As the Procurement Journey emphasises, the most positive outcomes will arise from early consideration of intended outcomes and the optimum solution(s). It is important that a buyer carries out an appropriate level of due diligence early in the process to identify risks or opportunities associated with the products or services to be procured. All relevant internal stakeholders should be involved in this early consideration, e.g. heads of service, budget holders, finance, specifiers, end users and others.
Checks should be made at either pre-procurement, or at least in the early stages of the process. An appropriate strategy can focus on identifying the following.
Define need and collaborate
- What are the intended outcomes from the planned procurement – functional, technical, performance, end-user requirements?
- What are the ambitions concerning water management? For example: reducing the carbon impact of water consumption, limiting embedded water from high-risk areas.
- Have all relevant whole life (life cycle) costs been considered, including any that relate to the procurement, use, maintenance and end of life of relevant products or assets?
- Demand Management - Is the procurement really necessary? Can potential negative impacts of water consumption and production be prevented through avoiding the procurement?
- Utilisation – how are products and services used, so as to minimise the water footprint, including appropriate management of waste?
Market engagement and collaboration
- Have you engaged with the market to set out your water management objectives?
- How capable is the market in delivering these ambitions?
- A Request for Information (RFI) or market engagement event may be helpful to better understand market capability and maturity.
- Factor in sufficient time to conduct an effective market dialogue – communicate your intended objectives, outcomes, timescales, and the project business case. This signals your intent to the market (as well as internal stakeholders) and provides a basis for measuring and managing overall performance.
