Showcasing effective collaboration in public procurement

Cardiff Business School welcomed Jane Hutt AM, Finance and Government Business Minister, to a special event showcasing effective collaboration in public procurement on Thursday 19 November 2015.

The event celebrated the progress made in promoting collaboration and joint-bidding in public procurement following the publication of a Joint Bidding Guide in 2013.

The guide was produced by Welsh Government, the Wales Cooperative Centre (WCC) and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). It was designed to help Welsh based SMEs and micro firms into identify the benefits of joint bidding (forming consortia) by addressing the challenges of effective collaboration for business growth.

Dr Jane Lynch, a lecturer in Supplier Management at Cardiff Business School, and Dr Sue Hurrell, Special Projects Manager for Welsh Government, co-chairs for the Joint Bidding steering group, led the event.

During the proceedings, the success of the Joint Bidding Guide was evidenced. Since 2013, there have been 12 ‘Demonstration’ projects designed and planned for consortia by public procurement across Wales. Of these, eight contracts have been awarded, five projects have been delivered partially by consortia and two large construction projects have been delivered in full by consortia.

In her remarks, the Minister presented key findings from the Lessons Learned Report, informed by the ‘Demonstration’ projects. The Minister commented: “Improving collaboration in public procurement and widening access to public contracts is at the heart of our procurement policy in Wales and we launched our Joint Bidding Guide and pilots to achieve just this.  I am delighted that the Lessons Learned Report confirms that so many of these contracts have been won by consortia – contracts which would not have been secured if they had bid on their own. We will now explore how we can build on this success and use our new regulatory powers in procurement to strengthen this approach.”

Presentations at the event were delivered by Costain and NATS, founder members of the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW). One of the tools highlighted in the Joint Bidding Guide for managing effective collaboration is BS11000, the British Standard for Collaborative Working. Costain and NATS have successfully implemented BS11000 through public/private contracts.

Dr Jane Lynch, said: “The Joint Bidding Guide has been a major success and today’s event has rightly acknowledged that record of achievement. It has also provided an opportunity to discuss ways in which we can further improve collaboration with some very useful insights provided by the Welsh Government’s Lessons Learned Report.

“I’d like to thank the Finance Minister for attending today and recognising the work of the Joint Bidding steering group and the results it has delivered.”

The event concluded with a presentation of the latest doctoral research in social procurement and an interactive Q&A panel session with all speakers.

Refreshments for 65 delegates attending the event were funded by ICW. Dr Jane Lynch is Senior Associate for the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) in Wales and facilitator for BS11000.