Back to Front report available

 

The Audit Commission has just released a new report called 'Back to Front - Efficiency of back office functions in local government.' 

 

Councils in England have made significant steps to improve their internal efficiency. £4.3bn worth of efficiency gains were diverted to improve services and manage the level of counci tax back-office activity between 2005 and 2008. The behind the scenes work that supports services for the public was an important source of these efficiency gains.

 

This report reviews how councils made back-office efficiency gains and identifies lessons for the future.  

 

Business Process Improvement framework agreement

 
The Business Process Improvement and Lean Systems Thinking Framework brings together three key improvement elements to business process improvement:

 

• BPI / Lean systems thinking,
• Programme & Project Management
• Leadership & Change Management

 

This framework offers specialist knowledge from a broad range of Business Process Improvement suppliers, using best procurement practice compliant to EU Directives. UK authorities are able to mini-tender to all suppliers on the framework – saving the time and cost involved when undertaking a full tender exercise.

 

It includes a list of BPI/lean systems thinking suppliers, programme and project management suppliers and a list of leadership and change suppliers.

 

Click here for more information on the framwork agreement, developed by West Midlands Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership, and open to all regions across the UK.

 

New guide on integrated working in health and social care

 

The Care Services Improvement Partnership has launched a guide on working together to achieve more effective health and social care services.

 

 Press release on A Practical Guide to Integrated Working

 

Conference on Sustainable Procurement

 

Local government spends around £50bn a year on procurement and another £17bn a year on capital projects. Councils are increasingly looking at how they can spend sustainably to secure wider environmental and social benefits. A number of councils have developed green procurement plans and many others are exploring how their spending can meet environmental goals.

 

This conference, on 11 February 2008, provided the first opportunity to hear about the local government sustainable procurement strategy, to hear form the Climate Change Commission on tackling climate change through procurement and to identify practical ways of making a difference.

 

 Sustainable Procurement Conference programme 

 

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London Procurement Programme (LPP) Newsletter - January 2008

 

In this edition of the newsletter, the programme unveiled the latest portfolio of initiatives designed to deliver substantial savings for London Trusts.  Please click on the link below for a copy of the newsletter.

 

 LPP Newsletter January 2008

 

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First National Toolkit for Buying Social Care

A toolkit for buying social care has been developed and is now being piloted across England by nearly half of all local authorities.

 

Specifically designed to transform the way care is purchased for people with learning disabilities, the Regional Centres of Excellence, local councils and Voluntary Organisations Disability Group worked together to produce the toolkit.

 

Following the evaluation of the toolkit in the New Year, the toolkit will be rolled out nationally.  If a success, it may be adapted for other service groups.

 

For further information please contact Lin Jeffery on

01707 882 773 or solin.jeffery@ntlkworld.com.

 

  First National Toolkit for Buying Social Care News Release

27 November 2007

 

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New Guides to Encourage Service Improvement and Efficiency

The Regional Centres of Excellence (RCE) have recently published a new set of guides, titled How to Be Successful, which aim to transform local authority procurement and raise standards of service delivery.  The guides cover commissioning consultants, insurance services, buying energy, running e-auctions and procuring social housing products.

 

These guides are the latest in a range of products and services which form part of RCE's Procurement Programme.

 

For further information please contact Seth Brook on

020 7944 19241 or email seth.brook@rcoe.gov.uk.

 

  New Guides to Encourage Service Improvement and Efficiency 

News Release 26 November 2007

 

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Midlands Highway Alliance announces Contractors for £98m Framework

 

The Midlands Highways Alliance (MHA), made up of ten councils and the Highways Agency, has selected four contractors to service the key contract in a package of several new highway construction and maintenance frameworks. 

 

The Medium Schemes Framework is for new highway schemes valued at up to £8m.  The MHA estimates that its local authority members will procure projects worth around £48m through this new framework in the first year, with the Highways Agency procuring a further £50m.

