Public Sector Contracts and Opportunities Christine Storry

This Session will cover… Public sector – context What is public sector procurement Local and non-local Accessing contracts What you need to consider Other routes to a contract Social value, Govt plans, local strategies

What is the Public Sector? Local Government Central Government (each Dept) NHS/Health/ Hospitals Prisons Police/ Fire Service Universities (some elements) Military (Army, Navy, RAF £2.4bn pa

Range of food-related contracts Fundamentally two types – products or services Direct product supply – by producer – eg BNES’ current school food contract Catering services – by a catering services organisation – eg internal meetings, functions, etc Schools meals – by major catering services provider Patient meals – eg hospitals, NHS Student meals

What is Public Sector Procurement? It’s not buying things It’s the process by which contracts are put in place from which goods, services and works are then bought It should follow this type of process Key area Dictates how ‘stuff’ is procured - not what is procured

Why is it so cumbersome? EU Procurement Directive 2014 UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015 Social Value (Public Sector) Act 2012 Internal rules ‘Contract Standing Orders’ Conflicting priorities Public money being spent – due process needs to be followed

The EU Processes Mandatory processes over threshold – but have a choice of process Mandatory minimum timescales Must have documentation in place before advertisement Must have evaluation criteria in place before advertisement All of the above have advantages for potential suppliers

The minefield of ‘Local’ -V-

E-Procurement Portals Used by the majority of public bodies to varying degrees Most also use them for sub-EU threshold contracts Will be mandatory by 2017 Key ones in this region for LAs

Pre-procurement engagement Actively promoted under new EU directives Opportunity to speak directly to procurers Influence the specification If small[er] identify potential key partners Identify niche requirements If larger, identify potential supply chain partners

Consider Why do you want a contract with a public body? What difference would it make to your organisation? or  How large is your organisation? Do you have or to tender? Are you a niche/one-product provider? Are you able to meet requirements consistently?

Working together Going it alone can be difficult Other options: – Collaboration – Partnerships – Sub-contracting

Balanced Scorecard + Buying Standards

BNES Local Food Strategy

Social Value Local Suppliers = Local Economy Carbon Emissions Reduction Employment and training, apprentices, work experience Community Benefits

This Session has covered… Public sector – context What is public sector procurement Local and non-local Accessing contracts What you need to consider Other routes to a contract Social value, Govt plans, local strategies