Agenda item

Briefing note  

The Board considered a briefing note setting out the proposed Procurement Strategy for 2025-2030 and Action Plan to be delivered by Procurement Services during said term. The briefing note detailed the background and context of the Strategy and the key areas of focus.

The Procurement Strategy 2025-2030 built on previous strategies following significant legislative changes with the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023 and Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 - the new legislation which governed the way in which public sector procurement activity is undertaken.

The transition arrangements of the new legislation meant that the Council would be managing contracts under five sets of legislation for the next 10+ years.

The overarching purpose of the Strategy was to ensure that the Council’s procurement activities were undertaken consistently and to the highest standard, setting out the Council’s approach to procurement activity through the legislative frameworks and the Council’s own internal governance processes.

The Strategy set out the focus for Procurement Services for the next five years, aligning through the legislation, National Procurement Policy Statement and the Council’s One Coventry Plan in its areas of focus, whilst mindful of the various individual strategies at directorate and service area level.

The following key areas of focus were summarised in the briefing note:  Contract Management, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Professional Development, Social Value and, Transparency.

The Strategy outlined 15 key objectives set out by Procurement Services to be achieved during the term of strategy, aligning through the key areas of focus and attributable ‘One Coventry’ values.

Following the presentation, Members raised the issue of the contract with Palantir in association with the recent resolution at Council and the strategy’s commitment to an Ethical Supply Chain. Councillor Tucker then moved the following recommendation, which was seconded by Councillor Lakha and carried:

“That the contract with Palantir be urgently reviewed in line both with this strategy’s commitment to an “Ethical Supply Chain” and also this Council’s resolution of 24 June condemning the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”

In addition, the Board asked questions and received responses from Officers and the Cabinet Member on a number of matters including:

·  Whether there could be an explicit reference to Coventry post codes within the strategy and the complexities of procurement legislation in doing that.

·  Collection of EDI data and working being done to address that – getting data from the tender process.

·  How the move to the TOM’s (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) approach will improve data collection on social value added through a contract.

RESOLVED that the Board:

(a)  Note and endorse the Briefing Note, Draft Procurement Strategy (Appendix 1) and Presentation (Appendix 2) prior to Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources’ sign off and launch.

(b)  Recommend that the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources consider the tabled recommendation: “That the contract with Palantir be urgently reviewed in line both with this strategy’s commitment to an “Ethical Supply Chain” and also this Council’s resolution of 24 June condemning the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.

(Note: Councillor J Blundell voted against the tabled recommendation and asked that his vote be recorded).