LGP, Council, Suppliers, and the Community

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LGP, Council, Suppliers, and the Community

The LGP Monthly newsletter is sent out to approximately 9,000 contacts. These are not just a collection of email addresses but a network of staff in both councils and panel suppliers, who work together to deliver real outcomes for the NSW community. 

LGP as a ‘prescribed entity’ under legislation supports NSW councils by providing tendered contracts. LGP also provides support to councils through procurement and leadership focused training, events, and Strategic Procurement Solutions, all of which can help councils achieve their procurement objectives. Many parts of LGP’s service are underpinned by a management fee structure which enables the flow of services and support to both council and panel suppliers. 

The 128 NSW general-purpose councils are guided by the Office of Local Government who sets policy. Councils’ obligation is to ensure their procurement activities deliver value for money outcomes for their communities.  

Panel suppliers in turn have an obligation under the Tendering Guidelines for NSW Local Government, where clause 1.2. sets out the Standards of Behaviour and Ethical Principles between council and suppliers. These obligations are further enforced by councils’ own Business Ethics Policies. 

We combine to work for the residents across local government areas, the groups and communities who make up NSW. 

Delivering measurable value and reinvestment

LGP’s vision is to create and drive value for local communities. We cannot do this alone. Therefore, with our customers, the NSW Councils, and through partnerships with our contract panel suppliers an ecosystem has been set up to deliver the required and meaningful outcomes for communities throughout NSW. 

At its core, LGP provides day to day support, training & upskilling to our customers, as well as providing accessible contracts, which save time and money. Suppliers play an important part in funding the activity that takes place which benefits both councils and suppliers. 

An example of the support we provide to our customers is the LGP Procurement Capability Grant Program which is the first of its kind in the Australian Local Government Sector. Now in its third year the funding has grown to $150,000. This year 68 submissions were received for projects with expenditure between $3000 and $25,000. The submissions focus on areas such as Process Improvement, Procurement Resource Development, Technology, and other related areas. 

Another example is the LGP networking meetings, webinars and VendorPanel training sessions that are organised each year. These events that take place across NSW or online, are free to attend and offer council staff an opportunity to network, stay updated on the latest trends, hear case studies, and learn from subject matter experts. 

How does LGP fund the Capability Grant Program, our networking events, webinars and VendorPanel training sessions? The ability to continue growing these initiatives is linked to the value of the reported contract spend that is generated over the fiscal year. This means that, via the management fee, suppliers play a part in improving procurement capability at council. Councils can assist suppliers by always quoting the LGP contract number on purchasing and contract documentation, keeping their Notice of Participation’s up to date and monitoring their spend via the supplied Power BI dashboards.  

With FY24 completed, LGP would like to share a few numbers.  
  • LGP Contracts – 100% of NSW councils utilised LGP contracts. 
  • Training, Strategic Procurement Solutions (previously known as LGP Consulting), Events and Webinars – 125 out of the 128 councils accessed at least one or more of these.  
  • Events – 673 council staff attended one or more LGP events throughout the year. 

LGP has seen a growth and need for ongoing meaningful, well- timed, and on-topic events and solutions. The ecosystem provided between LGP, Council and Suppliers is well positioned to keep delivering, if we all play our part and keep in mind the communities that we all service.  

In closing, LGP would like to thank our councils and suppliers for their activity and interaction in FY24, remembering to always report so we can continue to keep delivering for the benefit of NSW communities.  

 

 

 

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