Appendix 2 - Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024
Argyll and Bute Council · 20 February 2025
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 20 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Appendix 2 Stakeholder Consultation Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028
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Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 2.0 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Sustainable Procurement Strategy 1 3.0 CONSULTATION OUTCOMES ........................................................................... 3 4.0 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 4 Appendix 1: Survey Questions .................................................................................... 5 Appendix 2: Survey Responses .................................................................................. 9 Appendix 3: SGN 2 Sustainable Procurement & Types of Community Benefits ....... 34 Appendix 4: SGN 3 Community Benefits Clauses .................................................... 37
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Page 1 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 1.0 INTRODUCTION Argyll and Bute Council’s Procurement, Commercial and Contract Management Team (PCCMT) would like to begin this report by thanking all stakeholders who took the time to respond to our consultation in relation to the Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/28. It is important for us to ensure that our key document and the objectives it contains reflect the concerns of our key stakeholder groups, both internal and external. 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 Sustainable Procurement Strategy The Argyll and Bute Council Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/28 sets out a framework which is designed to enable the council to continue on its journey of change and innovation through: o To ensure all procurement staff and council officers involved in the procurement process are fully aware of all aspects and impacts of the procurement rules and any other relevant regulations. o Increase opportunities for commercial savings. o Reduce the value of non-contract spend. o To secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits for the local area and ensure those benefits are realised. o Increased opportunities for local suppliers to help grow the local economy. o Increased engagement and collaboration with suppliers and SDP. o To develop resilient local supply chains, providing clear advice and consistent approaches to procurement and community benefits, ensuring businesses are aware of, and are able to take advantage of, procurement opportunities supported by a programme of active and innovative supplier engagement and development support. o To increase the knowledge and understanding of the benefits of sustainable procurement of all council staff who participate in the procurement process and make better use of the expertise within the council to ensure wider sustainable outcomes are achieved. o Continue to deliver best value contracts. o More streamlined and leaner processes.
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Page 2 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 o Procurement continues to be a key strand in the delivery of council strategies and policies. o Build capacity and skills within the council to improve procurement, commissioning and contract management activity and support procurement people of tomorrow. o Cross-service collaboration. 2.2 The Council has a statutory requirement to update and publish its Procurement Strategy on an annual basis following the key changes introduced by the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016. 2.3 The Council also has a requirement to consult with key stakeholder groups for this document. The aims of the consultation were: • To increase awareness of the Council’s Sustainable Procurement Strategy and engage meaningfully with key stakeholder groups; • To make sure the links between the strategy and other relevant strategies and plans are clear; and • To enable a diverse range of stakeholder groups to take part and thereby influence the strategy. 2.4 The consultation was completed in November 2024, via a web-based survey on the council’s website. The consultation was publicised via emails to key internal and external stakeholders, as well as being available to the general public through the “Keep me in the Loop” service. Appendix 1 details the consultation questions asked and Appendix 2 details the responses received.
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Page 3 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 3.0 CONSULTATION OUTCOMES 3.1 65 responses were received, 51% of which were from the general public, and 25% from Argyll and Bute Council employees as the two largest response groups. This was an increase from the 47 responses received for the similar consultation undertaken in 2021. Some valuable free format comments were provided, which are listed in Appendix 2 along with the council’s response to each. As a result of the consultation, we have amended the policy documents as noted in Item 3.4. 3.2 The majority of responses to the open-ended questions within the consultation provided feedback that included queries in relation to areas already covered in the document or in more operational documents, as well as some feedback on areas out with the scope of the current consultation and strategy document. Procurement comments on these responses have been provided, and the team will consider the application of improvements where relevant. 3.3 Overall, the responses to the consultation have been positive about the content of the new Sustainable Procurement Strategy. 3.4 Following the consultation process, the Strategy has been updated as follows: Section 2: Introduction Page 3: added new Item 2.4 2.4 Sustainable procurement means making purchasing decisions that balance environmental protection, social progress, and economic development, both for present and future generations. For the council, this means: • Environmental Sustainability: Making procurement decisions that minimise negative environmental impacts, support climate resilience, and contribute to our net-zero targets through reduced carbon emissions, protection of biodiversity, and responsible resource use. • Social Sustainability: Delivering positive outcomes for our communities through fair work practices, skills development, and enhanced community wellbeing and resilience. • Economic Sustainability: Creating lasting economic benefits through support for local businesses, innovation, and long-term value for money.
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Page 4 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 3.4/ Section 4: Strategy Rationale and Context Page 10: Item 4.4, included: There is an ever-increasing focus from the Scottish Government on measuring and managing Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across our supply chain, including specific supplier reporting requirements for Scope 3 emissions from purchased supplies, services and works. Section 5: Strategic Aims, Key Priorities & Action Plan Page 11 - Page 28 Title changed to Strategic Aims, Strategic Objectives, Key Priorities & Action Plan. Page 14: Item 5.2.3 - How we will do it Added the following: ➢ Provide support to wider council teams with their sustainability and net- zero targets as required; including updating templates to meet the changing needs of the council and the Scottish Government, and adapting procurement processes to support these targets whilst still complying with Procurement Regulations. As a result of the above, this also affected change to the Action Plan – Page 20 – Actions. Page 26: Procurement Strategy Action Plan 5.5.1 Good Governance Item 7: Comply with the sustainable procurement duty – the following was added: Item F - The Procurement, Commercial and Contract Management Team will provide support to the wider council in relation to emissions management within council contracts. Procurement activities directly influence the council’s Scope 3 emissions through our supply chains, which will be monitored and measured in line with Scottish Government requirements. 4.0 CONCLUSION The stakeholder responses received included well-considered comments which we have found very valuable. The strategy has been streamlined in response to the comments and we have ensured that all matters highlighted by stakeholders have been included. Furthermore, we will take into account the suggestion of a summary page setting out the key points when we draft the next strategy.
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Page 5 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 Appendix 1 SURVEY QUESTIONS 1. Please indicate which key stakeholder group(s) you belong to: • Argyll and Bute Council Employees • Argyll and Bute Councillors • Local MSPs and MP • Suppliers to Argyll and Bute Council • Community Planning Partners • Community Councils • Other interested parties (please state) • General public SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT STRATEGY 2025/2028 The key changes to the document this year is the Procurement Strategy and Sustainable Procurement Policy 2022/25 has been incorporated into one new document and renamed the Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028. All sections have been updated to reflect the current context for this strategy. The Procurement Strategy by Category has also been updated to reflect new plans within the categories and the financial analysis has been updated with current 2023/2024 data. GENERAL: 2. How informative or otherwise did you find the strategy? • Very informative • Informative • Neutral • Uninformative • Very uninformative 3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? a. The strategy was easy to read • Strongly agree • Agree • Neither agree or disagree • Disagree • Strongly disagree
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Page 6 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 b. The format made it easy to follow • Strongly agree • Agree • Neither agree or Disagree • Disagree • Strongly disagree c. The strategy is comprehensive • Strongly agree • Agree • Neither agree or disagree • Disagree • Strongly disagree d. The key priorities are clear • Strongly agree • Agree • Neither agree or disagree • Disagree • Strongly disagree STRATEGIC CONTEXT: 4. Are there any strategic issues which the strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Sustainable Procurement Strategy should address them.
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Page 7 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 KEY PRIORITIES: Key priorities for regulated procurements have been identified in the Strategy (Section 5.5) in line with Section 15(5) of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. 5. Do you consider the activities relating to these key priorities to be appropriate for the council? • Yes • No • Don’t know 6. Would you propose an additional or alternative key priority or activity in relation to regulated procurements? 7. Are there any additional priorities we should include in relation to Sustainable Procurement?
