Why you NEED to work with a Public Procurement Consultant
Are you a buyer that wants to know how a Public Procurement Consultant could save you money? By the end of this blog, you’ll know everything you need to know. Keep reading to find out more!
Let’s look at procurement in the public sector
A Public Procurement Consultant might be an expert in public sector procurement – but what exactly does this mean?
Public sector procurement is the process of buying goods, services and works for government departments, agencies and public bodies.
In the UK, public procurement activities are based on value for money. When evaluating tenders during the procurement process, buyers should look for the most economically advantageous tender, or the MEAT.
While it sounds complicated, this simply means that buyers should look for the best value for money. For example, the supplier offering the most for the lowest cost. Here, the aim is to ensure that all public sector organisations are fair, open and transparent during the buying process.
Social value and public procurement
In 2012, The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 became law. As a result, public sector organisations are required to consider social value when evaluating tender responses from suppliers. This means that the services they deliver must consider social, environmental and economic factors.
In January 2021, new measures came into effect. From this date, a 10% weighting is placed on social value in any supplier’s quality responses. This new social value model was launched as a response to COVID-19, with the aim of:
- Creating new jobs and promoting skills
- Encouraging economic growth
- Supporting COVID-19 recovery
- Tackling climate change
- Levelling up the UK.
What can a Public Procurement Consultant do for you?
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Assess your spending behaviour
Firstly, a Public Procurement Consultant can do a full analysis of your organisation’s spending behaviour. This will help you make improvements and, ultimately, save you money.
To do this, your Purchasing Consultant will ask for your organisation’s transaction data. For example, they might ask to see details of the vendor and their values from a certain time period.
Are you interested in this level of support? Then our Procure Analyse service is the perfect solution for you! With this service, our Procurement Consultants will conduct a high-level, vendor-led analysis of your spending behaviour. They’ll provide you with a summary of their findings, and even help you identify areas that could be improved.
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Support your Procurement Team
Many public sector organisations don’t need to outsource their full procurement function. Instead, they just need a little extra support, or an extra pair of hands. A Public Procurement Consultant can deliver this service for you!
They can work as an extension of your in-house team, offering as much or as little support as you need. This could be extra guidance, full management of the end-to-end process, or anything in between.
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Share their knowledge and expertise
There’s certainly a lot to consider when it comes to public sector procurement. Not only do buyers need to navigate the procurement process, which is tricky enough as it is. But they need to wrap their heads around the MEAT, social value and different evaluation methods. It can be overwhelming, to say the least!
A Public Procurement Consultant has the knowledge and expertise to guide you through the procurement process in the public sector. It’s what they’re paid to do, after all! So, whether you require ad-hoc support or help with your entire procurement strategy, they’re in a position to help.
Do YOU need to work with a Public Procurement Consultant?
Are you unsure whether your organisation needs help from a Public Procurement Consultant? Try asking yourself the following questions:
- Have you noticed a need to lower costs at your organisation?
- Are you able to analyse your spending behaviour effectively in-house?
- Do you have enough time and resources to dedicate to your strategic purchasing practices?
- Are you able to produce tender documents, such as project specifications?
- Can you analyse tender responses and find the best supplier for your needs?
In summary
Public sector procurement is the process of buying goods, services and works for government departments, agencies and public bodies. In the UK, there is a focus on finding the most economically advantageous tender (the MEAT) and social value. A Public Procurement Consultant is an expert in this process.
Procurement Consultants can offer public sector organisations plenty, including:
- Assessment of your spending behaviour
- Support to your in-house Procurement Team
- Access to their knowledge and expertise.
If you’re unsure about whether your organisation needs a Public Procurement Consultant, ask yourself:
- Have you noticed a need to lower costs at your organisation?
- Are you able to analyse your spending behaviour effectively in-house?
- Do you have enough time and resources to dedicate to your purchasing practices?
- Are you able to produce tender documents, such as project specifications?
- Can you analyse tender responses and find the best supplier for your needs?
How can Hudson Procure help your organisation?
Procure Consult
With Procure Consult, we offer support with tender management and ad-hoc procurement consultancy. Our expert team will manage the end-to-end procurement process or offer assistance with any stage, as and when required.
Procure Health Check
With Procure Health Check, we’ll conduct a full review of the strategic and operational procurement processes within your organisation. We’ll identify the areas that need improvement and help you drive greater value from the procurement process.
Procure Analyse
The purpose of Procure Analyse is to conduct a high-level analysis of your spending activity. We’ll help you understand your current purchasing behaviour and highlight areas that can deliver greater value. Procure Analyse is also offered as part of Procure Health Check or as a standalone service.
Procure Outsourcing
With Procure Outsourcing, we deliver a range of procurement solutions on an outsourced basis, completely bespoke to you. This can range from delivering multiple tender projects as a package to delivering the full procurement function of your organisation.
Procure Post
Are you trying to find a supplier for your project? Post your tendering opportunity onto any of our 11 sector-specific portals for FREE with Procure Post!
Housed by our sister company, Hudson Discover, our portals host thousands of tendering opportunities for organisations of all sizes. For an additional cost, we’ll even help you identify your requirements and find the most suitable suppliers for your business.
Get in touch for a consultation and find out how we can help your business drive better value from procurement.
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