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How Procurement is organised in Bexley

Procurement at Bexley is delivered by a centralised team working in conjunction with service departments. The team is led by the Head of Procurement and Supplier Management.

Whilst there have been improvements in the standardisation of procurement processes in recent years, it is recognised that procurement knowledge and capability continues to vary across service areas. The procurement team aims to increase awareness of procurement best practice across the organisation through continued workshops and use of the staff intranet.

For Bexley’s procurement exercises to be successful and achieve their goals, active and positive participation of key stakeholders is essential. To assist this, a clear definition of the Procurement Teams’ and Service Areas’ roles is in place.

The role of the Procurement Team is to:

  • Provide the Council with a coherent direction of travel in terms of an agreed corporate approach to procurement
  • Participate in major commissioning exercises, using the Bexley Commissioning Cycle, but in particular facilitating the pre-selection of suppliers, tendering, the evaluation of returned bids and awarding contracts
  • Identify potential savings that can be gained by following good procurement techniques such as consolidation of requirements or focussed negotiation
  • Advise Service Areas in the best procurement method and documentation to satisfy a requirement
  • Ensure all procurement activities comply with public sector, UK regulations and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules
  • Provide a fit for purpose Contract and Supplier Management system, helping the Council to achieve consistency in its relationships with contractors and service providers
  • Operate, control and monitor the Council’s electronic purchasing system and procurement card scheme
  • Provide training and support to Council staff on contract procurement, contract management, procurement card system and the London Tenders Portal (ProContract), as well as advising staff on ‘self-service’ options
  • Monitor procurement performance and activity, including savings and benefits tracking
  • Liaise with external partners around collaboration and any other initiatives

The role of individual service areas is to:

  • Manage contracts and ensure that every contract has a dedicated contract manager
  • Prepare (with the assistance of the Procurement Team) specifications, drawings and other documentation required to form the tender package
  • Obtain quotations when/where sufficient ‘self-service’ advice and documentation is available
  • Engage in the Procurement Team’s work to develop strategic sourcing and procurement initiatives