Contract and Supplier Management

West Lothian Council spends circa £220 million with externally contracted suppliers annually, and as with all public sector organisations, there is a requirement to show best value in all spend.  Contract and Supplier Management activity is extremely important in ensuring efficient service provision that will provide the greatest possible positive impact for the citizens of West Lothian.

The Contract and Supplier Management Framework, complete with various supporting documentation allows Contract Managers and Corporate Contract Managers to undertake contract management activity with suppliers.

Details on the Contract and Supplier Management framework can be found below;

What is Contract and Supplier Management?

Contract and Supplier Management is the management of contracts that have been awarded by the Authority to suppliers for the provision of Supplies, Services and Works.  Both terms differ slightly, however often co-exist as it is very difficult to perform effective Supplier Management if basic Contract Management is not performed;

Contract Management applies to specific contracts for the supply of Good(s), Service(s) or Works being procured.  For example; increasing the quality of products to increase product life, or amending hours worked by staff on a cleaning contract.

Supplier Management refers to activities across a supplier's whole portfolio of contracts.  These activities are more strategic, longer term activities.  For example; implementing the use of online catalogues via PECOS to ensure products are available at the right price, or, managing the supplier's contract to make environmental improvements such as carbon reduction during delivery.

What does the Contract and Supplier Management Framework do?

The Councils Corporate Procurement Strategy(link) is focused on ensuring that all spend can be positively influenced through contract and supplier management.

The contract and supplier management framework allows contract managers to work closely with suppliers, internal customers and service end users to maximise the quality of service delivery, minimise the total cost of ownership and to maximise the Supply Chain efficiencies throughout the life of a range of contracts across the procurement and commissioning of Supplies, Services and Works.

The full Contract and Supplier Framework Documentation can be found below;

Contract and Supplier Management Framework (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)