Awarding and implementing the contract
In major projects, the mobilisation and implementation phases of
the procurement process are critical to success. They may involve
the transfer of staff, assets, data and third party contracts. The
management of change more generally will be a key task and the HR
Manager will need to be involved from an early stage. There are two
other activities to be carried out by the Procurement Unit
following the award of the contract:
- debriefing
- post-implementation review
These are set out below:
Debriefing
Debriefing is the provision of feedback to a supplier following
notification to them that they have or have not been successful in
response to an advertisement, request for quotation or invitation
to tender/negotiate. In practice they are most often undertaken
following an unsuccessful tender. Supplier debriefing is good
procurement practice and should be provided wherever it is
requested.
Debriefings have a number of advantages:
- they assist suppliers in offering improved value for money on
future procurements.
- they allow authorities to explain their policies on achieving
best value for money.
- they improve the authority’s image as a professional purchasing
organisation.
They also provide an opportunity to gain feedback on the
authority’s performance.
Debriefings should always be carried out by the Procurement Unit
and NOT the client.
Post-implementation Review
This is a formal review undertaken once the procurement has
had time to demonstrate benefits (for example outcomes). Its
purpose is to confirm that the benefits set out in the business
case for the project (and the specification) have been achieved. It
may be repeated on major change projects. On larger projects a team
comprised of client staff, Procurement Unit staff and stakeholders
may be required to carry out the review.
Managing the contract and supplier
relationship
Effective contract management is a vital and often neglected
part of the procurement process. In many people’s minds,
procurement ends when the contract is awarded! Unless pro-active
and professional contract management takes place, even the best
specified and procured contracts can fail to deliver what was
expected of them.
Closure and lessons learned
The exit strategy for every contract must be clearly defined
(including contingency plans for early termination) and the period
running up to the exit managed to ensure that there is no loss of
service delivery if this is still appropriate. Decisions on future
arrangements must be made in adequate time to allow for a full
procurement process should a further procurement be required.
Future development and training
The Procurement Unit maintains a “watching brief” on the
development of procurement best practice and procedure. It is
essential that all Officers are kept abreast of current procurement
practice at Maidstone as well as developments in the national
approach to procurement.
To this end, the Procurement Unit will be attending Section
Meetings throughout the council to give presentations supplementing
guidance contained herein. It may be of interest to note that the
I&DeA have developed procurement guides for Members and senior
managers, copies of
which can be obtained from the Procurement Manager.