Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the North East March 2017

Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Contents

Background 3 North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) 4 NEPO Member Authorities 5 Borough Council 5 Durham County Council 6 Gateshead Council 7 Borough Council 8 Middlesbrough Council 9 Newcastle City Council 10 North Tyneside Council 11 Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council 12 South Tyneside Council 13 Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council 14 Sunderland City Council 15 Police Authorities 16 Durham Police 16 17 Fire and Rescue Services 18 and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service 18 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 19 Universities 20 Northumbria University 20

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Background

The “Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the North East” has been developed by NEPO’s Stakeholder Engagement Group to help the North East supply base identify the main public sector procurement bodies in the region with a view to competing for public sector business. NEPO will regularly review and update this document and welcomes input from any North East public sector organisation wishing to be included in future iterations (please contact [email protected]).

NEPO’s Stakeholder Engagement Group was established in January 2015 with the following objectives;

1. Create and develop connections and engagement that will support and improve economic growth across the whole of the North East. 2. Effectively harness the expertise and market intelligence vested in business representative, private sector and VCS organisations to assist NEPO’s activities. 3. Give a greater focus on social value and an appreciation of the wider benefits that can be achieved through, for example, opportunities for public sector contracts to support employment and create apprenticeships in local labour markets. 4. Ensure that there is knowledge of the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses. 5. Develop expertise in market intelligence, anticipate future trends, develop innovative products, services and approaches that could shape and deliver improvements in public services and procurement practices. 6. Create an understanding of business needs and expectations to deliver focused and timely communications, aimed at promoting an awareness and understanding of NEPO, build on achievements to date, and position NEPO as a highly credible organisation that businesses want to engage with. 7. Work proactively to engage with suppliers and providers on each NEPO Hub and Spoke solution to ensure that market consultation is undertaken prior to the publication of opportunities.

Stakeholder Engagement Group representatives include:

● Chamber of Commerce ● Federation of Small Businesses ● Confederation of Business Industry ● North East Local Enterprise Partnership ● Tees Valley Unlimited ● North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO)

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) www.nepo.org

Established in 1976, the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) undertakes high-value procurement in major strategic areas of spend in conjunction with North East Member Authorities and a range of Associate Members.

Our Member Authorities are listed below: ● Darlington Borough Council ● North Tyneside Council ● Durham County Council ● Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council ● Gateshead Council ● South Tyneside Council ● Hartlepool Borough Council ● Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council ● Middlesbrough Council ● Sunderland City Council ● Newcastle City Council

A wide range of public sector organisations have signed up as Associate Members in order to access NEPO’s portfolio of procurement solutions. A list of NEPO Associate Members can be viewed at www.nepo.org/associate-membership/list

NEPO’s strategic objectives are as follows:

● Achieve financial savings and enhance commercialisation ● Utilise resources and expertise efficiently to maximise delivery ● Maximise opportunities for local suppliers to deliver social value outcomes ● Deliver for our members and stakeholders ● Drive collaboration through strategic leadership

Suppliers can register on the NEPO Portal to receive email notifications of new tender opportunities issued by NEPO and its Member Authorities. Registration is completely free of charge. Suppliers can also opt to hear from other procurement organisations across the UK who are using the same eTendering system. NEPO also maintains an online Contracts Register. The register provides a full summary of contracts let by NEPO and its Member Authorities. This information helps suppliers to identify subcontracting opportunities in the supply chain, or to build a pipeline of when tenders will be expiring so that early preparation can be undertaken. In addition to the above, the NEPO Business Club offers a free programme of training for suppliers interested in improving their tendering skills.

Find out more at www.nepo.org.

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

NEPO Member Authorities

Darlington Borough Council www.darlington.gov.uk

Darlington Borough Council is committed to achieving value for money and encouraging competition for the provision of goods and services to the council. Bids are welcomed from all sections of the community including new and established suppliers, small and medium sized enterprises, the third sector and from organisations bidding in consortia.

As a public sector body, the Council complies with the Public Contract Regulations and also has its own set of internal processes which are derived from the Council’s constitution. These are set out in the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

The Council produces a procurement plan in April and October each year. The plan includes all forthcoming contracting opportunities with a value over £75,000 likely to arise over the following 12 months.

