Decision details

To approve revised procurement standing orders prior to approval by the full Council

RESOLVED:

That proposed changes to Procurement Standing Orders (PSOs) be noted and commended to full Council for final approval at their next meeting on 8 December 2015.

Reasons for Decisions:

To provide support for adoption of the revised Procurement Standing Orders (PSOs) by full Council.

The PSOs have been updated to take account of:

·         The new Public Contract Regulations 2015 (as described in more detail in paragraph 3, part viii)

·         best practice updates for lower value contracts from Lord Young recommendations aiming to making it easier for small and local businesses to tender for contracts

·         the Local Government Transparency Code on publication of data

·         closer alignment of procurement practices to support effective collaboration and partnership working, including extension of the existing partnership with East Sussex County Council whilst still respecting the sovereignty of individual Council requirements

·         improvements to purchasing processes intended to speed up transactions and ensure proper compliance

·         improvements to strengthen contract management and management of contract variations and extensions

·         updates to reflect best practice around electronic invoicing