Buying Better
Outcomes
Workshop 2
Barriers to and opportunities
for wider implementation
Barriers to effective implementation
Myths:
• EU regulations do not allow it
• equalities often not relevant
• building equalities into procurement is not
compatible with VFM
• doing so places burdens on suppliers and public
bodies
Barriers to effective implementation
Organisational/cultural factors:
• who is responsible for compliance?
 need for clear corporate approach and
consistent processes
• silos – between departments and partners
- differing views
Barriers to effective implementation
Wider contextual factors:
• drive for increased efficiency and real
savings
• move to more shared services
• greater use of frameworks and category
management etc.
Barriers to effective implementation
Wider contextual factors:
• Public Services (Social Value) Act
• increased focus on getting a better return on
procurement – Social Return on Investment/’sweating
the pound’
• For local councils, impact of the Localism Act
What to do first? - start
corporately and think laterally
•
need corporate approach and strategy
•
which spells out how procurement will be used
to drive delivery of equalities priorities
•
but crucially how addressing equalities can
contribute to your wider corporate aims – and
help deliver community/social/economic benefits
•
and which sets framework for supplier diversity
policy
What to do first? - start
corporately and think laterally
•
•
then build relevant equality considerations into
each stage of the procurement process.
The equality duty could ensure equalities
implications and priorities are taken into account

This is more easily achieved with positive
leadership from key stakeholders

A clear understanding of equalities’
‘relevance’ to the procurement project is
essential
Work with others
• inside and outside your authority
• work across departments and with other
organisations in your area
• bring equality and procurement staff together
to foster mutual understanding and share skills
• within your authority work with the client side
Work smarter
• where resources are tight, consider joint work
with other public bodies and neighbouring
authorities
• many public authorities are developing forms
of shared services, and some procurement
functions already shared
• develop or use common standards where relevant
Discussion/Exercise
What are the barriers in your public authority to
building equality into commissioning and
procurement?
What steps could you take to remove these
barriers?
How could you organise within your public authority
or with partners to overcome these barriers?