Taskforce shows up tender chaos

by Glenda Thisdell



Many of the 388 local authority chiefs should undergo training in project and contract management, according to the Local Government Procurement Taskforce.

In its report issued last week, the taskforce stated that it is local authority chief executives who must take responsibility for ending the chaotic practices that have long made bidding for local government work such a headache.

Currently, decisions tend to be devolved to those departments which will use the works, services or goods and "there is little corporate oversight", said taskforce secretariat Stephen Edwards. Too often, he said, lower ranking officials have neither the skills in procurement nor the market knowledge needed and practices vary widely from authority to authority.

Tenders offered are often poorly specified, leaving contractors to draw up bids based on imperfect information, with little idea of what criteria will be used to select a winner beyond an undefined notion of best value. The result is delays, unnecessary costs and dissatisfaction.

Among the report's 39 recommendations is the suggestion that local authorities should seek support and advice from professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Local authorities, the report also said, should "raise the profile of procurement, with commitment at the highest levels from both officers and elected members". Risks should be managed "in a positive manner".

Central government should give local authorities incentives to improve services and plan strategically by allowing them to keep the savings they make. And, "specific funding should be tied to outcomes rather than methods of procurement, to allow local authorities to design the best approach in particular circumstances".