Delivering Goods and Services
Dear Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council,
Please supply me with the following statistics for your Council for Goods and Services procurement where 'goods' are tangible products such as pens or computers, generally known as supplies; 'works' are "the construction or demolition of buildings, both residential and non-residential, repair to the fabric of these buildings, construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, and the installation of gas, electric, and plumbing services" and 'services' are the provision of an intangible product such as care or refuse collection, whether it is carried out internally or externally. The following payments should be INCLUDED: Goods, Services, Works, Care, other non-Local Authority public bodies (e.g. NHS, HM Courts), outside Borough schools, colleges, universities. The following payments should be EXCLUDED: foster carer payments; payments to pension funds; payments to other local authorities for placement of clients or other non-commercial activities; payments to individuals for expenses, insurance settlements, council tax refunds, NNDR refunds; Benefits payments personal budgets, transfer payments and investments.
The figures should cover (unless stated) the period 1st April 2016 to the 31st March 2017.
1. Total value of Goods and Services acquired by the council from third party suppliers.
2. The total number of invoices for goods and services paid by the council during the period 1st April 2016 to the 31st March 2017 whether or not the supplier was contracted to the council or the holder of a framework contract.
3. Council’s net revenue budget.
4. Cost of procurement management (Total cost of procurement function (staff salaries, on-costs, share of central recharges, dedicated system costs, contracted third party support costs) for a given period).
5. Total value of Goods and Services acquired by the council from third party suppliers.
6. The total number of suppliers (contracted or not) that received a payment for Goods or services.
7. The total value of Goods and Services spent with suppliers who are defined as a Small and Medium Enterprise according to the DfTI definition.
8. Total population of council's area.
9. The total value of third party spend acquired by electronic orders (i.e. over the internet, it does not include procurement cards, telephone or fax orders).
10. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017.
11. The total number of contract managers named on the council contract register as at 31 March 2017.
12. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017 with formalised and active contract management (Formalised contract management is viewed as regular, recorded and communicated processes for reviewing progress, issues, performance, outputs and outcomes including remedial action linked to contract terms by a responsible individual or individuals or teams that is active).
13. Total Number of Contracts awarded by the Council.
14. Total number of contract awards by the council that have been challenged by an unsuccessful tenderer.
15. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017 with ongoing improvement clauses (improved performance over the life of the contract or reduced pricing).
Yours faithfully,
phil spring
Dear Phil,
Thank you for your request for information regarding Goods and services procurement where goods are tangible products (reference number 02027). Your request was received on the 18/05/2017 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or Environmental Information Regulation 2004.
In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.
If you have any queries about this request, please contact Information Governance on 01254 585651. Alternatively, our email address is [Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email].
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Kind Regards,
Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651
Dear Phil,
Thank you for your request for information regarding Goods and services procurement where goods are tangible products (reference number 02027).
Unfortunately it is taking a little longer than anticipated to collate a response.
I am therefore writing to you to request a short extension period of one week.
Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Kind regards,
Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651
Dear Phil,
Thank you for your request for information regarding the procurement of goods and services (reference number 02027); please see our response below. if you have any queries regarding your request for information then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The figures should cover (unless stated) the period 1st April 2016 to the 31st March 2017.
1. Total value of Goods and Services acquired by the council from third party suppliers. - £250,999,725.92
2. The total number of invoices for goods and services paid by the council during the period 1st April 2016 to the 31st March 2017 whether or not the supplier was contracted to the council or the holder of a framework contract. - 78,391
3. Council’s net revenue budget. – Available at http://www.blackburn.gov.uk/Pages/Budget....
4. Cost of procurement management (Total cost of procurement function (staff salaries, on-costs, share of central recharges, dedicated system costs, contracted third party support costs) for a given period). - The Council is in the process of transitioning from a devolved purchasing model to a centralised model and it is therefore not possible to answer this question as budgets are still being re-aligned. However the staffing cost for the new Commissioning and Procurement Service £949,797 although that team does include some functions that are not part of a traditional procurement function.
5. Total value of Goods and Services acquired by the council from third party suppliers. - See Q1
6. The total number of suppliers (contracted or not) that received a payment for Goods or services. - 5,214
7. The total value of Goods and Services spent with suppliers who are defined as a Small and Medium Enterprise according to the DfTI definition. - We do not hold this information, we do not categorise suppliers.
8. Total population of council's area. - In 2015 the population was 146,800.
9. The total value of third party spend acquired by electronic orders (i.e. over the internet, it does not include procurement cards, telephone or fax orders). - Payments via the Council's electronic ordering P2P (purchase to pay) system in 2016/17 totalled £24,403,350.93.
10. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017. - The Council is in the process of transitioning from a devolved purchasing model to a centralised model and it is therefore not possible to answer this question without significant amount of time being spent by each department to count total number of contracts. However as an indication the Council paid 5117 external organisations in 2016/17 although this will include organisations in the areas you indicated should be excluded.
11. The total number of contract managers named on the council contract register as at 31 March 2017. - Information not held
12. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017 with formalised and active contract management (Formalised contract management is viewed
as regular, recorded and communicated processes for reviewing progress, issues, performance, outputs and outcomes including remedial action linked to contract terms by a responsible individual or individuals or teams that is active). - The Council is in the process of transitioning from a devolved purchasing model to a centralised model and it is therefore not possible to answer this question without significant amount of time being spent by each department to count total number of contracts.
13. Total Number of Contracts awarded by the Council. - The Council is in the process of transitioning from a devolved purchasing model to a centralised model and it is therefore not possible to answer this question without significant amount of time being spent by each department to count total number of contracts awarded. However there was 53 contracts awarded via the Council's e-tendering system with a value above £5k in 2016/17.
14. Total number of contract awards by the council that have been challenged by an unsuccessful tenderer. - No contracts awarded resulted in formal legal challenge during the year 2016-17.
15. The total number of contracts held by the council as at the 31st March 2017 with ongoing improvement clauses (improved performance over the life of the contract or reduced pricing). - The Council is in the process of transitioning from a devolved purchasing model to a centralised model and it is therefore not possible to answer this question without significant amount of time being spent by each department to review terms of each contract.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to: Information Governance Manager, Information Governance, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, G Floor, Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7DY or email [Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email].
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Please find attached our 'have your say' feedback policy.
Kind Regards,
Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651
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