 

For further information please contact Matthew Lugg on

0116 305 7001 or mlugg@leics.gov.uk

 

  Midlands Highway Alliance News Release 14 November 2007

 

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South Holland Addresses Compliance and Improves its Performance Management

A case study was carried out on South Holland District Council; investigating its system for gathering performance data and calculating resultant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). 

 

The case study revealed the system improvements required, the pitfalls to avoid and the key benefits when developing an integrated information framework.

 

For further information please contact Steve Larner on

01775 761 161 or slarner@sholland.gov.uk

 

  South Holland Addresses Compliance and Improves Its Performance Management.

 

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The Benefits Transformation Project

North Kesteven District Council recently initiated a benefits transformation programme within its Revenues and Benefits Team.  This was to aid an improvement in service efficiency so, following a successful grant application from the Department for Work and Pensions Performance Standards Fund, current processes and procedures were overhauled. 

 

The case study below details the obstacles that were faced, and overcome, and the benefits that have subsequently followed.

 

Please contact Andrew Everard on 01529 414 155 or andrew_everard@n-kesteven.gov.uk for more information.

 

  The Benefits Transformation Project

 

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buildingDIRECT's Business Process Improvement Project

buildingDIRECT, a non-subsidised arm of Nottinghamshire County Council, provides 24/7 maintenance service and support for the Council's property portfolio. 

 

The Business Process Improvement Project was established in order to improve business techniques within the organisation, enabling buildingDIRECT to become the lowest cost provider of high quality building and maintenance service for Nottinghamshire County Council. 

 

Following a structured approach, the project was also concerned with achieving the highest possible improvements in line with guidance from the Rethinking Construction agenda.

 

For further information please contact Lesley Bradley on

0115 956 7777 or lesley.bradley@nottscc.gov.uk.

 

  buildingDIRECT's Business Process Improvement Project

 

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National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning

 

IDeA, in partnership with the Office of the Third Sector, is managing the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning; a critical stand of 'Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement'.  This four year programme, directed by Sarah Wood, will operate in conjunction with existing training and support for commissioners.  The programme aims to achieve five main outcomes and to introduce a Community of Practice.

 

Prior to the Community of Practice, information on the programme will be posted through the programme website.

 

For further information, please contact Dr Gordon Murray, Programme Manager.

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East Midlands Project Case Studies

The East Midlands region has produced a further three case studies relating to funded projects in their area.  The case studies are available to download from the East Midlands Regional Centre's website.

1.  Source East Midlands - Contract Opportunity Portal
2.  Collaborative Working and Shared Services in Derbyshire 
3.  Countywide Integrated Waste and Collection Service

For further information, please contact Nathan Kendal, Communications Officer at the East Midlands Centre of Excellence, tel. 0115 977 3288.

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e-Tendering in Lichfield

 

Lichfield District Council has received recognition through awards for good practice and innovation in addition to its recent achievements in 'Waste and Recycling' and 'Transforming the Delivery of Services through Partnerships'. 

 

In keeping with these successes, its current e-tendering project specifically aims to improve efficiency and establish best practice.

 

For further information please see the accompanying handbook Implementation of e-Tendering, or contact Steve McQuade, Performance and Policy Manager at Lichfield District Council, tel. 01543 308119.

 

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Increasing Proficiency from Grower to Eater

Delivering Efficiencies Now was launched by Rob Sykes (Chair of the Chief Executives’ Task Force) at the recent LGA conference.

The document outlines some of the excellent work delivered by the regional centres of excellence over the last two years.

If you would like hard copies of this document, please contact lcpe@londoncouncils.gov.uk.  

The Press Release is also available to download.

Councils and Highways Agency join forces in groundbreaking highways partnership

Ten councils and the Highways Agency are joining forces in a major new venture to improve the design and delivery of highways projects and drive through efficiency gains.

The Midlands Highways Alliance (MHA) is set to go live on Tuesday 17 July when ten East Midlands highways authorities and the Highways Agency sign the Alliance Agreement at a ceremony hosted by Leicestershire County Council, the lead authority.

By working together, the MHA aims to reap efficiency gains of up to 10% on contracts, speed up procurement and deliver schemes to a higher standard.

