Decision details

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Resources and Workforce Planning seeking approval for the Council’s Sustainable Procurement Policy.

As part of the UK’s Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan, a flexible framework was produced to help organisations understand and take the steps needed at an organisational and process level to improve procurement practice and to make sustainable procurement happen.  The framework provides a useful tool for organisations to identify their current position and to set targets for progress.

Southampton City Council seeks to gain Level 3 of the framework by 2011/12 and the adoption of a Sustainable Procurement Policy is one of the cornerstone implementation measures to achieve this aim

Having had regard to s.2 Local Government Act 2000 and the provisions of the Community Strategy:

(i)  To approve the Sustainable Procurement Policy, as set out in Appendix 1, as a framework within which to take forward future procurement activities across the Council.

(ii)  To endorse the Sustainable Procurement Resource Plan (attached as Appendix 2) to achieve Level 2 of the UK Flexible Framework by April 2011, following a review, progress to Level 3 by April 2012 should there be no net financial implication.

(iii)  To approve the Employment and Skills Statement, as set out in Appendix 4, to communicate to Council suppliers how they can provide additional skills and learning benefits for the community through their contracts.

(iv)  To delegate authority to the Head of Policy and Performance (Environment) to make any minor changes to the policy and Resource plan following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment

(i)  To provide a clear policy direction on sustainable procurement across the Council and enable us to be in a good position to influence partners and the supply chain.

(ii)  To agree a series of achievable and measureable actions to ensure the Council reaches a good practice level of sustainable procurement.

(iii)  To approve the Employment and Skills Statement to ensure service providers and suppliers provide additional social and economic benefits to maximise community gain through their contracts.

To continue an ad hoc approach to sustainable procurement activities across the Council relying on one small team and other committed individuals to initiate and implement changes to current practice.  This would result in missed opportunities to improve performance in a number of key areas and a lack of consistency in policy direction and service delivery.