Commercial expertise for local public bodies
Local Partnerships provides leading edge commercial expertise solely for the benefit of the public sector. Its mission is to enhance the quality of people’s lives by giving trusted, professional support to local public bodies to improve their ability to source and deliver high quality, cost-effective public services and infrastructure.
We are a 50-50 joint venture between the Local Government Association and HM Treasury providing a single source of commercial expertise and know-how for all local public bodies, including local authorities, health and social care agencies, police and fire authorities.
We were established to deliver long term value for the public sector by using our commercial skills to strengthen client side capability. We occupy a unique position as policy delivery partners for central and local government and act exclusively for and on behalf of the public sector freely sharing the intellectual property we develop through the publication of cutting edge guidance helping the sector deliver value and saving costs.
Local Asset backed Vehicles - A success story or unproven concept?
With a growing interest in, and need for, effective partnership working between the public and private sectors, the RICS and Local Partnerships sponsored a research review of Local Asset Backed Vehicles (LABV). While such vehicles have existed for over a decade, there is a surprising absence of objective commentary on their achievements, the challenges to their creation and operation, and their potential future shape and direction in the context of the financial and economic environment. Our paper presents some facts and figures coupled with the views of entrants in the market at present or those watching actively from the side lines. If it also stimulates more active debate among interested parties and helps to generate a new wave of partnership models, it will have achieved on its aim. Click here to download the paper.
New guidelines on interpreting EU procurement rules
Despite numerous EU regulations stating how councils should buy goods and services, innovative local authorities are finding ways to use these rules to bring real financial benefits to local areas.
The Local Government Association and Local Partnerships have today jointly published case studies of councils who have managed to utilise the complex procurement rules to their advantage, maximising the benefit from every taxpayer pound spent. This comes as councils face budget cuts of around 28 per cent in the current spending round, compared to an average of just eight per cent across Whitehall departments.
The report, Buying into Communities, illustrates how when buying low value goods and services, there is room for manoeuvre which councils can use to their advantage. Even with larger contracts, there are fewer constraints than are widely believed.
To access the guidelines click here.
Identifying and Delivering Efficiencies in Waste
Local Partnerships (LP) has launched a programme to assist waste authorities across the country who are working in partnership to deliver the efficiencies required and continue to deliver quality services to the public. Click here to view the programme of LP along with a library of up to date case studies of covering Authorities partnership initiatives, which will be updated regularly.
A flexible approach to procuring Managed ICT Services in Local Government
Local Partnerships, Cabinet Office and Infrastructure UK have responded to growing demand from both public and private sectors for a standard contract for the implementation and operation of ICT systems and their associated services by launching the Managed ICT Services Model Agreement (MISMA). The MISMA represents a simplified and shortened form of the pre-existing ICT Services Model Agreement for use in 2nd and 3rd generation ICT projects. It has been developed through consultation with the public and the private sector.
The MISMA provides guidance on the key issues that arise in ICT projects such as due diligence complexities, complex and high risk transformation, significant scalability risk and statutory duties in delivering critical services in order to promote the achievement of commercially balanced deals. A document setting out Instructions for Effective and Optimum Use of the MISMA is also available. This document provides instruction to public sector contracting authorities using the MISMA, by setting out the target application for user of the MISMA and when it might be appropriate to make project specific variations to the documentation.
It is envisaged that by providing a balanced starting point for parties negotiating ICT contracts use of the MISMA and the associated user guidance will save significant time and costs for both Local Authorities and the private sector.
The MISMA and Instructions for Effective and Optimum Use of the MISMA are available on Local Partnerships Procurement Pack Portal at http://www.affinitext.com/lppp/.
Easy procurement guide on PPP projects
Local Partnerships is an EPEC (European PPP Expertise Centre) member and is delighted to endorse the EPEC PPP Guide for use by Local Authorities in their PPP projects.
The EPEC PPP Guide is an easy to use source of good practice. It seeks to identify the “best of breed” guidance available from PPP guidelines worldwide and from selected professional publications. It is designed to assist public officials responsible for preparing, launching and implementing PPP projects and to facilitate their understanding of the key issues and steps involved in the delivery of PPP arrangements. The EPEC PPP Guide can be used as:
- a broad guide to procurement and implementation issues in PPPs;
- an introduction to the information public procuring authorities should request from their advisers; and
- a starting point to learn more about specific aspects of PPP design.
Click here for further info.
