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North West Centre of Excellence WEEKLY NEWS
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week ending December 7, 2007
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Dear Colleague
WELCOME to this week's sustainabilty special edition of the NWCE weekly
news. Our weekly newsletters are also available via our website. Click here to access.
Do you have a sustainability
success or project you wish to share? We want to know about these
and other good news stories so we can share them with collesagues
across the region. Please contact Beverley Brooks.
Kind regards,
North West Centre of Excellence
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Featured News - Sustainability
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 And
they're off...
MORE than double the expected numbers attended a highly
successful sustainable procurement event at Aintree this week.
The event, organised by the North West Centre of Excellence with Sefton MBC, was the region's first, dedicated
sustainable procurement event.
There was a range of presentations for the 60-plus
delegates. Councils were given an overview of new audit requirements from
the Audit Commission that will ensure sustainable procurement is embedded
within all council processes and purchases.
Councils were also given a range of activities that they can
undertake now - from buying Fair Trade coffee to rationalising their
printing infrastructure.
The difficult subject of trading with SMEs
and the third sector was also discussed and the NWCE now plans to lead on
further work in this area.
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 Sustainable
strategy
A NEW strategy
for local government sustainable procurement has been published.
This strategy
has been drawn up in response to the recommendations of the Sustainable
Procurement Taskforce and in the light of the government response and
national action plan published in March 2007
The Local
Government Association, local government and its partners are now
developing an implementation plan which will set out the actions needed to
make the strategy work.
The NWCE's Sustainable Procurement workstream
will continue to support north west local authorities in the adoption of
this new strategy and implementation for the recommended flexible
framework.
Read the strategy for sustainable
procurement here.
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 Catalogue
orders 'go green'
A NEW green catalogue has been produced jointly by Global to
Local, the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation and the Pro4 consortium
of public sector suppliers. Products include:
- Microgeneration products
- Energy
efficiency
- Products
made from recycled materials
- Products for
the sustainable management of parks
The products and services are all EU compliant.
The contracts have been awarded in such a way that all
customers deal directly with the nominated suppliers detailed on each page.
Access the green catalogue here.
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 Written
undertaking
THE NWCE is
working with a number of councils to examine local authority spend on
magazines and books.
Widnes BC, Salford City Council, Trafford MBC and Pendle BC
have signed up to the project that will review the buying of books,
journals and reference material across authorities with a view to making
savings on bulk purchasing prices.
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Health and Social Care News
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 Magnificent
seven join up
SEVEN councils from the region have now registered to take
part in the national pilot to develop a pricing tool for adult social care.
Bury MBC, Halton MBC, Lancashire
CC, Oldham MBC, St Helen's MBC, Wirrall MBC and
Cheshire CC have signed up to take part in the pilot, along with 64 other
authorities from across the country.
The toolkit, due to be launched in spring 2008, will help
providers and local authorities to achieve a better understanding of the
market for accommodation-based care for adults with a learning disability.
The latest bulletin from the project team can be accessed
here.
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 Ashes to cash
FIVE councils are looking to develop a joint project for
buying and maintaining crematoria equipment.
Fylde BC, Macclesfield BC, St Helen's MBC, Burnley BC and
Salford CC are all being supported by the NWCE for the project.
The councils plan to establish current spend figures for the
purchase and maintenance of crematoria equipment to determine what
efficiencies could be gained by a joint purchasing programme.
The project is being led by Beatrice
Fraser at the NWCE. For further information, email beatrice.fraser@tameside.gov.uk
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 Contract killings
An updated contracts register giving detailed information on
open contracts and frameworks which are available for all local authorities
to buy into is now available.
This information was collected from all nine Regional
Centres of Excellence and the Pro5 buying organisations, and will be
updated on a regular basis.
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 The
NWCE get festive
This year's NWCE
Christmas Card is now available to view online.
In the spirit of efficiency, the NCWE have saved paper by sending out the christmas card electronically, and have made a donation
to Cancer Research.
View the
NWCE Christmas Card here.
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 The 3rd Annual NwEGG
Conference
New Frontiers for Transformation
December 12, 2007, Manchester
Central
THE 3rd Annual NWeGG Conference promises to be an
explosive event!
For a 38ft rocket
- the SKYBOLT - will take centre stage at the conference that will look at
'New Frontiers for Transformation'.
The SKYBOLT is
the brainchild of Manchester man Steve Bennett and Starchaser
Industries. Steve is proof that, with determination and a will to succeed,
anyone can turn vision into reality and he'll be explaining at the
conference how pushing the boundaries can often lead to the achievement of
the seemingly impossible.
There will also
be a host of other speakers at the event who will be discussing how
the transformational government agenda can also go beyond the norm to
create public services that are fit for the 21st Century.
For further
information click here.
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 Get
the inside track on CSRO7
4th National Public Sector
Procurement Conference
February 7, 2007, City of
Manchester Stadium
PLACES for the conference are being snapped up - already
almost 300 people have signed up.
The NWCE will be playing a major part in a national
procurement event that will throw new light on meeting targets set by
CSR07.
The 4th National Public Sector Procurement Conference 2008 will be chaired
by the centre's regional director, Colin Cram.
The event on February 7 will be at the City of Manchester Stadium and is a
must for everyone in local government who is concerned with CSR07.
Speakers confirmed for the event include Howard Bernstein, chief executive
of Manchester City Council, and Helen MacCarthy,
director, NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.
Some of the seminar areas that will be covered include: a guide to
implementing a successful e-commerce strategy, procuring sustainable goods
and services and ensuring their provenance and identifying quick wins in
procurement.
Tickets for the event are discounted for a limited period at £175 + VAT.
Register for the event at
www.govnet.co.uk/procurement
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