North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership

Case Studies

Click here to go to the OCG's case studies web page

Chester City Council and Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council – Shared CMS Implementation - TWO Cheshire councils made annual savings of more than £19,000 each by jointly tendering for and appointing a shared content management system. The authorities entered into the partnership because they needed to improve their web site presence and meet demanding e-government targets. This study explains how they did it.

Chorley and South Ribble Borough Councils - Collaboration over Corporate Services - THIS feasibility study was about two highly performing councils examining whether, through some form of collaboration, they could sustain high performance levels in an environment where standards and expectations continue to rise.

ICT Partnership - Chester and Crewe & Nantwich Councils - CHESTER City Council and Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council recognised the benefits to be gained from creating a single ICT Service that would meet the needs of both councils. The authorities have saved more than £200,000 and met egovernment targets in doing so.

East Lancashire Joint Consultation Project - THE East Lancashire Joint Consultation project consists of the Borough Councils of Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale working together as a joint partnership using a collaborative approach to developing a Citizen's Panel underpinned by new technology.

East Lancashire Procurement Service - STARTING from an idea in early 2003, the East Lancashire Procurement Service has developed into a highly valuable joint resource. Early initiatives have already saved £80k, with estimates of £250k for the current financial year. This is before the primary cost saving mechanism, the e-marketplace, goes live. Future savings potentially run into millions of pounds.

Greater Manchester Libraries Consortium - THE Greater Manchester Library Consortium built on the experience of other library consortia across the country to achieve estimated savings of around £1million over the life of the three-year contracts. A shared tender procedure by the 12 members resulted in three-year contracts for nine categories of stock with four suppliers.

Out of Authority Placements Project across Manchester - THE OOAP team has revolutionised the standards that exist among out of authority placement providers. By working with service providers and analysing placement activity, this has increased quality standards, improved placement choice and agreed standard fees on behalf of the 12 member authorities. Find out how.

Manchester CC eAuctions- MANCHESTER city council wanted to achieve savings on a range of products using a new approach to the traditional procurement process. The NWCE worked in partnership with Manchester CC and advertised the event to encourage participation among other councils.

Supply chain review of uniforms and public protection equipment- The North West Centre of Excellence carried out a review of the supply chain for uniforms and public protection equipment. The aim of the project was to investigate some of the north west’s top suppliers, with a view to establishing their current position in terms of policies for the environment, sustainability and ethical practices.

Wigan MBC installs the powerPerfector - THE NWCE has supported Wigan Borough Council in a successful drive to become more energy efficient. The borough has started to use a simple system that reduces energy consumption called powerPerfector, and now has the potential to save more than £183,000 a year. A case study has been produced detailing how the project was implemented and the benefits it is bringing. Click here.

Wheelie Bin eAuction - Led by Warrington BC - A SAVING of £1.2 million was made by nine authorities by putting several orders for wheelie bins out to tender by-eauction. More than 600 bids were received during the auction which was completed in less than five hours. This study explains how it was done and what were the wider benefits.