‘Delicate balancing act’ to council procurement

Desire to employ city firms to boost local economy

A senior Dundee City councillor has outlined the “balancing act” local authorities have to walk between selecting locally-based companies and achieving best value when appointing contractors for construction work.

The local authority holds a Meet the Buyer information event tomorrow which will allow potential new suppliers to talk informally to council procurement chiefs.

Lynne Short, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said there was a desire to use local labour and skills wherever possible while staying on the right side of the law and achieving value for money.

She said there were a number of ways the council assigned work including framework agreements, individual tenders and quick quotes depending on the size, scale and nature of the works.

“The benefits to the local community are fully considered in every single contract awarded by Dundee City Council to ensure use of the local supply chain wherever possible,” she said. “When contracts are awarded through national framework agreements, we monitor them to ensure that contractors comply with and achieve levels of spend within a local radius of around 35 miles of the site.

“We also keep a close eye on other benefits like the use and number of apprentices, creation of new start opportunities, help with long term unemployment, supplier events and work experience placements.

“But there is a delicate balancing act we have to achieve because we have to stay within the law and achieve best value. Procurement legislation does not allow the council to ring fence and only award construction work directly to local companies.

“However our corporate procurement team actively encourage engagement with local businesses and suppliers to help them with opportunities to access and tender for work.”

A recent analysis of the largest council contracts showed that 73% of the workforce on the largest council construction jobs were local to the area.

Any opportunities for contracting directly with the council are advertised via the Public Contracts Scotland Portal.

Last month Dundee City Council put forward its first plans to build social housing for several years.

Tomorrow’s Meet the Buyer event, at the Invercarse Hotel from 2-4pm, will allow firms to learn about upcoming contracts, find out about tendering and the criteria for buying goods and services.

Picture: Gareth Jennings. The North East Campus in the Whitfield area of Dundee, which opened to school pupils last year, was a major council construction project.