At the heart of the venture is the regional procurement and delivery of highways maintenance and capital works through framework agreements. The MHA estimates that projects worth around £50 million will be procured through the first of a number of regional frameworks in its first year.

This is expected to increase up to £150 million in the following years as public bodies come under greater pressure to realise efficiency gains in the face of spending constraints. And as these framework agreements will also be open to highways authorities in the West Midlands, the potential turnover is expected to be at least double this figure.                             

Higher quality projects are also a priority as the Alliance will share innovation and performance data across its members and improve working practices and workflow throughout the supply chain.

Councillor Nicholas Rushton, Leicestershire CC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said, “Leicestershire is delighted to be leading this initiative which is unique in the UK. We recognise the benefits of collaborative working particularly in the procurement of major transport infrastructure projects. This will provide not only improved value for money, but better solutions for highways services.”

Ginny Clarke, Chief Highway Engineer at the Highways Agency, said, “We are pleased to be part of the Midland Highways Alliance, the first partnership of its kind and leading the way for driving forward the delivery of real efficiency savings across projects in highways authorities.”  

Chris Allison, Director of the East Midlands Centre of Excellence, said, “The partnership signing ceremony is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the highway authorities in the East Midlands and the Highways Agency supported with funding secured by the East Midlands Centre of Excellence. The Centre sees this project as having the potential to deliver major service improvements and efficiency gains for the £200 million spent externally each year by highways authorities in the East Midlands.“
 

Joe Dowling, Deputy Chief Executive of the Collaborative Working Centre, said, “After 18 months of working closely with the authorities involved in the Midlands Highways Alliance, we’re delighted to see this innovative regional collaboration come to fruition. We are pleased to be supporting the MHA and fully expect it to deliver substantial efficiencies over the next four years." 

Commissioning Services Framework

The East Midlands Centre of Excellence has designed the first ever framework for the commissioning of services for children and other community groups. 

Launched in May 2007, following the collaboration of health, social care, education and voluntary agencies, the framework sets out guidelines for procurement and particularly promotes multi-agency cohesion within the procurement process. 

In addition to providing better quality of services, it is anticipated that the adoption of this framework will create huge savings across the region.

The framework is accessible through the handbook Regional Framework to Support the Commissioning of Children and Young People's Services and web site www.regionalcommissioning.co.uk. 

For further information, please contact Helen Richmond, Projects Officer, East Midlands Centre of Excellence, on 07921 491 696.

Sustainable Procurement Information Network (SPIN)

The Sustainable Procurement Information Network (SPIN) has been developed by the East Midlands Centre of Excellence as a support tool for local authorities and provides up-to-date information on all aspects of sustainable procurement.  SPIN will make it easier to find sustainable procurement infoirmation and should be the first port of call for local authorities nationwide.

SPIN Website

For further information on SPIN please see the press release below or contact Nathan Kendal, Communications Officer, East Midlands Centre of Excellence, on 0115 977 3288.

  SPIN Press Release

In collaboration with the Central Buying Consortium (CBC), The South East Centre of Excellence (SECE) is pleased to announce 10 competitive contracts available to all 74 authorities in the South East. These contracts are also available to all London authorities.

The contracts have been made available through the Memorandum of Understanding between SECE and Kent County Council’s Commercial Services. The full Memorandum can be downloaded below for further information:

 Memorandum of Understanding

The 10 competitive contracts are listed below:

• Vehicle Leasing
• Bottled Water
• Wheelie Bins
• Frozen Foods
• Dry Goods & Chilled Items
• Photocopiers
• Computer Consumables
• PC Hardware
• Software Licensing
• Printers

For further information about the contracts, please contact Momtaz Islam on 07894 096235 or momtaz.islam@sece.gov.uk 

Procurement Agency for Essex - Annual Report 2006/2007

The Procurement Agency for Essex (PAE) is pleased to announce the publication of its Annual Report for 2006/2007.

 Transforming Procurement in Essex - Annual Report 2007

Transforming Government Procurement

 Press release