Helping local government deliver a green recovery
Julie Welsh, Chief Executive
“The forthcoming local elec ons are of huge importance to Scotland’s communi es. While we strive collec vely towards building a fair and sustainable na on, there will always be maers that benefit from being considered at a local level.
The results of the elec on will also con nue the evolu on of Scotland Excel’s Joint Commiee – our key governance group that helps to underpin public procurement for local authori es in Scotland.
The 40-strong commiee not only has a governance role but, with at least one elected member from every Scosh council having a seat at the table, it also forges a strong, democratic connec on between Scotland’s communi es and public procurement.
As Scotland’s Centre of Procurement Exper se for the local government sector, we take our role to implement na onal solu ons that deliver local benefits, seriously.
How do we do this? Well, let’s take Scotland’s ambi ons to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045 as an example. Scotland Excel offers na onal frameworks which help councils on their journey to net zero. Our recently awarded energy efficiency contractors framework provides our members with a simple route to market to upgrade their housing stock, cut carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.
But this framework offers other benefits at a local level. Our commitment to suppor ng local economies is reflected in the fact that 37 of the 46 framework suppliers are Scosh businesses. Skills development is embedded into the framework to support jobs and appren ceships arising from new energy efficiency technologies.
Other examples of frameworks that directly support the drive towards net zero include our new build residen al framework which enables the development of carbon neutral homes, and our forthcoming electric vehicle charging infrastructure framework which will increase the availability of charging points throughout Scotland.
In fact, helping councils to reach net zero is considered as part of all our frameworks. As well as encouraging suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of their opera ons and logis cs, we work with investment and innova on partners to iden fy opportunies to incorporate Scosh-manufactured carbon neutral products into our frameworks. We also support the drive to include more local produce within our food frameworks.
And it is not just environmental benefits that are built into our frameworks. Other examples of our work to support Scotland’s communi es include encouraging payment of the Real Living Wage, community benefits which support appren ceships, jobs and work experience, and crea ng supply chain opportuni es for the third sector.
We firmly believe that a na onal approach to procurement can be compa ble with local economic interests. We have recently completed a pilot programme with the Scosh Government to help councils develop and implement community wealth-building strategies for their areas. The programme brings together stakeholders from across the organisa on to agree priori es, and uses data on local supply chains to find the op mum balance between local and na onal procurement.
Finally, there is another important area where a na onal approach can support the local delivery of essen al services. Scotland Excel is the only organisa on in the UK to deliver na onal commissioning solu ons for social care services which have the flexibility to meet individual outcomes at a local level. While much is expected to change over the next five years with the introduc on of Na onal Care Service, we remain commied to working with the Scosh Government and local commissioners to share our exper se.
Scotland Excel plays a unique and valuable role in helping councils to translate na onal policy into local solu ons. Scotland’s communi es must work together to face the challenges of a post-covid world, so we are developing a new five-year strategy which will have key na onal and local themes such as net zero, resilient economies and fair work at its core. We look forward to working with our new Joint Commiee members and engaging them with our future goals.”