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Page 8 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 COMMENTS 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028?
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Page 9 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 Appendix 2 SURVEY RESPONSES 65 responses were received to the consultation survey. The previous consultation (November 2021) received 47 responses to the survey. 1. Please indicate which key stakeholder group(s) you belong to: Stakeholder Groups 2024 Respondents (%) 2021 Respondents (%) 2020 Respondents (%) Argyll & Bute Council Employees 25 21 25 Argyll & Bute Councillors 2 2 0 Local MSPs and MP 0 2 0 Suppliers to Argyll & Bute Council 6 6 7 Community Planning Partners 3 0 0 Community Councils 9 4 7 General public 51 64 58 Other interested parties 2 0 3 No response to question 3 0 1
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Page 10 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT STRATEGY 2025/2028 GENERAL: 2. How informative or otherwise did you find the strategy? 65% of respondents found the Sustainable Procurement Strategy to be either informative or very informative, and 16% of respondents stating that it was uninformative or very uninformative. 3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? a. The strategy was easy to read 50% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the strategy was easy to read; while 25% disagreed or strongly disagreed. 20% 45% 18% 8% 8% 2% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Very Informative Informative Neutral Uninformative Very uninformative No Response How informative or otherwise did you find the Strategy?
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Page 11 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 b. The format made it easy to follow 51% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the format of the strategy made it easy to follow; while 20% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed. 8% 42% 22% 11% 14% 5% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree No Response The Strategy was easy to read 9% 42% 20% 11% 9% 9% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree No Response The format made it easy to follow
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Page 12 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 c. The strategy is comprehensive 46% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Procurement Strategy is comprehensive; while 21% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed. d. The key priorities are clear 49% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the key priorities within the Strategy are clear; while 28% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed. 12% 34% 25% 12% 9% 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree No response The Strategy is comprehensive 11% 38% 15% 14% 14% 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Strongly agree Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Strongly disagree No response The key priorities are clear
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Page 13 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 STRATEGIC CONTEXT: 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Sustainable Procurement Strategy should address them. Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Based on my detailed review of the draft strategy, there are several strategic issues that need to be addressed: Climate Emergency Response While the strategy mentions climate change briefly, it lacks a comprehensive framework for how procurement will support the Council's climate emergency declaration and net-zero commitments. The strategy should: - Detail how procurement decisions will be evaluated for climate impact - Outline specific carbon reduction requirements in supply chains - Include climate adaptation considerations in procurement decisions Emissions Management The strategy makes no reference to Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions. Given that procurement activities significantly influence our - - - Scope 3 emissions, the strategy should: - Include a framework for measuring and monitoring supply chain emissions - Set specific targets for reducing procurement-related emissions - Establish supplier emissions reporting requirements Sustainability Definition and Framework The strategy lacks a clear definition of sustainability in procurement. It should include: - A clear definition aligning with the three pillars approach (environmental, social, economic) - Specific sustainability criteria for different procurement thresholds - Practical guidance for procurement officers on sustainability assessment Circular Economy The strategy does not address circular economy principles. It should include: - Requirements for product lifecycle considerations - Waste reduction and resource efficiency criteria - Reuse and recycling requirements in relevant contracts Implementation Framework While Section 8 is titled "Implementation, Reviewing & Reporting," the strategy needs more detail on: - Specific timelines for implementing sustainability measures - Resource requirements for delivery - Training needs for procurement officers - Monitoring and reporting frameworks for sustainability outcomes These additions would significantly strengthen the strategy's ability to deliver sustainable outcomes through procurement activities. Comments and suggestions are noted. A meeting was arranged with consultee and agreed various changes to the strategy and action plan. See Item 3.4 on Page 3 of the main report which details the changes made.
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Page 14 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Procurement Strategy should address them. /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Collaborative/Shared Procurement Opportunities. Noted, collaboration takes place with our public sector bodies when there is an opportunity to do so. We share our contract plans with each other, so we are aware of each other's spend profile to enable collaborative opportunities to take place. The redesign of homecare has been done with little to no consultation with the employees who work in this sector. Senior management have so far not introduced themselves to the employees who work in this sector. A very poor "redesign monthly update" has been sent to employees highlighting stage 2 which discusses redeployment and competitive interviews with no discussion. I would argue the no clear vision has been set for stage 1 so unclear how goals can be set for stage 2. This has caused anxiety with employees. Senior management do not appear to understand the role of employees in this sector and the amount of work and efficiencies that has been made to help sustain a quality homecare service for the future. A poor staff survey has been sent which asks questions not related to the redesign and again with no clear vision. As an employee I feel undervalued and unnecessary anxiety has been caused. Homecare is a very adaptable team who have faced many challenges with the ongoing homecare crisis. This has been handled very poorly and more work is needed to ensure staff are values and ideas are taken on board. Noted, PCCMT are not involved in the Care at Home Redesign Review, however, this comment will be shared with the Head of Adult Care who is responsible for it in order that this can be dealt with. Corrupt Noted. Fundamental decisions on provision of services - at what level might these be in danger of outsourcing? Noted. PCCMT is not involved in any outsourcing decisions, these are dealt with by full council on recommendation of council officers following a lengthy process. I thought the strategy was difficult to read - 50 pages of often jargon and govt- speak. Too much detail. You should have provided a summary of the key points Noted. In the future, PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. Cannot see how the policy addresses poverty? The document is far too long for the general reader (ratepayer or not). Noted. In the future, PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review.
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Page 15 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Procurement Strategy should address them. /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Management of spend below £50k? Does the Council adopt 'preferred supplier' status for particular goods and services covering an extended period? Noted. We do not have "preferred providers" or "approved contractors". There is a clear process that council staff should follow for purchases under £50k, this is detailed on Page 7 of our Procurement Manual here. I was surprised that the proposed performance indicators were not reported alongside the information of current procurement to identify the extent of any gap in execution which the new strategy might need to address as a form of explicit organisation learning Noted. The existing performance indicators are reported on an annual basis to the Scottish Government. This is a legal requirement, please refer to Page 28 – Item 7.1.2 of our Annual Procurement Report. Insufficient information or focus on sustainability and how it should be interpreted in environmental or ethical terms. - [ ] Key objectives don’t mention sustainable environmental or ethical objectives - [ ] Mission statement mentions sustainable procurement, public services and outcomes, but doesn’t say what sustainable means in any understandable and measurable context - [ ] Sustainable procurement duty diagram has no clear mention of ethics or environmental impact Noted, please see comment above, the strategy has been updated to take cogniscience of these points. I am left wondering what exactly it is that is to be procured as there were no specific examples Noted. The Strategy details how we are going to procure, what we are going to buy is detailed in our Annual Procurement Report. Spend on housing seems low and focussed only on homelessness. Noted. The council does not have any housing stock hence why there is no spend relating to housing. I saw no contingency planning for unforeseen emergency procurement. In recent times, an obvious case has been the rapid emergence of Covid-19 and the need for action. Although much reaction to this kind of development will be at supra-county level, there will be local issues requiring expenditure at county level. Another example has been, and will be, weather-driven emergencies such as the debris flow blockage of transport routes and damage from flood inundation. Noted. This forms part of our Annual Procurement Report and Contract Plan for 2024/25 and 2025/26 to ensure we have sufficient contracts in place to enable us to have access to appropriate contractors should an emergency response be required.
