Local procurement supported by GHA (19/5/21)
Preparation of our annual procurement report highlights that over 85% of the Association's annual procurement spend during 2020/21 went to local suppliers and contractors in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
This is a positive outcome for businesses in the area and a boost for the economy in the North East. Of the remaining spend the most significant amounts were for national companies/consultants/software providers where local options are more limited.
The Association encourages potential suppliers and contractors to register with Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and to take part in the Supplier Development Programme to ensure they are fully aware of contract requirements and they are supported to submit the best possible tender.
Demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that procurement is transparent, the objective is to use PCS for all regulated and non-regulated contracts each financial year.
Last year the Association’s procurement was the subject of an internal audit exercise. Among the recommendations implemented were the inclusion of a Modern Slavery Statement in our Procurement Strategy and Policy and work with existing and prospective suppliers and contractors with a view to ensuring that the real living wage is paid to all their employees. Training was also provided to the Leadership Team to ensure a consistent approach for procurement is embedded throughout the organisation.
Since March 2015, the SFHA has worked in collaboration with the Scottish Procurement Alliance to deliver a procurement advisory service for RSLs across Scotland. This followed the introduction of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 which resulted in major changes in public procurement. This has had a significant impact on how housing associations conduct their procurement activity. The Association is also open to exchanging good practice with local authorities and local housing associations.
We advertise all tender opportunities on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS). PCS is the national advertising portal for the Scottish public sector to advertise contract opportunities and public contract awards. We encourage all prospective suppliers and contractors to register with PCS to receive notifications of relevant tendering opportunities.
In line with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 we publish details of all regulated procurement contracts. Information on our notices and contract awards can be found at: