How to be in the council contracts mix

AN event designed to help Oldham business leaders understand the process by which Oldham Council must manage its procurement takes place on Thursday, October 14.

Oldham2oldham is at the Earl Business Centre in Hathershaw, attended by Ian Claydon-Butler, the local authority’s head of procurement, and his staff.

Mr Claydon-Butler told Chronicle Business: “The days are gone when a person could walk up and say ‘I can do that’ — there are procedures and guidelines we have to follow and our event is designed to make sure that Oldham businesses understand how the system works.”

Such has been the response — with around 300 people logging on to to register attendance via www.oldham2oldham.co.uk — that an extra morning session has been added.

Committing the council and his staff to see anyone who registers, Mr Claydon-Butler said: “The take up has been excellent and we are delighted . . . but if we are over-subscribed we will do another event.

“This is all about informing the business community of Oldham and that is what we will do.”

Mr Claydon-Butler, who also has a business background having worked in the past for Seton Scholl in Oldham, says the event will also educate delegates on how the council must work within European guidelines.

For instance, if a contract is in excess of £150,000 then European directives dictate this must be posted on a eurowide website and for capital projects worth in excess of £2.9 million notification must be posted with a three-month response period.

“Obviously, some projects will not interest companies and contractors from far-flung corners of the EU, but we must still follow the rules,” he explained.

Oldham Council has also signed up The Chest — as the process has become known — with nine of the ten Greater Manchester councils as signatories. Wigan MBC is the exception.

This procedure dictates that all contracts in excess of £10,000 be made available throughout the North-West, which opens competition to Oldham business from outside the borough, but offers opportunities for Oldham companies to bid for jobs across the region.

The website is hosted and managed by an organisation called Due North, and they will be hosting explanatory seminars on the Oldham2oldham event.

Council leader Councillor Howard Sykes will also speak, as will Emma Alexander, the council’s executive director of performance, services and capacity.

There will also be questions and answers session to a panel of procurement specialists and delegates can book one-to-one advice.

Mr Claydon-Butler concluded: “The event has a number of aims and one is to dispel the myth that the council still operates a preferred list of people who can tender for public sector...that is simply not the case.

“Price is not always the overriding criteria, value for money and quality are key to winning contracts.

“The bottom line is that we want people to understand how the framework for tenders works.”

Register at www.oldham2oldham.co.uk