Council procurement event

If you think your business could benefit from working for the Council and you would like to find out more information about how to do this, please come along to an event organised by the Council’s Procurement team.

The event represents the formal launch of the concordat and will provide local businesses with the opportunity to network with council officers and large suppliers to the Council. These include BT, Logica and V.T.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Andrew Kilburn, Chief Executive, Waltham Forest Council
  • Fawaad Shaikh, Managing Director, e11bid
  • Gay Harrington, Director, East London Business Place
  • Tony Jain, Head of Procurement, Waltham Forest Council
  • Councillor Keith Rayner, Portfolio Lead for Finance, Risk and Governance, Waltham Forest Council

The event will be held on:

Thursday 6 November 2008
10.30am–2pm
Waltham Forest Council
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow E17 4JF

For further information please contact Katherine Drever on 020 8496 3000.

» Council procurement invitation

Local suppliers and the Council

Waltham Forest Council continues to support local businesses by keeping its spend within the community.

In 2007/08 the Council spent over £54million with local suppliers. However, we aim to increase this to over £56million by 2011. That would mean that in three years the Council’s spend with local suppliers will have increased from 27 per cent to 51 per cent, offering local companies the chance to gain some of the Council’s contracts.

As part of the Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy and our priority to retain more wealth within the borough an agreement between the Council’s Procurement team and East London Business Place (ELBP) will help bring together buyers and suppliers.

ELBP provides a support service which sources and matches local suppliers to the purchasing needs of buyers across all industry sectors. ELPB is currently working with ten London boroughs on this initiative.

What has been agreed?

The Council has agreed to:

  • Amend its constitution to require all managers to seek at least one quote from a local supplier where the value of the work is between £5,000 and £75,000
  • Ensure that internal staff are updated to the new procurement rules and understand the initiative’s importance in developing the local economy
  • Identify opportunities for small and medium sixe enterprises to work as sub contractors on large council contracts
  • Promote understanding among the local business community and the voluntary sector of council quotation and tender processes
  • Support promotional activities run by local businesses, the voluntary sector and community groups
  • Support bids for future funding of the initiative
  • Modify its procurement paperwork in line with the supplier

ELBP has agreed to:

  • Assist the Council in sourcing local suppliers and third sector organisations
  • Improve the advertising of council tender opportunities within the community and among its membership
  • Develop local suppliers to become ‘fit to bid’ through regular training and communication workshops
  • Provide updates on the level of spend with local companies
  • Bid for grants to further develop the initiative from the Greater London Authority and the London Development Agency

With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the way and the forthcoming regeneration in East London this will bring, business opportunities within the borough are set to develop at a fast rate. This will produce a host of opportunities to tender for a range of work for the Council and its partners so it is crucial local businesses are ready and enabled to take advantage.