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Page 16 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Procurement Strategy should address them. /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment It needs a 1page bullet point summary. It's outrageous complex. I was a former Local Government Finance Officer Noted. In the future, PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. Supporting non-residents and summer businesses by being more focused on Tourism and travel issues and the diverse communities that make A&B a place to live including non-residents and second home owners. Procurement that benefits all sectors and doesn’t leave all the other diverse groups behind. Invariably that’s what happens when too sharply focussed on residential and strict local formulas of growth that don’t meet the needs of all. Procurement narratives that leave out those that don’t fit the alternative and vilified demographic populations will only marginalise those sectors that are a major driver to the regions prosperity. Refocus on broadening out the scope of key populations that need including in this review. We live in a broad church. Support that church. Noted. You have totally failed to understand the way the strategy will have a very bad impact on disabled people. Noted. This will create yet another beurocratic department involving yet another "manager" at a huge salary. This on top of an already insane salary for top "executives" means yet again another council tax rise. The council structure has given rise to an uncontrollable monster running away with our cash, promoting many woke and political agendas. whereas it should focus on providing a value for money service, not promoting self inflation. Noted. Legal compliance, which is not the same as "Good governance". There could be more, but I gave up. Noted.
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Page 17 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Procurement Strategy should address them. /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment No comment Noted. Communication. The doc is stupidly long and unstable. Unsustainable. Noted. In the future, PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. There is no reference to green and blue economies and how procurement plays a role, and how it will enable buying of innovative solutions which add value and benefit as we move towards net zero. Real Living Wage commitment is notably missing and should be addressed as part of community wealth building agenda, including ensuring that Argyll and Bute Council become accredited as a Real Living Wage Local Authority. Noted. As detailed above, the Strategy has been reviewed and amended to take into account consultees' feedback regarding sustainability. Fair Work First practice is an integral part of our procurement activity, a part of which incorporates the Real Living Wage requirement. We have an action plan to monitor our progress on all matters Fair Work First and report on this on an annual basis via the Annual Procurement Report to Scottish Government. Naively written by a recent MBA person with all the “strategic” buzz words of the day but in fact means absolutely nothing. What is value? Not considered nor answered. Noted. Best value is in every part of the procurement process and does not require to be explained in the Strategy. However, for your information it is more detailed within our Procurement Manual which forms part of the council's standing orders. Yes - the issue of modelling Value for Money is too narrowly defined. VfM in the context of sustainable procurement must consider a much wider short / long term set of impacts than currently provided. The way procurement is undertaken can affect (as you recognise) a large set of environmental, social and economic issues. Therefore, VfM should be a two stage process. One the narrow contract by contract comparison, but the second is the larger longer term VfM (Social Rate of Return) of the overall decision making process around procurement and its management. Noted, as detailed above, the Strategy has been reviewed and amended to take into account consultee's feedback regarding sustainability. New legislation for Scotland on Community Wealth Building is expected in 2025 which may have implications for procurement, particularly under the Finance pillar of CWB. Should the strategy make reference to this new legislation with the caveat that the detail is not yet known? Noted, Our Contract Standing Orders require us to adhere to all new legislative requirements, therefore, there is no requirement to include new legislation in the Strategy. However, as it currently stands, the council meets the various requirements for procurement activity under the Community Wealth Building procurement pillar and continues to work in partnership with our local public sector anchor organisations to deliver community wealth building principles for the residents of Argyll and Bute.
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Page 18 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2024 4. Are there any strategic issues which the Strategy has not considered? If yes, please identify them below and give details of how the Procurement Strategy should address them. /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment No way of knowing this without spending a lot of time doing research that we simply do not have the capacity to do. Noted, in the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. Please affirm your opposition to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Additionally confirm that you will not use companies who are complicit in war crimes and divest from Israel. The council meet the Scottish Government’s procurement requirements when procuring from our contractors. There does not seem to be mention of the entrenched culture of ignoring conflict of interest/ obviously passing money via contracts to pals, etc that goes on. No mention of mitigating risk through assessing eg who sits on a board, before awarding multi million pound contracts. It's well known that there is a lot of corruption in Argyll & Bute, with the same names repeatedly mentioned. That would need dealt with first and would stop the embarrassment of the council nationally pleading poverty while everyone knows it’s about misused resources as opposed to lack of. Noted. PCCMT have a formal and clear conflict of interest policy whereby every council officer involved in a contract must formally notify us of any conflict which would require them to be removed from that piece of work, such as evaluating tenders etc. As PCCMT Manager, I am concerned about this feedback. Please can you message me on anne.maccoll-smith@argyll-bute.gov.uk to provide me with more information to allow me to investigate your concerns. A more well rounded and robust Sustainable Food Strategy that places more value on local food and prioritises it's integration into prominent supply chains. This could be addressed with a separate procurement strategy specifically focused on sustainable food. Noted. PCCMT and our catering colleagues work in partnership to ensure we can support local suppliers of food to bid for our council contracts. This has proven to be succcessful across a number of our food supply chains.
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Page 19 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report KEY PRIORITIES: Key priorities for regulated procurements have been identified in the strategy, in line with Section 15(5) of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. 5. Do you consider the activities relating to these key priorities to be appropriate for the council? 66% of respondents agreed that the key priority areas are appropriate for the Council; 15% of respondents disagreed. 66% 15% 17% 2% Do you consider these key priority areas to be appropriate for the Council? Yes No Don't Know No response
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Page 20 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 6. Would you propose an additional or alternative key priority or activity in relation to regulated procurements? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Based on my review of Section 5.5 of the draft strategy and considering my role as Climate Change Officer, I would propose the following additional key priority for regulated procurements: "Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability in Regulated Procurement" This priority would include activities such as: - Carbon Assessment Framework - Establish mandatory carbon impact assessments for all regulated procurements to support the Council's net-zero commitments. Environmental Criteria Include specific environmental sustainability criteria in tender evaluations for regulated procurements, with appropriate weightings reflecting the contract's environmental impact. Supply Chain Emissions Require suppliers in regulated procurements to: - Report on their emissions reduction plans - Demonstrate environmental management systems - Provide carbon footprint data for goods and services Circular Economy Include circular economy principles in regulated procurement specifications where appropriate, focusing on: - Product lifecycle considerations - Waste reduction requirements - Resource efficiency criteria This additional priority would strengthen the strategy's alignment with: - The Council's climate commitments - Scottish Government's climate targets - Environmental protection duties - Sustainable procurement requirements Comments and suggestions are noted. A meeting was arranged with consultee and agreed various changes to the strategy and action plan. See Item 3.4 on Page 3 of the main report which details the changes made. The priorities and activities are comprehensively discussed and ones that I would fully support. The whole shift from purely transactional to socially and environmentally driven decisions is really heartening. The nitty- gritty is how to achieve this within a constrained budget. Noted.
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Page 21 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 6. Would you propose an additional or alternative key priority or activity in relation to regulated procurements? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment School bus from Lochgilphead to Tarbert to cut down the large number of vehicles now taking pupils on that road on school days. Noted. Information shared with the council's transport manager to review. I think you have the key priorities covered. Noted. Cannot say as although section 5 is titled as Key Priorities and Action Plan it then just rattles on about Aims and Outcomes and the section 5.5 highlighted as the bit we need to look at in the Question above is all about Good Governance. It would be nice if the section on Key Priorities started by just saying very clearly Priority 1 is .....Priority 2 is..... I would ask you to do a keyword search on the word Priority in your document - i think you will be surprised by the result. Noted. Section 5 heading updated to ensure reader has understanding that section covers key aims, objectives, priorities and action plan. Section 5.5 specifically addresses our key priorities. Structure Noted. Some kind of assurance that the users of the services provided through procurement get something that is workable and holds suppliers to account. Noted. Through our contract management framework we have trained all staff involved in contracts to be able to manage their contracts effectively and efficiently to ensure best value is being delivered. Yes Noted. Much greater focus on environmental sustainability, alongside existing defined priorities. Prioritise, where possible to be clear how priority conflicts are agreed or settled. Noted. I am all for sustainable procurement as a principle but without actual examples of how and where it would be applied in real situations it's rather meaningless Noted. Please refer to Item 7.2 – 7.2.2 of our Procurement Report which we publish on an annual basis. This will provide you with examples. In order to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship it is necessary to improve the general ambience, especially of a small seaside town like Rothesay. Noted. As detailed above, the Strategy has been reviewed to take into account consultees' feedback on sustainability. Awards to local suppliers in prior years 2022-23 was 37% yet same kpi for planned period is only 20% also SME kpi of 74% which I assume includes local supplier. The statistic of 37% you refer to relates to our annual procurement spend with our local suppliers, not contracts awarded during that period. The KPI for contracts awarded to local suppliers is set at 20%, and the KPI for contracts awarded to SMEs is set at 76%, which does include local and outside suppliers. Please note Section 7.1 of our Annual Procurement Report which provides more detail.
