Grampian Housing Association procurement spend supports local businesses

Grampian Housing Association has released a report which has highlighted that over 85% of its annual procurement spend in 2020/21 went to local suppliers and contractors in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. 

The association said: “This is a positive outcome for businesses in the area and a boost for the economy in the North East.”

The most significant amounts of the remaining spend were 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 participate in the Supplier Development Programme to ensure they are fully aware of contract requirements and are supported to submit the best possible tender.  

Demonstrating its commitment to ensuring that procurement is transparent, Grampian’s 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 its Procurement Strategy and Policy and work with existing and prospective suppliers/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. Grampian is also open to exchanging good practice with local authorities and local housing associations.

Grampian Housing Association advertises 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. 

In line with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, Grampian publish details of all regulated procurement contracts. Information on Grampian Housing Association’s notices and contract awards can be found here.