Darlington Borough Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Durham County Council www.durham.gov.uk

Durham County Council is one of the largest local authorities in the UK and the largest in the North East. It is made up of an elected assembly of 126 councillors representing a population of over 500,000 people. The council is responsible for the efficient and effective provision of a wide range of public services to the people of the County. As an authority, Durham County Council spends over £505M a year on the provision of goods, services and works. The Council’s procurement activities enable services to be provided in an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable way and assist the Council to realise its Sustainable Community Strategy vision.

The aims of our procurement strategy are to: 1. Support commissioning and procurement activities across the authority to ensure corporate-wide consistency, efficiency and innovation in line with corporate strategic objectives. 2. Provide clear, strategic guidance from the corporate centre to enable and empower staff engaged in commissioning and procurement in service areas to make decisions and take actions in the most strategically informed, effective and professional ways possible. 3. To maximise opportunities to realise efficiencies and achieve value for money through commissioning and procurement activities. 4. To embed an understanding of, and commitment to, building sustainability into all commissioning and procurement activities in order to meet wider social, economic and environmental outcomes for the County and beyond, in line with the Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy and our duties under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. The procurement functions of Durham County Council are carried out in both Corporate Procurement and a range of other service areas, including: ● Direct Services ● Technical Services ● Children and Adults Services ● Transport ● Regeneration and Economic Development

Durham County Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Gateshead Council www.gateshead.gov.uk

Serving 200,000 people across the borough and covering 55 square miles, Gateshead Council is the largest of the five Tyne and Wear authorities.

In the region of £205M per annum was spent on external provision of works, goods and services, and it is our responsibility to use this money in a way that achieves the best possible outcomes for local people and generates maximum value for the “Gateshead Pound”.

The Council lets hundreds of contracts of varying types from one-off purchases to long- term service contracts. Many of the contracts for the supply of goods and materials will be in the form of a “framework contract” which will last for a specific period of time before coming up for renewal.

The Council’s ambition is to make Gateshead the best place to live, work, invest and visit. The Council’s procurement activities enable services to be provided in an efficient, cost- effective and sustainable way that supports the Council in achieving its vision.

Our Corporate Commissioning and Procurement Strategy ensures that we take into account some key principles; to strengthen our local economy, reduce our environmental impact and tackle inequality and disadvantage. Our focus will be on buying locally when we can, and encouraging others to support Gateshead's economy in order to build wealth in our communities which will help to reduce demand of some of our services.

Gateshead Council encourages competition and welcomes bids from new and established suppliers.

Contracts are awarded for their value for money and whilst the council cannot discriminate in favour of locality, we are committed to supporting and encouraging local firms to compete for contracts.

Gateshead Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Hartlepool Borough Council www.hartlepool.gov.uk Hartlepool is a small unitary authority on the North East coast of England within the Tees Valley sub-region. It is a compact town, linked to the rest of the region and country by road, rail and sea. The A19 passes through the western rural part of the Borough and the A1 (M) is close by. Trains travel along the East coast connecting Hartlepool to Newcastle, the rest of the Tees Valley and directly to London. Hartlepool also has a significant port and a world-class marina.

The town combines dense urban areas, the marina and expanding suburbs with several distinct rural villages set in attractive countryside. Hartlepool has tourism activity linked to its maritime heritage and the local economy includes chemical engineering activity, new business parks and an increasing number of small businesses.

The overall population of Hartlepool is around 90,000 of which around 18,000 are children aged 0-15 years.

The objective of Hartlepool Borough Council’s procurement activity is to support the Council’s aims and priorities in several ways:

1. Where services are delivered via third parties, we will implement contractual solutions which enable the Council to ensure that our suppliers provide high quality public services which meet the needs of residents and improve the quality of life of the community. 2. Wherever possible we will contribute to the revitalisation of Hartlepool life by providing opportunities to local suppliers to supply to the Council, without compromising the drive to obtain best quality at optimum cost. 3. We will assist in controlling costs by cost effective procurement, through ensuring the best possible commercial deals with suppliers and the development of cost effective procurement processes, operated in accordance with EU directives. 4. We will endeavour to work only with suppliers with clear policies supporting equality and diversity and who oppose any form of prejudice and discrimination. 5. We will ensure that suppliers have appropriate health and safety policies, processes and procedures in place to ensure the safe delivery of products and services, thus contributing to a safer community. 6. We will endeavour to ensure that sustainability issues are fully taken into account in sourcing products and services to protect and improve our environment. 7. Where suppliers aspire to improve their policies, processes and procedures we will work with them to help them achieve this aspiration. 8. By requiring and assessing social value in our tenders we will contribute to the social economic and environmental wellbeing of Hartlepool.