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Page 22 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 6. Would you propose an additional or alternative key priority or activity in relation to regulated procurements? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Provision for periodic review and assessment of spend and progress when viewed against schedules specified either by the contract or the tender document. This will be important where works extend over a significant period. Noted. Through our contract management framework we have trained all staff involved in contracts to be able to manage their contracts effectively and efficiently to ensure best value is being delivered. It's all about communication Local Suppliers are put off by red tape get to the point and principles. Pay promptly, offer staged payments. Hold 10% for quality and snags, over completion on time bonuses. Noted. Your procurement fails to ensure that the environment is protected. Here is an example. When you put out subsidised bus services to tender, you should insist on two things 1. That the bus must be able to accommodate wheelchairs, 2. The bus must be electric Noted. Changes have been made to the strategy as detailed in Item 3.4 of the main report. Issue list of requirements at appropriate times. Noted. We publish our contract plan every year following the council's budget setting to enable the market and supply base to see what we are looking to buy and when. What are your "Key Priorities"? Are they in Chapter 5, titled "Aims, Key Priorities and Action Plan", which seems to contain "Strategic Objectives" but no priorities as such (by which I mean a clear precedence of this priority X over priority Y). Noted. No Noted. In page 39, £0.37m is allocated to "Data not available". A key priority to regulated procurement should be finding out the specific purpose for such expenses. Noted. We are aware of the suppliers this spend was allocated to and for what purpose the spend was made. However, the Scottish Procurement Information Hub (Scottish Government) who cleanses and publishes our data, does not have a trade classification for these suppliers. For the purposes of categorising spend under “Business Sector” groups, unfortunately, businesses with no trade classification set are assigned as Data Not Available. However, we are working with our colleagues at the Hub to resolve this issue.
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Page 23 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 6. Would you propose an additional or alternative key priority or activity in relation to regulated procurements? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment People who can deliver on time at a good price with ethical and green credentials. Noted. Through our contract management framework we have trained all staff involved in contracts to be able to manage their contracts effectively and efficiently to ensure best value is being delivered. P12 - 5.2 it would be good to see the strategic objective of “good governance” have narrower focus on delivering outcomes and on maximising value and benefit; contract management to ensure outcomes are delivered and performance matches expectations. Less focus on compliance with processes and procedures which should be a given. P15 - 5.2.2 it would be good to see more in this section about procurement innovation and seeking innovative solutions to support council’s financial challenges, this could strongly link with service redesign; community participation requests, participatory budgeting. Identifying areas where Procurement could lead on these rather than always seeing their role as Buyers. We are required to ensure legal compliance is consistently delivered in our procurement activity. However, maximising value and benefit are at the heart of our strategic objective of “Value for Money to support council’s financial challenges”. Innovation is an integral part of our procurement activity as detailed in Section 3 - Procurement Vision and Mission Statement, and Section 4 – Strategy Rationale and Context. Additional no. Rip it up and simplify your approach to supply chain management. Noted. No Noted. No Noted. N/A Noted. Employees accountability and pound of flesh. Noted. Can't think of any relevant to our community. Noted. Divest from Israel Noted. I think you have to focus on ENACTING them not just saying them Noted. Our action plan will detail how and when we deliver on the requirements of the strategy. No Noted.
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Page 24 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 7. Are there any additional priorities we should include in relation to Sustainable Procurement? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment As Climate Change Officer, I suggest including an additional strategic priority focused specifically on "Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Procurement". This priority would strengthen the strategy's approach to sustainability and climate action, areas which currently lack dedicated focus within the existing priorities. The new priority should encompass four key aims: Firstly, delivering procurement that actively supports our net-zero targets through establishing a comprehensive carbon assessment framework for all regulated procurements. This would enable us to measure and reduce procurement-related emissions systematically. Secondly, embedding circular economy principles by incorporating whole-life costing and resource efficiency requirements into our procurement processes. This approach would help reduce waste and improve resource use across our supply chains. Thirdly, supporting climate resilience by including specific adaptation requirements in relevant contracts. This would help build more resilient supply chains and ensure our procurement decisions consider long- term climate impacts. Finally, driving sustainable innovation by encouraging suppliers to propose sustainable solutions in their tender responses. This would foster increased adoption of sustainable practices throughout our supply chain. This additional priority would complement the existing five strategic objectives while providing specific focus on sustainability and climate action. It would strengthen the strategy's alignment with our climate commitments, provide clear guidance for procurement officers, and support suppliers in understanding our sustainability requirements. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how this priority could be integrated into the strategy's existing framework. Comments and suggestions are noted. A meeting was arranged with consultee and agreed various changes to the strategy and action plan. See Item 3.4 on Page 3 of the main report which details the changes made. Based on what we are seeing from other sectors it would be worth including supply chain management, for example if a company is buying equipment it must come from a manufacturer that complies with anti slavery laws etc and has policies in place. Where appropriate think in terms of the circular economy. Noted. We have trained all staff involved in contracts contract management to ensure they have the necessary skills to manage the contracts during its term to ensure best value is being achieved.
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Page 25 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 7. Are there any additional priorities we should include in relation to Sustainable Procurement? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment As a staff team we have many ideas on how to sustain homecare procurement ensuring quality services that are value for money. These range from good relationship/partnership working with providers, homecare monitoring visits for all who receive a service that ensures the service is a high standard, person-centered and outcome focused, this additionally highlights any efficiencies that can be made in a timely manner and prevents dependency on a service that may not be required, supporting providers with recruitment, managing mobile teams to ensure best value. It is my view the business of homecare should sit with the homecare team, the team should decide durations of visits alongside providers rather than this being decided as part of the assessment process. Assessments require to take a more holistic approach of the individual and family, in many cases the assessment has focused solely on a request for homecare services. Noted, as this comment relates to the ongoing homecare review I have shared it with the Head of Adult Care who is leading on this. Really? Noted. The Council should make more use of formally constituted community groups by delegating responsibility to them. Eg keeping signage clean could go to Trusts, some ground maintenance to community forests etc Noted. Yes Noted. Sustainable procurement would be to repair and clean pedestrian walk ways, thus encouraging the public to visit the businesses of the town. There is a general malaise about the town of Rothesay, where does this come from, Argyll and Bute Council, in my opinion. Noted. Comments shared with our amenity services team manager. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Noted. Environmental considerations Noted. The Strategy has been revised and updated to take into account comments on sustainability. New buildings must not be given planning permission unless they have solar panels on the roof. Noted and passed to our planning team. No idea: I lost the will to respond before I got to the end. Noted.
