Approach
Baselining
The first step in delivering change was to establish a clear understanding of the starting position. Annual data submitted to the Scottish Procurement Information Hub (SPIH) was reviewed and analysed to create a consistent baseline. This process highlighted the need for a standardised approach.
As a result, a decision was made to standardise future SPIH submissions. This allows for more meaningful year-on-year comparisons and enables progress against key targets, such as local spend, to be measured consistently.
Analysis of SPIH spend data, together with a greater understanding of market conditions and supply chain pressures, also provided valuable context for interpreting performance and outcomes. For example, utility costs increased significantly compared with many other expenditure areas. As these services are typically provided by organisations located outwith Fife, understanding this helped explain higher levels of spend outside the local authority area and ensured attention remained focused on spend categories where outcomes could be influenced.
Prioritisation
To maximise impact and focus resources effectively, a prioritisation exercise was undertaken. This identified four key areas for sustainable procurement, which are reflected in Fife Council’s Procurement Strategy:
- Construction
- Corporate and Facilities Management, with a focus on Food,
- Fleet and Environment
- Social Care
These priority areas were selected to target procurement activity where it could deliver the greatest impact.
Stakeholder Engagement
An internal Local Procurement Group was established to provide a senior-level forum for promoting local procurement opportunities and discussing live issues. Local spend data was compiled and shared with the group on a quarterly basis to monitor performance, maintain visibility of progress and identify any challenges. This group was disbanded once all stakeholders were satisfied that sufficient momentum had been gathered though remains an available network that meets on an ad hoc basis to consider other issues/opportunities as they arise.
The Council continues to work closely with the Supplier Development Programme, supporting supplier engagement through training and Meet the Buyer events, including an annual Fife-based event.
Engagement with Fife Council’s Economic Development team was also strengthened to improve collaboration, transparency and visibility of procurement activity. This included Economic Development representation on the weekly Procurement Review Board, an internal governance group responsible for reviewing and approving procurement activity at key stages, such as strategy development and contract award.
This arrangement provides early visibility of procurement opportunities and how they are structured, enabling constructive challenge, peer review and discussion of alternative approaches. It also gives Economic Development greater insight into upcoming procurement activity, supporting valuable and consistent engagement with potential suppliers.