About us
STAR Procurement is the award winning shared procurement service for Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford Councils. We help our councils (and the organisations they work with) to arrange contracts for any supplies, services or building work that can’t be provided in-house. The suppliers who help us deliver these contracts can be from the public, private, voluntary or community sectors.
STAR Procurement provides a high quality procurement service that;
- promotes best procurement practice
- informs investment decisions
- champions social value
STAR Procurement is central to helping its Councils develop new, innovative & cost effective ways of delivering their services and it is involved in all stages of the procurement cycle:
- helping Council teams understand and develop their requirements
- making sure all procurement is compliant with laws & regulations
- helping the STAR Councils get the best value for money from their contracts
- contract monitoring & review
- transparency reporting
STAR Procurement Structure
We take a structured approach to procurement by means of category management, comprising three category teams: People, Place and Professional. The category teams specialise in, and manage those categories across the STAR Councils. They are supported by a Business Improvement Team and Procurement Business Partners. We have created a guide to the scope of each team within STAR Procurement to assist you, if you are unsure who you need to speak to. Here you will also find full contact information for the wider team.
STAR Commitment to Ethical & Sustainable Procurement
STAR Procurement is committed to adopting ethical values in the way we source and manage suppliers on behalf of our Councils. STAR is committed to accountability and self-governance, our staff are trained in ethical procurement and we have been awarded the CIPS Corporate Ethics Mark.
STAR Business Plan
STAR Procurement has a Business Plan for 2017-2020. The Business Plan shows the achievements STAR has made to date and how the organisation will continue its success over the coming years. This Business Plan includes our Vision for 2020 and our 5 objectives that will help us to achieve this vision:
1. Commercial; delivering value for money and maximising outcomes for our partners; promoting collaboration, commercial management and efficiencies in service provision
2. Communities; strengthening local and SME spend, facilitating simplified interaction through the procurement process and embracing Social Value where relevant and proportionate to add value into the local communities we serve
3. Collaboration; taking collaborative procurement beyond the STAR Councils across Greater Manchester and the wider North West, through a combination of engagement with clients and suppliers and appropriate lot structures in awarded contracts
4. Compliance; adoption of a risk-based approach and maximising innovation within the confines of the Regulations which govern our public sector activities
5. Champions; continuing to champion procurement and public service reform, using our skills to add value to the strategic procurement service provided to our partner organisations
This is supported by a detailed and challenging Delivery Plan which will be reviewed on an annual basis.
STAR Responsible Procurement Strategy 2019-2022
STAR and the councils it supports have agreed a Responsible Procurement Strategy to reflect important changes to how we work and to place responsible, sustainable, and ethical procurement at the heart of everything we do. More details can be found on our Ethical and Sustainable Procurement page about the policy and strategy we follow, and actions / commitments our Councils are signed up.