Purpose

The Cabinet will be asked to approve the Council’s Procurement Strategy 2026–2030, setting out how procurement will support statutory compliance, financial resilience and the Council’s long-term ambitions.

Decision

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the LBBD Procurement Strategy 2026-2030 at Appendix 1, including the strategic direction and phased action plan at Appendix A to the Strategy;

(ii)  Endorse the Strategy’s direction of travel towards a centralised procurement operating model, noting that any staffing, budget or structural decisions required to implement that model would be subject to the Council’s normal governance, consultation and approval processes;

(iii)  Authorise the Head of Corporate Procurement and Contract Management, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, to make minor factual, presentational or updating amendments before publication, provided these do not materially alter the Strategy approved by Cabinet;

(iv)  Note that progress shall be monitored through annual delivery planning and reported through the Procurement Board and the Council’s appropriate corporate governance arrangements; and

(v)  Note that the Council’s Contract Rules shall be revised to reflect the new arrangements and a further report submitted to Full Council seeking approval to any substantive changes to the Contract Rules.