About

The Scottish public sector has successfully challenged the order of thinking with regard to procurement. However, the hard work has only just begun. There is a need to sustain the challenge in a number of ways, continuing the tremendous progress that has been made not only in local government but also across the whole of the public sector in improving procurement processes and practices. There is the challenge of sustaining the improvement in costs and efficiency gains, while facing the threats of increased commodity prices and increased demand for products and services across the economy. Sustaining the move to improve skills and knowledge in procurement while finding other ways to meet the capacity gap, as demand for professional procurement officers grows unabated, is another challenge which we have to address collectively. This can be achieved by CIPS, SOPO and private sector providers who can together help meet a number of challenges by providing training courses, interim management and specialist knowledge which the sector otherwise may not have access to.

Furthermore, procurement has to move on from addressing the need to obtain cost savings to addressing the need to add value in our organisations – wider business goals. This will only be achieved by improving our understanding of markets and supply chains, improving relationship and contract management and, most importantly, improving our approach to sustainability in the wider sense of the word. We also need to embrace the concept of whole-life costing and discover how procurement can add value to the environment, the economy and the community, all of which are areas that local authorities and other parts of the public sector have significant responsibility for.

Procurement units need to help their authorities achieve their goals in these areas by addressing sustainability in their supply chains, and by working closely with suppliers and colleagues in the rest of the public sector, who are also more than welcome to attend the SOPO Scotland Annual Conference. The event will look at current best practice, and feature speakers who are driving some of the solutions forward and who are willing to share their knowledge for the benefit of the wider procurement marketplace.

About SOPO

The Society of Procurement Officers in Local Government (SOPO) engages in a range of activities to promote its strategic purchasing, contracting and supplies functions. Representing over 2800 members, SOPO provides area networks and forums and produces guidance on best practice. Its aim is to advise local authorities throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on all purchasing and supplies matters of national/general interest, and represent its members on other bodies to promote the Society and its aims. Through membership of SOPO, procurement officers join together to share best practice and influence the national agenda on how "Best Value" is to be achieved.

To find out more about SOPO, please click HERE to visit their website