Collaboration with suppliers
Suppliers have a key role to play in assisting the council in the delivery of services to those who live, work and visit Cumberland.
Our Corporate Procurement Team are increasingly involved in collaborating with suppliers, and attend a variety of supplier and Third Sector events across the Cumberland Council area to discuss our contracts and requirements. These events allow us to present and share details of procurement processes, future opportunities and how and where we advertise our contracts. Our team, where necessary, also offer online demonstrations of how to become a registered supplier on our E-Procurement portal, The Chest.
Our aim is to streamline the way we work and collaborate together with suppliers, to become more efficient and transparent, thereby making it much easier for suppliers to work with us.
Local workshops
Our procurement team attended workshops in the area organised specifically for SME’s and local businesses to discuss how to do business with the Council. These workshops provide opportunities for suppliers to collaborate and discuss Council procurement and how they can become involved as suppliers, and indeed work with one another.
Cumberland Council, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and BEC, regularly meet with Sellafield Ltd and its various strategic partners (suppliers) to discuss how they are delivering services through the Cumberland local supply chain and from elsewhere.
Collaborating directly with suppliers – in specific contracts such as catering where certain products are required for our schools and care homes, we are only too happy to meet with various manufacturers and suppliers at an early stage, pre a formal procurement exercise, in order to establish what products are available in the marketplace. This allows us to suggest suitable products, which can assist suppliers to develop their product range and the products they could offer in a contract. These collaborative procurements offer greater opportunities for suppliers but within a more competitive environment, so delivering better savings to councils and therefore better value to Cumberland Council tax payers.
Electronic procurement
We seek to use advances in technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our procurement where it is cost-effective to do so. E-procurement enables us to undertake procurement business electronically and we use a comprehensive range of tools.
An electronic purchase to pay system
This streamlining the process from requisition to payment. The system is fully integrated with our financial management system and will be used in all directorates for the requisition, purchase and payment of the majority of goods, works and services.
Premier Supply Service
The Premier Supply Service is an early payment programme that gives suppliers the opportunity to be paid earlier than contracted terms.
A portal and electronic tendering system
The Chest provides an electronic system for suppliers interested in tendering opportunities. Tenders will be advertised on the portal. In order to improve access by SME’s and Third Sector organisations we encourage other public sector organisations to use the Chest. These tools are used to identify and deliver cashable savings, improve processes and to generate improved and timely management information.
Our E tendering system
The Chest was created several years ago in order to bring together buyers and suppliers thereby making it easier for businesses to find out about new tendering opportunities. The Chest is an e-tendering portal which allows us to communicate with suppliers more effectively in procurement, while providing a method of electronic tendering and reducing the traditional paper based method previously used.
This method benefits suppliers by allowing them to reduce tendering costs through registering their interest online. Local Authorities in the North West currently spend approximately £6.5 billion each year on goods and services and so increase the opportunity to provide long-term stability for local businesses.