Wrexham Council Defend Local Procurement Figures

Today Wrexham Council have responded to a critical interpretation of a Freedom of Information request answer on their local procurement figures.

The FOI detailed how 33.1% of the Council’s procurement was within the local authority area.

Today Wrexham Council have issued a lengthy but detailed response: “Wrexham County Borough Council fully supports the principle of increasing procurement expenditure with local suppliers and is actively engaging with the Welsh Government’s National Procurement Service as one means of achieving this.”

“Any contract which falls under EU legislation cannot be awarded to firms in Wrexham or Wales just on the basis of their location. All other contracts must be awarded in an open, fair and transparent manner and must represent value for money for the taxpayers of Wrexham County Borough. The Council uses a number of methods to encourage and enable local SMEs to tender for its business.”

“The Council’s procurement rules ensure compliance with UK and European legislation and open up the supply chain to all organisations interested in competing for our business. This supports the Welsh Government’s Procurement Policy statement which sets out the benefits that the local supply base can deliver. All contractual opportunities over the value of £25k are advertised on the Sell2Wales website and we encourage all suppliers to register on this site.”

“The Council’s Procurement Strategy, approved in December 2013, acknowledges that within the constraints of relevant legislation “the Council will encourage, support and develop local markets to maximise the local benefit of procurement opportunities”. The Council’s website provides more information on procurement in Wrexham CBC.”

“The Authority actively promotes open competition of opportunities, provide links for small businesses with Business Wales and holds “Meet The Buyer” events to encourage local supply chains. “Community Benefit” clauses are included in suitable, larger contracts which require the successful tenderer to deliver specified initiatives to benefit the local workforce, supply chain and communities. ”

“The quoted figures are based on payment postal addresses and so exclude large local employers who are based outside the County Borough or Wales but who employ a large local workforce. If these were included then the figures would be higher. In addition, there are other key areas of spend e.g. gas, electric etc. that have to be purchased from national companies and so there is no opportunity for local suppliers in these areas.”

“In moving forward, the Council continues to actively encourage main suppliers (who may be out of the area) to provide opportunities to local SME’s, has simplified its pre-qualification processes to make it easier for Companies to compete for business, looks for best overall value for money outcomes and recognises the qualities that local companies have to offer.

“We will continue to actively engage with local suppliers and other interested parties to do this. Any local SMEs who wish to contact our Procurement Team can do so at [email protected].”

The stats released yesterday have created some debate, with one Wrexham.com reader writing in to say: “Surely firms based in Farndon, Oswestry, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Chester, Shrewsbury etc who employ staff who live in the Wrexham area should count as benefiting the local economy far more than those based in Cardiff, Swansea or Newport. What about firms whose headquarters are based elsewhere but who have staff working and living in the area?”

Others have taken to the Wrexham.com Forums to debate the issue, you can read and join in by clicking here…