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Page 26 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 7. Are there any additional priorities we should include in relation to Sustainable Procurement? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment No Noted Consideration of best value beyond just pricing e.g. energy efficiency A/B rated appliances to help meet A&B climate smarter targets (twice recently we have ordered fridges via the PECOS team that have arrived and been energy rating E or F) Noted. The Strategy has been updated to take into account sustainability comments. Your comments have been shared with PECOS and transactional purchasing team to ensure they continue to offer service teams a variety of options to enable the service to choose what is more acceptable to them. £17.45m were spent with the top supplier "ABC schools Ltd" (page 40). Noticeably by a huge difference with the rest of suppliers. In page 39, Education accounts only for £1.33m of total £181.47m. I would welcome a break down of expenditure with top 5 major contractors (are they locally based? Purposes of this expenditure, etc). ABC Schools are our facilities management service provider who are responsible for our PPP (Public Private Partnership) school contracts, therefore, their spend sits under construction and not education as they are not delivering an education service but maintaining the school facilities. Rewrite the document to be about 3/4 pages long. Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. Making better use of the talent within the Procurement team to think differently about how we engage with Community Wealth Building opportunities. In what ways- could they manage Council resources and ensure that everyone thinks and acts as the owners of those resources, and thereby reducing wasteful spend. Noted. PCCMT are implementing their contract management framework across council services to ensure all service staff are trained in managing contracts to ensure best value is being achieved. Working with suppliers to ensure that local companies (especially SMEs) are able to handle the often high level of paperwork etc for bidding processes. Ensuring companies are well prepared BEFORE a suitable bid (often with short time horizons) is published is vital. Noted. PCCMT support our local suppliers, please see link for useful information available to them - Selling to the Council | Argyll and Bute Council - to assist them in bidding for our contracts, In addition, we publish our contract plan on an annual basis to enable them to see what we are looking to spend in the upcoming 2 years. No Noted. No Noted. N/A Noted.
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Page 27 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 7. Are there any additional priorities we should include in relation to Sustainable Procurement? /contd Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Vehicle share cut out a big hybrid vehicle each Noted. As above Noted. Discuss from Israel Noted. Ethical processes Noted. no Noted.
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Page 28 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment I've produced a document here https://argyllbutegovuk- my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/will_currie_argyll-bute_gov_uk/EU8bk4FXT_ZLjhLzIbgGy0oB- hhiO8KQDeja9EsEOCqSBw?e=bW7iff Comments and suggestions are noted. A meeting was arranged with consultee and agreed various changes to the strategy and action plan. See Item 3.4 on Page 3 of the main report which details the changes made. Sorry I found it hugely confusing...a melange of Aims, Objectives, Outcomes, strategy that was pretty indigestible. Lost its way after Section 3 and I lost the will to live in Section 5. Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. More work requires to be done with reablement and TEC and this should be considered before requests are made for long term homecare packages. Hospitals are not the best place for assessments to take place and often it is found a service user is over assessed and discharge may be delayed whilst awaiting a large package of care that may not be required. More in reach is required. More training is required throughout the HSCP with regards to the use of TEC and for TEC to be a consideration of all assessments to ensure independence is promoted where applicable. SDS options require to be part of every assessment and clear information provided to ensure choice is given. Responder services are receiving high call outs for support not considered a P1/2, unclear if Hanover are contacting key holders or going straight to responder teams to attend, better messaging is required with regards to responder service as again dependencies appear to be being created. Noted. This comment will be shared with our head of adult care who is the lead for this service. Ludicrous, especially when ABC are in an emergency situation. Noted. As above. Make use of local resources, delegate more of the minor but costly council tasks Noted. I suppose this is the sort of woke document that the council is obliged to produce these days. What a waste of time and money. Noted. No Noted. Make it clear from the outset what exactly this is about other than a lot of lofty ideals, with examples of how these ideals would be applied in real situations. Otherwise it is totally meaningless! Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. Simplify it for the general public. Gobbledegook otherwise. Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review.
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Page 29 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Organise a general public meeting that is very well advertised and allow the residents of this town to have a fair and frank debate about the steady decline of a beautiful resort on the firth of Clyde. Noted. Care need to taken to check each low level kpi supports in the detailed plans link to the main KPIs for the strategy. Noted. KPIs are monitored on a monthly basis and progress reported to senior management. I think it would be useful to have target dates in the action plan rather than everything being “ongoing”. Also it would be useful to put the key performance indicators in context by showing current levels of performance in that table as a comparison to proposed indicators. The targets for awarding contracts to local businesses could be more ambitious especially as the strategy sets out plans to encourage SMEs to tender. Noted. Performance is reported in our Procurement Report which is published annually. Section 7.1 provides Procurement’s performance during 2023/24. Not everyone agrees with the climate science. Council’s and members of the public are bullied into accepting higher taxes and policies they don’t agree with Noted. You have presented a 55 page document for public consultation. This document lays out the rules governing all planned future public expenditure for A&B Council. I would like to ask the originators of this consultation document how they decided that a policy document of 55 pages, on a subject of this importance, only needs a consultation exercise covering two 'format' questions and three additional questions. I understand that the scope of this consultation exercise is limited to the 'key priorities' of this first draft of the procurement policy document, however, the full first draft of the document has been presented for review and if the scope of this review is to be limited to the 'key priorities' then only these key priorities should be presented at this stage, with a possible further review of the complete document to follow. It is not acceptable to present a full document of this size for public consultation where the consultation is limited to a specific section of that document, this is misleading to the readers. This consultation activity, as it stands, is not fit for purpose and will not provide effective public input to the proposed Sustainable Procurement Strategy for A&B Council. The actual scope of the consultation activity is not made clear to the target audience and is clouded by the presentation of 55 pages of documentation which are largely not connected to the specific 'key priorities' included within the document. I would appreciate feedback on my comments. Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review.
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Page 30 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment The limits above which tendering is required seem both (1) high and (2) arbitrary. The limits should be set after assessing frequency distributions of historic contract costs. There might, for example, be obvious modes and intermodal lows, the latter schooling the setting of tendering limits. Noted. The limits are detailed in our council’s contract standing orders and are regularly reviewed to ensure they are appropriate for our council's needs. Unlike the SNP keep all records be open and honest, admit any mistakes (people will understand and forgive). Improve management inspection and control of your own work force. All things considered (funding inflation) I think your doing reasonable well. Noted. Make sure that there are lots of different ways to encourage local/community suppliers and widen value for money/financial criteria so that the “value” part is fully recognised and not just subservient to the lowest price. Noted. Its rubbish. It simply fails to deal with whats needed most. The entire strategy should be scrapped and given a radical rethink. Noted. The draft plan reads like a hybrid between management-speak and wishful-thinking, all stretched to 55 pages. Noted. In the future PCCMT will provide a summary sheet of the key points of the Strategy for the public to review. No Noted. We are all for providing work locally so anything that can help keep work local is a must. Noted. Again in page 39, more information regarding the breakdown of expenditure by sector of top 3 (Social Care & Services, Construction and FM), plus information for the £5.2m "Other goods and services*" tab. Noted. Please refer to Section 6 for more detail of the various categories. Pure self indulgent waste of money. The irony is killing me. Noted. Our Vision of the strategy could be strengthened by having less focus on thinking internally and more focus on what we will achieve for our communities in Argyll and Bute. Utilising our public spend to add value to growth of green economy and wellbeing of our citizens. Noted. More total nonsense from A&B - a Administration continually whining about lack of funding but wasting taxpayer money on this immature, naive, asinine nonsense. Noted.
