05 January 2006 | Anusha Bradley
The British Transport Police's purchasing department will begin using pay-as-you-go e-procurement technology this month.
It is the next stage in a plan to modernise its procurement and gain control over its £40 million annual goods and services spend.Work on reducing its 3,000-strong supply base by 50 per cent, and analysing areas where it could negotiate better deals is already under way.
The force will use the e-procurement software to buy a range of goods and services, including uniforms and veterinary care.
It is the first UK organisation to use the on-demand software from US company Ketera, which recently entered the UK market.
Nigel Ellis, project manager responsible for e-procurement at the force, told SM: "We have a devolved organisation so we needed a process in place to make our procurement more efficient."
He said the force was rationalising its supply base and has used contract management and spend-analysis tools to see where it spends most money.
This intelligence will aid negotiations and reduce the time non-purchasing staff spend on sourcing goods.
Steve Savignano, chief executive of Ketera, said the decision to use a pay-as-you-go model - usually used by smaller companies - showed that the approach could be used in an organisation of any size and structure.
SMjan2006
