Outcomes and Recommendations Following the Review of Procurement
Decision Maker: Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Purpose:
The procurement function at Lancashire County
Council manages a significant value of spend, supporting compliance
with regulations and Council objectives. However, the team has been
mostly reactive, focussing on the tendering of expiring contracts
with limited capacity for contract management and a need for better
data.
In late 2023 and early 2024 a detailed diagnostic of the
procurement function at Lancashire County Council was undertaken.
The resulting recommendations described in this report and are
being implemented by the service.
Decisions:
Paul Fairclough, Head of Procurement and Contract Management presented a report on the recommendations following an external review of the council's procurement service by KPMG.
Members thanked the Procurement Service for their work and highlighted that value for money and safety in the council's contract management processes was a key concern for residents.
It was clarified that, in the event that a service provided by a contractor was not delivered to a high enough standard, such as highway repairs, it was the council's intention to hold them to account through robust contract management processes and/or by excluding suppliers from future projects if they had failed to deliver a previous contract.
It was requested that more information about the target completion dates for each of the recommendations made by KPMG be provided after the meeting, and that a summary of this piece of work be shared with all members via the next C-First newsletter. Procurement and contract management processes would also be included in the member induction programme after the May 2025 election.
Resolved: That the report be noted.
Divisions Affected: (All Divisions);
Contact: Paul Fairclough Email: paul.fairclough@lancashire.gov.uk Tel: 01772 538206.
Report author: Paul Fairclough
Date of decision: 27/01/2025
Decided at meeting: 27/01/2025 - Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
Accompanying Documents:
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