Published on:
29
July 2004
Savings of almost £200,000 across Council departments have been made in the past year following the appointment of Derek Barr as procurement manager in April 2003.
He said his new role presented "quite a daunting agenda" and added that the savings have been made in a number of ways, from renegotiating contracts and tendering to finding better quality products with more uses.
A massive £47,000 has been saved from the budget for cleaning materials after the contract was re-tendered while new arrangements for the supply of drinking water will save the council £4,500 annually.
And his hard work has given the Council the confidence to reduce its expenditure budget by £70,000 with a plan to trim the same amount again off the 2004/05 budget, by sustaining the approach Derek has championed in his first year in post.
Derek emphasised the benefits of joint working with Falkirk and Stirling Councils and pointed out that an agreement with Falkirk Council covering the purchase of IT hardware has reaped savings of £10,500 to date.
He added: "Procurement for councils is a very complex area. It covers everything from the papers towels in public toilets to the secondary schools development project, but through careful re-organisation of how things are done, savings can be made and services improved."
He continued: "I spend a lot of time encouraging departments to stop maverick spending off-contract which can put a contract in jeopardy and is not best value of money. We have developed buying on-line, and usage of purchase cards, which saves time and money. Much of the money that has been saved can be better spent on front line services."