Hartlepool Borough Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4). 8

Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Middlesbrough Council www.middlesbrough.gov.uk

Middlesbrough is situated on the North East coast of England, at the centre of the Tees Valley conurbation built around the River Tees. The borough comprises the town of Middlesbrough and the surrounding villages of Nunthorpe, Coulby Newham, Stainton, Thornton, Hemlington, Acklam, Linthorpe, Marton and North Ormesby. It is bounded by the River Tees to the north, and the built-up urban areas of neighbouring authorities to the east and west. There are good transport links, via the A66 and A19 trunk roads, access to the East Coast main rail-line, and Durham Tees Valley and Newcastle airports. Teesport, the UK’s second largest port, lies a few miles to the east of the borough’s boundary.

With some 57,200 households and a population of 138,400 within an area of 54.5 sq km, Middlesbrough is one of the most diverse, urbanised and densely populated local authority areas in the region. The town developed to service the rapid growth of the wider Tees Valley economy from the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century onwards, with the river bank and the surrounding areas providing the major source of local employment in the iron and steel, shipbuilding, heavy engineering and petrochemical industries. The decline of traditional industries in the latter half of the twentieth century had a major impact on Middlesbrough, leaving a legacy of deprivation, particularly in the east and north of the borough, around the town centre.

The capital of the Tees Valley sub-region, the Middlesbrough of today is a major retail, commercial and university town with new business in media, design and e-commerce. The town centre and the service sector now provide the majority of local employment. The area is being visibly transformed by major regeneration and development schemes, which are central to future plans for the town. The North Middlesbrough Accessibility Scheme has improved access to and around the town, and there are ambitious plans for a Tees Valley Metro link.

The vision for Procurement is to enable the Council to procure goods, works and services to the highest standards within the financial and other resources available.

Middlesbrough Borough Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Newcastle City Council www.newcastle.gov.uk

Commissioning and procurement are two sides of the same ‘value’ coin: both are fundamentally about generating value for city residents.

Responding to political priorities, our commissioning is all about securing Social Value. The technical process of procuring goods, works and services that often follows brings the question of financial value to the table, ensuring that we secure the right price for everything we buy.

The aim of the Commissioning and Procurement Team - and all the Council-wide commissioning and procurement processes that it oversees - is therefore to efficiently facilitate the identification, delivery and measurement of social and financial value.

We have reorganised our dedicated commissioning and procurement resources so that our structure supports our objectives in the most effective way:

● We have merged our commissioning and procurement functions into a single team with a common operating model, to make sure that our thinking about what to buy and how to buy it is joined up, and to balance the two sides of the value coin – social and financial ● We have further developed our category management approach across the team that increases efficiency, prevents duplication and gives partners in every part of the market clarity about who to talk to ● Within this overall structure we have organised commissioning leadership for people services across the life course, to help make sure we think about service design and market shaping from a citizen’s perspective As a Council, we spend approximately £682M each year. £339M of this is third party spend relating to goods, services and works. £36.5M of this is currently procured collaboratively through NEPO. Newcastle City Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

North Tyneside Council My.northtyneside.gov.uk

North Tyneside Council is a metropolitan borough council. There are 60 Councillors for 20 wards. Three Councillors represent each ward with one seat (one third of the Council) elected each year. There are no Council elections in 2017. The elected Mayor is the authority's principal public spokesperson; she gives political direction to the authority and appoints the Cabinet and Deputy Mayor to work with them.

North Tyneside has a population of 200,000, with the average age of people being 41. The population continues to increase and in the future will include more over 65 year olds. The number of children (aged 0-15 years) will also increase. The demand for Adult Social Care is expected to increase from £58 million to £90 million by 2035. JSA claimant rate is the lowest in Tyne and Wear, but is still above the 2008 figure. The rate is also higher for 18 – 24 year olds and those living in deprived areas of North Tyneside (e.g. Riverside). The number of Looked after Children is 29% higher than in 2008 and Child Protection Plans are 19% higher over the same period.

The North Tyneside Council Plan has a number of key elements

● Our People – Our people will be listened to by services that respond better and faster to their needs ● Our Places – Our places will be places that people like living in and will attract others to either visit or live ● Our Economy – Our economy will grow by building on our strengths, including world class companies ● Our Partners – Key stakeholders including schools, businesses and voluntary organisations

These priorities are embedded in our procurement processes and will be part of the proposed procurement strategy going forward.

