The Procurement Team manages certain council-wide contracts which have been tendered nationwide to ensure that the Council obtain best value. These contracts with suppliers are known as Mandatory Contracts.

All Council employees must use these suppliers to purchase/lease goods.  Some of these contracts have been included in the first phase of e-Procurement implementation which is currently being rolled out across the council in a phased approach.

e-Procurement or electronic procurement is simply the business-to-business purchase and sale of supplies and services over the internet. As part of our procurement strategy the Council is embarking upon the implementation of the eProcurement Scotland (ePS) service which is championed by the Scottish Government.  Over seventy organisations use ePS to procure goods and services from national, regional and local suppliers.

In time, this will make processes easier for many involved in procuring and ordering goods and services across the Council, and will be instrumental in helping deliver our efficiency goals.

In addition to the tendering/management of contracts and introduction of e-procurement to Council services the Procurement Team's job is to further develop the procurement function within the Council as well as raise awareness and knowledge of procurement law and procedures amongst officers.

 The Procurement Team aims to:

• assist suppliers who may be interested in bidding for contract opportunities
• reduce costs by creating efficient procurement
• work in partnership with our partners in the private, voluntary and public sector
• comply with legal regulations
• achieve best value
• support local businesses in the regeneration process
• ensure that sustainability is considered in procurement decisions