The Commission's Procurement Strategy supports the Commission's strategic objectives and ambitions by raising the profile of strategic procurement across the organisation. The Strategy ensures procurement activities are integrated and focussed on the achievement of the Commission's ambition to become an exemplary organisation.
There are five strategic procurement objectives:
- Value for money
- Sustainable procurement
- Developing and valuing our people
- Knowledge and information
- Excellent procurement service
The strategic objectives are underpinned with four guiding principles:
- To be close to the business
- To be an exemplar of best practice
- To minimise the burden
- To promote diversity and corporate social responsibility
The Audit Commission's Procurement Policy is contained in the Prime Financial Polices and the Detailed Financial Policies. The Policies are reviewed annually by the Finance Director and the Finance Management Team. The Policies are circulated to Directors and Senior Management for comment prior to approval by the Audit Committee and sign off by the Chief Executive.
The key principles of the Audit Commission's Procurement Policy are:
- Value for money - a prime aim of the procurement process is to ensure that best Value for Money (VFM) is achieved
- Competition - procurement should be through open competition unless there are exceptional reasons
- International obligations - it is mandatory that the procurement process complies fully with the EC Procurement Directives and the WTO Government Procurement Agreement
- Payment on time - suppliers must be paid on time in accordance with contractual arrangements
- Ethical standards - procurement must be undertaken to highest ethical standards, and fairness to suppliers
- Legal aspects - contracts must be in writing, and in accordance with the Audit Commission's legal policy
- External consultancy - all contracts for external consultancy where the fees will be paid gross under Schedule D will be prepared by the Procurement Team in Bristol
- Environmental impact - purchasers must consider environmental impacts and aim to minimise adverse effects
- Other government initiatives - full account must be taken of other relevant Government initiatives