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 FOUR north west
councils are starting to change their internal postal processes, after attending an open day on November 14
about the NWCE postal framework.
Liverpool, Wyre, Preston and Cheshire Councils are now at various
stages in the
process.
The framework continues to generate
interest within the region, with a number of other councils also planning
to get involved.
As part of the process, some questions
are being raised, so a frequently asked questions page has been created
that will continue to be updated. This page can be viewed here.
To find
out more register for the next open day on January 16, 2007 by clicking
here.
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SUPPLIERS are continuing to subscribe to The Chest and two
new documents have been developed that outline specifically the benefits to
both suppliers and councils of signing up to The Chest.
These documents will be available on our website from
Monday.
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 SENIOR council officers and members kept a 'must do' date
for their diaries yesterday when they attended a roadshow
about help available for CSR07.
The event was one
of nine regional roadshows hosted by the north west's
regional improvement and efficiency partners - the North West Centre of
Excellence and the North West Improvement Network, and delivered by CLG.
Speakers from CLG
outlined the range of resources and support available to councils to unlock
value for money, to meet the 3% efficiency target and to improve services
by building strong relationships. There were also several Q&A sessions
with speakers throughout the morning.
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Focus
on a framework - ring the changes
 THE NWCE's 'focus on a framework'
highlights key frameworks or agreements that councils can use.
Looking to ring the changes? This agreement can help
councils save money when buying telecoms equipment bundles.
It offers between 16.5% and 20% discount on the price of telecoms
bundles, and should give significant savings on telecoms expenditure.
This means that a fully contained IP Telephony starter
pack for 10 people and an audit of the telecoms system is now
available for just £7,170. Buying these combined systems reduces the amount
of equipment that needs to be sourced and maintained, driving down costs even further.
Available until January 31, 2008, these bundles have
been tailored for public sector customers who want a steady and low risk
migration towards IP Telephony and home working initiatives.
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 ROCHDALE Council is the latest authority to take advantage
of the free training that can save councils around £6,600 a year for every member
of staff.
Thirty members of
staff from Rochdale have signed up for the business process improvement
training in addition to the first 300 plus other council employees from
across the north west that are now about to start the first round of training.
There are still
free places available and the training, which takes 12 - 16 weeks and is
delivered on site. There is no limit to the number of places that each
council can book and those who do undertake the training gain an NVQ level
2.
Don Burn from NAC
is currently contacting those who have already registered interest and
visiting those who request it.
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 FIVE new guides to help councils raise standards and deliver
efficiencies have been published by the Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs).
The How to be Successful guides
have been produced by the RCE procurement programme, and bring together
local government innovation, industry insights and technical know-how in:
- Commissioning consultants
- Insurance services
- Buying energy
- Running e-auctions
- Procuring social housing products
Steve Holland, Director of the RCEs Procurement Programme, said, "We want to
ensure all councils benefit from the best innovation and knowledge
available so they can tackle the efficiency and improvement challenges with
greater confidence. Some of these service areas are complex so we've made
sure that each guide captures insights from industry and know-how from
leading practioners."
Further How to be Successful
guides will be published in the new year covering commissioning of
children's services, construction frameworks and joint waste services.
Read more
here.
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 THE Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has launched
a new support scheme to help recycling service providers to develop and
expand recycling services to businesses.
WRAP's support could
help organisations with funding for extra staff to
expand collections, sales development, additional collection sacks and
bins to provide services to more customers or a combination of measures.
Read more
here.
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 THE first Waste & Recycling Officer Mentoring Scheme
(WROMS) took place on the Waste Information Network (WIN) this
month.
Sarah Fairbrother from Defra explained more about Joint Waste
Authorities.
WROMS is a series of free web conferencing events on waste
management issues for registered Waste Information Network users.
Future topics will include first hand examples of best practice
schemes from around the country, direct from the people who are
implementing those schemes.
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THE latest newsletter from the Waste Information Network
(WIN) is available now on the WIN website.
Register now to receive regular e-updates and more from WIN
- www.win.org.uk
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Sustainable
procurement conference
December
6, 2007, Aintree Racecourse
 THE NWCE is hosting a sustainable procurement conference to
consider the latest information on sustainability and discuss the suppliers
in this area.
Delegates will also be given the
time for discussion and debate on the way forward for the north west region.
For more information and to register click 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.
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Get
the inside track on CSRO7
4th
National Public Sector Procurement Conference
February
7, 2007, City of Manchester
Stadium
 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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North West Centre of Excellence
Room 5.15,
Council Offices, Wellington
Road, Ashton-under-Lyne
OL6 6DL
www.nwce.gov.uk
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