register early to avoid disappointment. For further details visit www.nwegg.org.uk
Due to the limited number of places, please be aware that once you have registered your interest to attend you can ask to be removed from the list of registrants for the course up to two calendar weeks before the course is held without charge.
For further information contact Catherine O'Neill at NWeGG.
PROCUREMENT POWER,
Naional event - 1 May, Derby
"Cut Costs while Benefitting the Community"
Procurement Power is a national workshop and networking event for heads of service and procurement professionals in the public sector. The workshop is based on practical evidence and hands-on exploration of how public bodies across the UK are delivering efficiency while benefiting the economy and the environment.
The event will feature special sessions on how public bodies in the UK are:
- Saving money while procuring sustainably
- Promoting regeneration through procurement
- Adapting and replicating good practice
The event will be 11am-3pm in Derby, hosted by nef (the new economics foundation), as part of their Local Alchemy programme.
To view the workshop invite, please click here, or to register for the event, please contact Justin Sacks - justin.sacks@k2a.cc or 07753 408 692.
Swap Shop
The dates for the next two corporate and transactional shared services Network Groups are Tuesday 15 May in Sheffield and Thursday 17 May in London.
Run by 4Ps, the Network Group allows participants to meet people with an interest in corporate and transactional shared services and to discuss projects they are working on. It offers a great chance to swap information and receive professional guidance from experts. The agenda and speakers will be confirmed in the joining notes that will be released shortly. For more details, please contact lynsey.whitmarsh@4ps.gov.uk
Bargain Hunt II
The second Bargain Hunt event is now confirmed and will take place on 21 May 2007 at Manchester Conference Centre at Manchester Central (formerly G-MEX). The NWCE will show delegates how to share in more than £100m worth of savings on areas such as fuel, consultancy fees and ICT. More details will be added soon but places will be limited so book your place now to avoid disappointment! (Click here to book) or contact Rahela Parvin at the NWCE.