Procurement update

 

Several members of the Executive Council recently met with Caroline Hastings, the Director of Procurement for the States of Jersey.  Caroline explained that the procurement function is expected to deliver savings in excess of £5 million by 2010.  Additional funding of £300,000 has recently been approved by the Minister for Treasury and Resources to allow for the recruitment of extra staff, the procurement of E sourcing tools, and the development of a training programme. 

Work carried out by the States Procurement team so far since its implementation has included:                   

• The Centre Lead Action Network has now been put in place
• A ‘spend analysis’ has been completed and it is the intention to prioritise the issues to be dealt with.  Mrs Hastings is working on a spend of £100 million
• Now that additional resources have been allocated, it is anticipated that a draft procurement policy will be in place by September 2007

Future Aims:

• There will be a ‘best practice’ formulated with regard to advertising contracts
• The evaluation criteria will be advertised
• It will be clearly stated what specifications are required for each contract
• The establishment of E sourcing tools, i.e. a portal on which individual suppliers can register and then receive automatic emails advising on contracts going out for tender in which the supplier might be interested
• There will be powers to make all States Departments comply with the best practice procedures
• There will be a procurement website

Time Scales

Mrs. Hastings hopes that the supplier demonstration will occur in September. She anticipates that by Christmas 2007 the portal will be running, the procurement strategy will have been agreed and published, the best practice guidelines will be available, training for procurement staff in the various departments will have been completed and the procurement plan will have been established.