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Page 31 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment Ensuring a wider VfM / Impact Assessment / Social Rate of Return is carried out on the Strategy itself in addition to the more simple 4Es type VfM for a contract and its delivery. Without that you won't know if you are meeting your priorities. Noted. An Impact Assessment is carried out as part of this process. This is a very comprehensive and clearly set out document. There is nothing within it that I disagree with. I particularly like references to using local suppliers/contractors whereever possible. Thank you for the opportunity to read it. Noted. No Noted. The strategy makes reference on pages 4-5 to the (2013-2023) Outcome Improvement Plan and its six priorities. That plan has been superseded by the 2024-2034 Outcomes Improvement Plan (linked to on page 45) which has the three priorities of Transport Infrastructure, Housing and Community Wellbeing. Noted. Link now updated on Page 4-5 to detail the 2024-2034 Outcomes Improvement Plan. We would like to see consideration given to the use of community benefits clauses to promote modern apprenticeship opportunities for residents of Argyll. Noted. These are used where appropriate, for example, if a contract is only for 3-12 months an apprenticeship would not be appropriate and another community benefit requirement would be asked for. However, if the contract was for 3-5 years then we would expect a suitable commitment from our contractor to provide community benefits in accordance with the contract terms. 5.2.3 Empowering local suppliers, supporting community wealth building and local economic growth. CC colleagues asked for the importance of the above to be emphasised in our reponse and to highlight the fact that island based contractors often do not have the resources to work through the procurement process so simplification of this process is important. Noted. Simplification of procurement processes is a part of our support to local businesses, we provide guidance and evidence on our webpage. In addition, we are members of the Supplier Development Programme which enables all our local suppliers to join free of charge to get free advice, support and assistance in all aspects of tendering for council contracts. They provide monthly events, which we publish on our website – here. Do not invest in Israel Noted.
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Page 32 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment We welcome the draft strategy's inclusion of a holistic approach to the priority of 'empowering local suppliers, supporting community wealth building and local economic growth'. This is a wide and ambitious priority, especially when compared with some of the other stated key priorities such as 'procurement being a strategic partner for all our council services'. However we are not clear that the current model of delivering community benefits will bring the 'optimisation' of community benefits under section 5.4.3 of the action plan. We are not clear how the strategy will deliver on the aim in s5.2.3 of 'ensuring community benefits are realised'. The current model of the non-evaluated CBCs 'wishlist' scheme requires communities to be proactive rather than suppliers. There is no measurement of wishes delivered against requests made or contract requirements/expectations. Meanwhile the focus of the evaluated CBCs scheme scoring matrix is on employment and training with limited scoring potential for 'community enhancement'. We do not think communities would generally expect 'community benefit' to mainly cover employment and training. To fully optimise community benefits requires fairness in the delivery of community benefits across Argyll and Bute - we are not clear whether suppliers are required to support communities in the geographical area in which they are working. We suggest the use of the language community 'wish-lists' should be changed to language more appropriate to the importance of this priority - if suppliers are required to deliver community benefit under the terms of their contract this is an entitlement for communities and should be seen as such and not simply that suppliers are granting them a 'wish'. The non-evaluated CBCs 'wishlist' promotes small-scale benefits and we would like to see more transparent and accountable mechanism for more ambitious community benefits to be realised. We are disappointed that there is no target for increasing the delivery of community benefits in the draft strategy. (completed by Helensburgh Community Hub on behalf of the Community Wealth Building subgroup of H&L Community Planning Group) Noted. The council has different methods of delivering community benefits, which are detailed in the attached Community Benefit Guidance documents SGN2 (Appendix 3) and SGN3 (Appendix 4). We are in the process of reviewing these guidance documents, including the Community Benefits points matrix and menu, and these should be ready for circulation by the middle of next year. The Community Benefits delivered by our suppliers are reported in our Annual Procurement Report. We encourage suppliers to support communities in the geographical area they’re working in by sharing the wishlist with them, which allows them to understand what the local communities would like and decide if they can support any of the ‘nearby’ requests. As part of our contract management activities, we monitor and record the delivery of Community Benefits throughout the contract duration, where many of our contracts include a Community Benefit KPI (Key Performance Indicator) that the supplier is expected to achieve, and we report the outcomes on a quarterly basis, which is uploaded to our Community Benefits webpage. We believe that naming the list of community requests a ‘wishlist’ to be appropriate, as we also share this list with suppliers who are not obliged to deliver a Community Benefit, as well as those who are required to in their contract. We consider use of the word ‘wish’ to demonstrate that we are sympathetic to the surrounding difficulties suppliers face with rising prices of goods and materials in our current economic climate and that we’re therefore extremely grateful when a supplier can manage to ‘give’ something to the community free of charge.
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Page 33 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy 2025/2028? Consultation Feedback Procurement Comment no Noted. A very interesting document which clearly a lot of time has been taken over, to ensure that Procurement exercises work for all the good of Argyll and Bute. Noted. We are encouraged by the council’s draft Sustainable Procurement Strategy and its alignment with the Good Food Nation agenda, supporting local food procurement and reducing the environmental impact of food. As a new Sustainable Food Partnership for Argyll and Bute, we see positive opportunities to enhance resilience and community through this strategy. Following a productive meeting with stakeholders (listed below), we all agreed on the importance of collaboration in this space. We aim to position ourselves as one of the key delivery partner for the Good Food Nation Act and believe our early involvement with this strategy could maximize impact and build lasting partnerships. Although we are operating only as a Steering Group at the moment, we felt it was important to put our group forward as having a vested interest in the future of food procurement in Argyll and Bute. Brenna Anderson - ABCAN Officer Angela Anderson - Time for Change Argyll and Bute Lindsey Young - ABCAN Officer Becky Hothersall - The Poverty Alliance Hannah Clinch - Dunoon Community Development Trust Noted. You will never attract people to the area while there is a chronic shortage of social housing. There are hundreds of unfilled job vacancies in Oban and zero unemployment. The jobs cannot be filled due to far too many holiday flats. The only solution is for Argyll & Bute Council to requision holiday apartments and to rent them to local people who want to work in Oban but cannot get any rented social accomodation. Noted. Your comments having been shared with our Housing colleagues.
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Page 34 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report Appendix 3 SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE NOTE 2: Sustainable Procurement & Types of Community Benefits 1. Sustainable Procurement 1.1. The Public Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 introduces the Sustainable Procurement Duty which applies to all regulated procurements. Public Bodies are now required to consider before they carry out a regulated procurement (commencing on or after 1st June 2016) how they can conduct the procurement and act with a view to securing improvements in a way which will secure improvements to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the Authority’s area. 1.2. Public Bodies are required to consider before they carry out a regulated procurement how they can conduct the procurement in a way which will facilitate the involvement of SMEs, third sector bodies and supported businesses and promotes innovation. 1.3. As a matter of good practice sustainability needs to be built into the earliest stages of the Journey, when requirements are being identified and specified. 1.4. We can contribute towards improving the social wellbeing element of our Sustainable Procurement Duty under section 9 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (“the Act”) by adopting policies to promote fair work practices in relevant public contracts. Consideration must be given prior to undertaking a procurement exercise (at Commodity Sourcing Strategy stage) whether it is relevant and proportionate to include a question on fair work practices which would be evaluated along with other relevant criteria of a bidder’s approach to fair work practices. 1.5. A long-term view to the requirement should be taken, for example you should consider: • Flexibility for future purchases • Maintenance • Spares • Training now and in the future • Licensing • Upgrades • Take-back at disposal stage 1.6. You should use the Government Buying Standards best practice specifications where appropriate. 1.7. Please refer to the Argyll and Bute Council Sustainable Procurement Policy for further information.