North Tyneside Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Redcar & Cleveland is a borough of huge contrasts and diversity. We have outstanding natural landscapes, an industrial heritage and powerhouse, a fine mix of towns and villages and many amazing people. Covering over 96 square miles, we are the largest borough in the Tees Valley and we have its third highest population at around 135,000. Our identity is as much part of the Tees Valley as it is Yorkshire and this identity expresses itself through the place and its people. We have urban facets of industry and large towns synonymous with elsewhere in the Tees Valley, with the River Tees forming part of the borough’s boundary. Yet alongside sits our Yorkshire identity of market towns, rural villages, our heritage coastline and part of the North York Moors National Park.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council was created as a Unitary Authority in 1996 and has 59 Elected Members with an administration that is Labour Group controlled with a Leader and Cabinet structure. The Council has a gross budget of £343m for 2015/16.

At the annual meeting of the council, in May of each year, the council appoints a Mayor to preside over its meetings for the new municipal year. In this Council the Office of Mayor is purely ceremonial and it does not carry with it any decision-making powers.

As a Council, we employ some 4,300 members of staff in three Directorates; Corporate Resources, People Services and Regeneration and also in our Schools. We advise and guide procurements across all Directorates.

We have agreed a shared vision for the borough with all our partners: This is to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s Our Plan Priorities impact on the procurement objectives with emphasis on creating more jobs, delivering Social Value through procurement and supporting Regeneration Master plan objectives.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council use the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

South Tyneside Council www.southtyneside.gov.uk

South Tyneside Council is a metropolitan borough council whose area covers an area from the south of the Tyne to a shared border with Sunderland City Council. The Council is made up of 54 councillors, with 3 representing each of the 18 wards that the borough is split into. At the annual meeting of the council, in May of each year, the council appoints a Mayor to preside over its meetings for the new municipal year. The Mayor is the "first citizen" of the borough and spends a very busy year attending functions and events and meeting local groups and individuals. In this council the Office of Mayor is purely ceremonial and it does not carry with it any decision-making powers

South Tyneside aims to make the borough an outstanding place to live, work and bring up families and this vision is translated into two main theme areas: ● People – covering Education, reducing poverty, protecting the vulnerable, supporting families and healthier people ● Places – covering a regenerated South Tyneside, transport, better housing/neighbourhoods, clean and green environment, reduced crime and safer communities. ● These priorities impact on the procurement objectives that drive the Corporate Procurement Service with emphasis being made on local and regional suppliers, supporting Social Care services and a comprehensive construction programme. The drive for local sustainability is key and recent initiatives include: ● Planned programmes of supplier development using directly funded and NEPO access to make suppliers bid ready ● Supplier incentive programme to support our excellent payment within 30 day record (98%) but giving suppliers the ability to improve their cashflow ● Constitution driven to ensure local suppliers get access to contract opportunities (currently we are achieving 46% local supplier engagement in contracts)

The Corporate Procurement Service is one of the functions operated by BT South Tyneside on behalf of the Council. The Service is responsible for ensuring that all goods, works and services needed are procured appropriately and deliver best value for the Council. The Corporate Procurement Service is responsible for dealing with procurements in respect of the Council’s addressable spend (currently £120M) for all the directorates, and as such their scope covers everything from social care areas e.g. fostering, to waste management services and large construction projects. South Tyneside Council uses the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4). 13

Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council www.stockton.gov.uk

Stockton-on-Tees sits within the Tees Valley Region in the North East of England. It is a borough of wide contrasts: a mix of busy town centres, urban residential areas and picturesque villages with a population of 193,000 living in 83,000 dwellings. Stockton Borough Council is a unitary authority with a total of 56 councillors representing the 26 wards across the authority. The Council’s decision making structure is based on the Leader and Cabinet model with seven Councillors on Cabinet, each having responsibility for a specific themed portfolio such as Corporate Management and Finance, Adult Services and Health, Regeneration and Transport.

