It is estimated that c. £9 billion is spent on the goods and services each year to support the delivery of all major public services in Scotland. The money spent by local government to purchase the goods and services required to deliver services to their communities accounts for around half of this amount.
In 2006, a review of public sector procurement was undertaken by John F McClelland CBE on behalf of the Scottish Government. His report highlighted the need for a new structure which enabled public sector organisations to take advantage of their combined purchasing power, and implement procurement practices which increase efficiency and bring wider social and economic benefits to Scotland.
Scotland Excel was established on 1 April 2008 as part of this programme of procurement reform to lead the development of collaborative contracts and facilitate improved procurement practices within the local government sector. By the end of 2010, we had implemented 37 new collaborative contracts with a value of more than £170m per annum.
To ensure our members maximise the benefits of these contracts, four regional account management teams are now firmly established to provide frontline support. The Procurement Improvement Programme and our learning and development initiatives have also helped to raise standards across the sector.
