Members of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Finance, Procurement and Transformation Committee have met today (3 March) to discuss report on the significant improvements that have been made in relation to Procurement during the period from July to December 2019.
The first regional meet the buyer event took place on 23 October 2019 at The Bridge. The event provided an opportunity for local businesses to meet with a range of public sector buyers. Over 100 businesses attended the event and took part in training opportunities to give local businesses advice on securing public sector contracts.
During quarter 2 and 3 of financial year 2019/20, the Council have spent £55,419,596 with suppliers, a huge boost to the economy; 157 contracts were awarded to businesses that are headquartered in Dumfries and Galloway.
The Finance, Procurement and Transformation Committee also considered progress on establishing an Early Payment Programme which will provide further optional support for local businesses.
Currently the Council are committed to paying suppliers within 30 days. The Early Payment Programme proposes to implement an early supplier payment programme. The programme would be promoted with suppliers which are local or where the Council have a high value of spend with them.
Suppliers who choose to sign up would get their invoices paid much quicker – suppliers’ invoices will be processed and paid on a priority basis ahead of contracted terms in exchange for a pre-agreed discount. The rebate is applied as the invoice is paid and is proportionate to how many days the Council accelerated the payment by.
Chair of the Finance, Procurement and Transformation Committee, Councillor Adam Wilson said “Our Council is able to help grow our local economy by using local businesses where possible, in turn supporting local jobs and communities. 157 contracts have been awarded to local Dumfries and Galloway businesses so far this year which is great news for local people. Our Council’s new Early Payment Programme and Meet the Buyer event demonstrate our commitment to supporting local businesses in our region to bid for public sector contracts and grow our local economy.”
Vice Chair of the Committee, Councillor Henry McClelland said; “These results show how vital our procurement process is firstly to our Council as it helps us to spend our money more efficiently, which is crucial when balancing our budgets and secondly the significant continued spend in the local economy.”
To read more on this report go to:
https://dumfriesgalloway.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=552&MId=5021