The Council’s vision is of a Borough that is more confident, more vibrant and more successful than ever before. A place where people prosper and grow, where they feel happy, safe and healthy. A place where people can see that our drive, integrity and imagination have delivered genuine improvements and exceptional value for money. With a budget of £165M in 2015/6 and continuing budget reductions from Central Government, it is important that procurement activity delivers real savings for the borough residents whilst supporting the delivery of its strategic aims and key priorities, which are: ● Protecting the vulnerable ● Promoting equality of opportunity ● Developing strong and healthy communities ● Creating economic prosperity A planned approach to managing a decreasing budget has seen a programme of reviews across the Council and innovative solutions to generate savings and deliver value for money such as a new street lighting scheme to improve energy efficiency and generate savings, a joint venture to bring back to Stockton children currently looked after out of the borough and a public/public partnership with Darlington Borough Council to share key services and deliver savings for both authorities. The Council has five main service groups: Children Adults & Social Care, Development and Neighbourhood Services, Resources, Law and Democratic Services, and Public Health. The Procurement function sits within the Resources service group and the team provide advice and guidance on matters relating to procurement to other officers across the Council to enable them to procure the goods works and services they require. Procurement are responsible for maintaining a register of all council contracts (available on the council website), for overseeing devolved procurement, for providing procurement training, developing and managing the e-tendering system and acting as the liaison with NEPO Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council uses the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Sunderland City Council www.sunderland.gov.uk Effective and efficient procurement is vital to the cost effective delivery of high quality public services. It drives commercially advantageous and innovative solutions to continuously improve service delivery across Sunderland, and can be measured by the social outcomes and financial gains achieved. Sunderland City Council is committed to achieving the best value in all procurement activities, the council encourages competition and welcomes interest from new and established suppliers. Sunderland City Council uses the NEPO Portal to advertise procurement opportunities (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Police Authorities

Durham Police www.durham.police.uk

Durham serves a region of over 618,600 in population in an area of approx. 2230 square kilometres / 862 square miles. The principle communities range from to the north of the County, south to Darlington, east to and and west to . The centre of the county, hosts the communities of Durham City, and . There are numerous smaller towns and villages spread throughout the county.

The force currently has a total of 2332 staff which is made up of Police Officers, Support Staff, PCSO and Specials. ● We spend in excess of £20M per annum, excluding direct employment costs. Durham also has a capital budget, which varies each year according to the business needs and available funding. ● Durham Constabulary is one of seven Forces belonging to the North East region and its procurement department works closely with our neighbouring forces and other central government procurement services. ● We support the local economy and as far as possible place business with service providers in the North East, County Durham and Darlington Force area.

Durham Constabulary Procurement Team objective is to provide strong support to our internal customer / stakeholders. We embrace the shared values and vision of the force to provide the highest level of customer service. Procurement proactively supports our force which delivers excellent policing to the people of County Durham and Darlington, inspiring confidence across the board.

Most invitations to tender are advertised on the Blue Light E–Procurement Portal (www.bluelight.gov.uk) and where appropriate also in local press or trade journals depending on actual contract requirement.

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Northumbria Police www.northumbria.police.uk

Northumbria Police is the sixth largest Police Force in England and Wales. It covers an area of more than 2150 sq. miles of England’s border country and sits between Durham, Cumbria and the Scottish border. The Force covers two distinct counties Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. The Force has more than ,000 police officers and 1,800 support staff who together provide policing for a population of approximately 1.4M. Northumbria Police spends approximately £30M on goods and services each year. In addition it has a capital programme covering: building schemes, computers and communications and vehicles related equipment. The capital budget varies each year according to the resources available. Contracts can vary from one-off purchases to periodic contracts for good and services that last for a specific period of time. Northumbria Police acknowledges that it has an important role in promoting sustainable development through its procurement of buildings, goods, services and works. Procurement decisions have a major socio-economic and environmental implication, both locally and globally, now and for future generations. Good and service contracts valued in excess of £173,934 are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This value is reviewed every two years. Goods and Services contracts valued of £100,000 are generally advertised in the Newcastle Journal or specific trade publications. Details of contracts opportunities can also be viewed on the ‘Bluelight’ Emergency Services Procurement Portal. A procurement portal has been created by a network of Police Forces, as part of the National Police e-procurement Strategy. This portal is called ‘Bluelight’ and enables the exchange of tender information between member Police Forces and interested suppliers. It incorporates an e-tendering module and allows suppliers to view opportunities, register an interest in a contract, receive and submit tenders and quotations all online. For more details please visit www.bluelight.gov.uk

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Fire and Rescue Services

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service www.ddfire.gov.uk

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is here to make the communities within our area a safer place to live, work and visit. We are governed by a separate statutory body known as the Combined Fire Authority (CFA) which is comprised of locally elected councillors and has a legal duty to provide an efficient and effective fire service.