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Page 35 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2. Community Benefits 2.1. The ability to incorporate social and environmental considerations which include community benefits in procurements is not new. The key principles remain that: 2.1.1. Social and environmental considerations must relate to the subject matter of the contract; 2.1.2. Their use must adhere to principles of procurement; and 2.1.3. If scoring social and environmental criteria must be capable of objective assessment. 2.2. The following are the main types of Community Benefits which can be obtained through procurement provided they are directly related to the subject matter of the contract and are proportionate: o Targeted recruitment and training e.g. jobs, training, work experience, job shadowing opportunities, apprenticeships for young persons and unemployed individuals o Supported employment for people with disabilities or other disadvantaged groups o Promotion of job opportunities through local agencies o Training for existing workforce o Mentoring – suppliers offering support and guidance to local organisations and individuals o Suppliers using community venues and other community services o Promotion of certain supply chain subcontractors (SMEs, social enterprises, supported businesses, Third Sector Organisations) o The staff of suppliers undertaking volunteering within communities o Community enhancement - resources provided for community facilities (e.g. playgrounds, habitat enhancements, environmental improvements) and initiatives (e.g. energy efficiency) o Outreach and education opportunities within the community to those associated with or impacted by the types of service provided e.g. promoting careers in construction and trades or care and support to local schools o Sponsorship of local organisations o Community consultation, engagement and strengthening community relations o Equal opportunities in terms of the supplier’s staffing and access to services o User involvement from the outset
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Page 36 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 2.3. Please refer to Supplementary Guidance Note 3 - Argyll and Bute Council - Community Benefits Clauses in Procurement Guide for further information on the types of Community Benefits Clauses the Council uses, and methods of including them within tenders.
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Page 37 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report Appendix 4 SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE NOTE 3: ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL Community Benefits Clauses GUIDANCE FOR TENDERERS
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Page 38 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Sustainable procurement is aimed at securing the maximum economic, social and environmental benefit for residents and businesses within Argyll and Bute from investment in the area. Argyll and Bute Council promotes sustainability within its contracts and seeks to introduce measures to secure opportunities for training and employment, work placements, school curriculum support, community enhancement and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supply chain development based on the evidence of need in the Argyll and Bute area. Legislation already exists in terms of The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, and the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, which enable public bodies to include Community Benefits in the procurement process, and include a requirement to consider the inclusion of Community Benefits. Community Benefits should improve the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the area. Argyll and Bute Council recognises the potential of Community Benefits Clauses within procurement processes and what they can achieve in terms of employment and training and business development throughout the full period of the proposed contract and beyond. Argyll and Bute Council is committed to maximise Community Benefits from its procurement activities and, as standard, includes Community Benefits Clauses (CBCs) within contracts with an estimated value of: • Supplies and Services >£100,000 • Works >£2,000,000 The Council uses two different types of Community Benefits Clauses depending on the value and nature of the contract – either a Non-Evaluated CBC which mandates that the successful supplier is required to select a benefit from the Council’s request-list, or an Evaluated CBC which is scored as part of the tender evaluation process, and requires the successful supplier to deliver a range of benefits to achieve a set threshold of points. The Council will take a proactive approach with suppliers to provide early, strong and clear guidelines of social, economic and environmental opportunity expectations. The Sustainability Lead Officer can advise on thresholds and processes undertaken to assess the inclusion of Community Benefits, and monitoring and verification of key performance indicators. Suppliers can receive a wide range of support to facilitate their Community Benefits obligations, including support from the Argyll and Bute Council Employability Team.
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Page 39 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 1.2 Expectations Successful suppliers will be expected to embrace Argyll and Bute Council’s requirements for delivering a range of Community Benefits including: • Targeted recruitment and training • Work placements • Curriculum support • Community enhancement • Small and Medium Enterprises and Social Enterprise Organisations’ supplier development Suppliers are encouraged to incorporate potential Community Benefits at all levels. The supplier must be able to demonstrate their intention to integrate trainees and new entrants into the labour market without distinction of sex, marital status, race, ethnic origin or political or religious beliefs. 1.3 Evaluated Community Benefits Clauses Please refer to Sections 2, 3 and 4 to understand the process further. If an Evaluated Community Benefits Clause has been used, the Contract will have been allocated a minimum value of Mandatory Community Benefits Points from the Community Benefits Points Matrix (Section 3) based on the value and timescales within the matrix. It is up to the supplier to decide what Community Benefits they wish to offer from the Community Benefits Points Menu (Section 4) which provides a selection of the types of Community Benefits that the Council would expect this Contract to deliver and allocates Community Benefits Points (CBPs) to each of these. As part of their tender return, suppliers will complete a Breakdown of the Community Benefits Points to be provided; a Community Benefits Method Statement; and a timetable for delivery of the Community Benefits. This will be an evaluated part of the tender submission. There is no limit on the Community Benefits that a supplier may offer as Supplementary Benefits and the total CBPs offered may exceed the Council’s stated expectation. 1.4 Non-Evaluated Contracts For non-evaluated contracts (those of a value lower than £100,000) there is a new scheme in place to supplement the points matrix system noted in sections 3 and 4 of this guidance. Community groups will apply through a dedicated online application process on the Council’s website for requests of support from contractors. Contractors who are bidding for contracts of a value below £100,000 should visit the website, Community Benefits | Argyll and Bute Council and select a benefit from the “request list” which should be treated and completed in the same way as Evaluated Contracts as detailed within this document. It should be noted that the “request list” is also available to Evaluated Contracts to select an option as part of the “Community Enhancement” section of the Community Benefits Points Menu listed in Section 4.
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Page 40 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 1.5 Compliance and Sanctions for Non Compliance For both evaluated and non-evaluated benefits – the offer and any relevant methodology for delivery will be included in the final contract between the Council and Supplier. The Council will proactively contract manage Community Benefits as outlined at para 2.2 below to ensure compliance. In the event of the supplier being unable to deliver the Community Benefit offered, the parties will work together in the spirit of cooperation and partnership to identify alternative equivalent benefits. In the event of non-compliance, the Council may seek to recover the cost equivalent to the value of the Community Benefits that should have been delivered. This shall be invoiced to the successful supplier quarterly from the date of commencement and then every quarter until the end of the contract duration. 1.6 Remuneration Trainees and recruits must, as a minimum, be paid in accordance with National Minimum Wage rates and industry norms and must have terms and conditions of employment that are at least equivalent to those provided to workers that have equivalent skills and experience. Employers are encouraged to increase the remuneration of trainees in line with their experience and productivity. 1.7 Supplier and Sub-contractor Compliance It is the supplier’s responsibility to develop a working method that will deliver the targeted recruitment and training requirements and related monitoring and verification data, and obtain the full co-operation of suppliers and sub-contractors in delivering these requirements for the full duration of the contract. 1.8 Equal Opportunities The successful supplier will be required to ensure that it complies with equal opportunities and non-discrimination legislation in relation both to the delivery of the service and to employment and demonstrate the policies and practices which it will put in place to achieve this. 1.9 Insurances The successful supplier must ensure that relevant indemnities are in place and insurance cover includes people aged 16 and over and staff from employment and training organisations when on site. 1.10 Frameworks with Evaluated Community Benefits Clause Spend with framework supplier(s) will be established by the Procurement Officer on a quarterly basis. Once trigger levels of spend are achieved as per the Community Benefits Points Matrix in Section 3, the supplier will be advised that a Community Benefits requirement has been activated. This will be done via quarterly contract management meetings or via email as appropriate.