County Durham and Darlington Fire Authority is responsible for the fire and rescue service across the two unitary authority areas of County Durham and the , serving a population of over 620,000 people spread over almost 2,460 square kilometres.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is committed to making sure that people, businesses and organisations in County Durham and Darlington are protected by working towards our vision of Safest People, Safest Places. The Authority spends approximately £6.9M on goods and services each year, including premises, transport, PPE and equipment. The Authority recognises the importance of procurement to its core business and the strategic impact of procurement decisions. Purchasing goods, services or works represents a significant interface with the economic community through the contractual relationships that are developed with suppliers.

Procurement is identified as an important tool to achieve efficiency gains. The Authority depends on external organisations to provide goods, works and services and it is important that we maintain a clear strategy for selecting, receiving and managing these resources. Effective procurement of goods, services or works to support front line service provision is vital if the Authority is to meet its core objectives as set out in its Integrated Risk Management Plan.

For goods and services valued over £50K, we use the Bluelight e-Tendering system which gives suppliers easier access to tenders and quotations published by the Emergency Services. Suppliers may register free on the Bluelight e-tendering website found at www.bluelight.gov.uk. Once registered suppliers can view all contract opportunities, register an interest in a contract, receive and submit tenders on line.

Occasionally we call on the services of the Corporate Procurement unit of Durham County Council to assist and carry out tender opportunities on our behalf and these would be advertised on the NEPO Portal (see page 4).

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service www.twfire.gov.uk

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service serve a resident population of over 1M divided amongst the five constituent councils of Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland in the North East of England. The population density of the area is comparable to that of other Metropolitan areas (Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire), and accounts for 43% of the North East’s population in just six percent of the total land area. We define and measure good procurement against delivery of the five main objectives detailed below. These objectives are at the forefront of our processes and decisions and provide direction to procurement within our organisation. ● Ensure Legislative Compliance ● Achieve Value for Money ● Procure Fit for Purpose Solutions ● Promote Professional Standards ● Work in Support of the Wider Agenda We procure a wide range of goods, services and works from third parties required for the delivery of our services. This can range from provision of stationery and cleaning materials to specialist operational equipment and fire appliances. The nature of our business makes it vital that we ensure the right products are in the right place at the right time.

We work closely with our internal colleagues, partner organisations and our suppliers to deliver a strategic and professional service that meets the needs of all our stakeholders. This enables us to control our third party spend and provides us with important management information critical to making informed procurement decisions. We develop an annual procurement project plan, in conjunction with our stakeholders, to schedule our procurement activity throughout the year. This enables us to plan our resources whilst retaining capacity to deal with emerging issues. All procurement processes are facilitated electronically through the Bluelight e-tendering system www.bluelight.gov.uk.

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Overview of Public Sector Procurement in the NE

Universities

Northumbria University www.northumbria.ac.uk

The University of Northumbria at Newcastle gained university status in 1992, and has distinguished historical roots in Newcastle dating back to the 1870s. Northumbria University had a student population of over 35,000 and employs circa 3,000 staff. Northumbria is the largest University in the North East of England, and has a national and global reach, with programmes delivered in collaboration with prestigious partners worldwide. More than 9,000 international students from 121 countries study at one of Northumbria’s campuses or on a Northumbria course overseas. Northumbria offers a breadth of programmes in popular subjects at first degree level, as well as offering a broad portfolio of executive education for business, the professions and a wealth of other organisations. Northumbria is the largest provider of postgraduate taught education in the North East of England

Procurement Services, a division of Northumbria's Finance department, is responsible for advising on all University purchasing matters and arranging contracts on behalf of the University (generally in excess of £50,000). Faculties and Services are able to obtain three quotes for any requirement under £50,000 although Procurement Services are often asked to run the quotation process on their behalf. The University has a recurrent annual expenditure of £45.5m on supplies, works and services and has a duty to ensure that value for money is obtained through efficient and effective procurement practices including the management of risk and compliance with statutory requirements and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

In addition the University has a capital programme that includes building schemes, specialist equipment, communications and related equipment. The capital budget varies each year according to available resources.

The University uses an e-tendering system https://procontract.due-north.com/Login and is planning to expand the use of this tool to include the full tender process from initial request through to Contract Management. Procurement Services are part of the North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium (NEUPC) and are Associate Members of NEPO and occasionally utilise frameworks set up by these bodies. The University encourages collaboration with other organisations and Procurement Services have worked on joint procurements with Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council.

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