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Page 41 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report The Community Benefits requirement is to be actioned during the following quarter, in line with the supplier’s Community Benefits response within their tender submission for the framework. Please note that no timetable for delivery is to be submitted for frameworks, as delivery will be dependent on spend on the framework. 1.11 Definitions A New Entrant is defined as a person who is employed to do a specific job and is leaving an educational establishment or a training provider, or a person that has been non- employed who has been unemployed and/or is registered with worker or job Centre Plus and is seeking employment. An Apprentice is a person defined as a New Entrant to the industry who is undertaking a recognised skill qualification or an equivalent apprenticeship scheme for construction or non-construction apprenticeships. Work Placement is defined as a person undertaking a short term overview of the industry and/or a related training programme with on-site instruction and supervision provided. Direct indicates that the New Entrant will be employed or trained by the main contractor Indirect indicates that the New Entrant will be employed or trained through a specialist contractor or subcontractor as a result of work procured through the main contractor Priority Group is defined as unemployed people or young people not in employment, education or training; for the purposes of delivering Community Benefits within Argyll and Bute Council contracts 1.12 Disclaimer The inclusion of targeted recruitment and training requirements does not comprise or imply any promise on the part of Argyll and Bute Council or their partners or agents to provide suitable trainees or labour. All recruitment, supervision and discipline responsibilities rest with the supplier and sub-contractors. Within this context Argyll and Bute Council will work with local agencies to help facilitate the achievement of the recruitment and training requirements. Any action taken by Argyll and Bute Council to facilitate relationships between the successful supplier and individuals/ firms/ agencies does not imply and should not be deemed to imply that they or its agents consider the individual/ firm/ agency as suitable for engagement by the successful supplier. Within this context, Argyll and Bute Council will work with local employability partners to help facilitate the achievement of the employment and training requirements.
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Page 42 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 1.13 Questions or Concerns During the tender process if the supplier has any concerns regarding the type of Community Benefit being requested and/ or the proportionality and fairness of the level of Community Benefit being requested they should contact the Sustainability Lead Officer. 2.0 PROCESS FOR SUPPLIERS 2.1 Tender Stage: • Procurement Officer will use the Community Benefits Points Matrix (Section 3) to outline the minimum Community Benefits Points required in the contract; • Tenderers will receive this Community Benefits: Guidance for Tenderers Document containing Sections 1-4 with the Invitation to Tender documents, they are expected to read and understand what Community Benefits would be expected should their tender be successful; • Tenderers are required to answer the Community Benefits question within the Invitation to Tender document, providing a breakdown of the Community Benefits Points, a Community Benefits Method Statement and a delivery timetable*. * Delivery timetable N/A for frameworks. 2.2 Contract Management: • The Procurement Officer and Contract Administrator will make arrangements with the supplier to monitor Community Benefits delivery (a penalty may be set for non- compliance that is equivalent to the value of the Community Benefits that should have been delivered). • Monitoring: o Responses to the Community Benefits question within Invitations to Tender will become part of the contract’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). o KPIs will be monitored as part of the ongoing contract management process for the contract, and progress will be reported back to the Sustainability Lead Officer on a regular basis. o Evidence of Community Benefits achievements will be required from suppliers – i.e. apprenticeship/qualification certificates, photographs of community engagement activities/school visits, names and job titles for employment. This information should be provided with the regular updates on progress. o Information on outcomes of Community Benefits Clauses in Argyll and Bute Council contracts are widely reported both within the Council and externally.
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Page 43 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 3.0 COMMUNITY BENEFITS POINTS MATRIX Estimated Contract Duration Estimated Contract Value 0-6 months 6-12 months 12-24 months 24-36 months £1 - £99,000 Non-Evaluated CBC - Supplier selection from the “Request list” updated on the Council’s website Non-Evaluated CBC - Supplier selection from the “Request list” updated on the Council’s website Non-Evaluated CBC - Supplier selection from the “Request list” updated on the Council’s website Non-Evaluated CBC - Supplier selection from the “Request list” updated on the Council’s website £100,000- £500,000* 5 10 20 40 £500,000- £1,000,000* 10 20 30 50 £1,000,000- £3,000,000 20 30 40 60 £3,000,000- £5,000,000* 30 40 50 70 £5,000,000- £10,000,000 40 50 60 80 £10,000,000- £20,000,000 50 60 70 90 £20,000,000- £30,000,000 60 70 80 100 * Services and Supply contracts only. The minimum contract value for works contracts which require inclusion of a Community Benefits Clause is £2,000,000. 4.0 COMMUNITY BENEFITS POINTS MENU Community Benefit Outcomes Description Community Benefits Points Modern Apprenticeships Create a new Apprenticeship Position registered with sector skills body 20 Graduate Internship New graduate intern position created for university graduate 20 Job (Unemployed) Offer employment to a new entrant who is seeking employment (employment offered for a minimum of 6 months) 20 [Points awarded in proportion to the number of hours worked – FTE = 20 CBPs; part-time roles = variable CBPs] Trainee Position Offer structured training places to new entrant leading to industry recognised qualifications. 10
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Page 44 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report Community Benefit Outcomes Description Community Benefits Points Community Enhancement (maximum of 15 points available for this section*) • Physical/environmental project • Organisation business development • Sponsorship A list of Community Groups and Projects requiring support has been added to the Council’s website at https://www.argyll- bute.gov.uk/community-benefits-list 5 Work Experience Placement (maximum of 10 points available for this section*) Provide a structured period of work experience for a pupil, student or trainee (a minimum of 4 weeks is required to achieve 5 points i.e. (1 x student for 4 weeks or 4 x students for 1 week) 5 Education Support Initiative (maximum of 10 points available for this section*) • Industry awareness days or workshops for school pupils or college students. • Structured career events for school pupils or college students. • Workplace visits for school pupils or college students (min 10 students to qualify) • School mentoring or enterprise/vocational programme 5 S/NVQ Training (maximum of 10 points available for this section*) • S/NVQ’s or equivalent for Existing Employees • S/NVQ’s or equivalent for New Entrants • S/NVQ’s or equivalent for Subcontract staff 5 Supply Chain Development Activity (maximum of 10 points available for this section*) • Supply Chain Briefings with SME’s • Business Mentoring with SME’s • Business Support for Social Enterprises, Supported Businesses, Third Sector Organisations • Mentoring Third Sector Organisations 5 * Aside from exceptional circumstances, i.e. where a tenderer can justify why they are unable to offer new positions within their organisation as a result of being awarded the contract. In these circumstances, tenderers can offer to provide community benefits outcomes which exceed the maximum number of points stated above. Tenderers should still meet the minimum number of Community Points required for the tender, as identified in Section 3 above.
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Page 45 of 45 Back to Contents Stakeholder Consultation Report 5.0 CONTACTS Contact Service/ Organisation Community Benefit Remit Email Contact No. Elaine Appleby Procurement, Commercial and Contract Management Team, Argyll and Bute Council Sustainability Lead Officer Elaine.appleby@argyll-bute.gov.uk 01369 708594 Sharon Renton Development and Infrastructure Services – Economic Development, Argyll and Bute Council Targeted Recruitment and Training Sharon.renton@argyll-bute.gov.uk Sharon: 01586 559018 Office: 01586 555990 David Rennie, Social Enterprise Officer Communities and Partnership Team, Argyll and Bute Council Community Benefits – Supply Chain Initiatives (Third Sector) david.rennie@argyll-bute.gov.uk 01700 501371 Kate Fraser Business Gateway Community Benefits – Supply Chain Initiatives (SMEs) Kate.fraser@argyll-bute.gov.uk 01546 60 4550 Roddy Stewart Ready For Business Public Sector Support for Community Benefits roddy.stewart@ceis.org.uk 0141 425 2914 Third Sector Team Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface Support to third sector organisations info@argylltsi.org.uk 01369 700 100 If you would like further information on this document please contact Elaine Appleby, Sustainability Lead Officer, contact details above.