ESPO Reports 12th Successive Year Of Public Sector Procurement Growth
ESPO, the UK’s leading public sector professional buying organisation, has announced its 12th successive year continued growth with trading sales up by 7% and a 15% increase in the number of customers served over the last year. The organisation has also reported that the total value of its procurement activity in 2011/12 exceeded £1billion for the first time.
According to ESPO: “This continued growth is testament to our commitment to provide public sector customers with greater choice, higher quality and best value rather than primarily focusing on profit which is an approach adopted by many other procurement bodies. We are extremely proud of these results which emphasise that our customers continue to have high levels of satisfaction with our approach and competitiveness, consolidating our position as the leading public sector procurement organisation for local government.”
As well as its comprehensive offering of consumable items, managed through its headquarters in Leicester, ESPO is now acknowledged to have the largest portfolio of local government frameworks and an unrivalled depth of expertise at every level across all procurement categories. As the dominant provider of frameworks to local government and the education sector, ESPO has taken the lead in the majority of current national contracts including Phonics and MSTAR, the market-leading framework for temporary agency workers which is projected to be valued at more than £3.5 billion by the end of 2014.
ESPO’s energy team has also made a major contribution to this record year. It has won many new contracts and taken the lead in completing new national frameworks on behalf of PRO5 for Voltage Optimisation and Meter Operator Services.
“Working collaboratively with Government Procurement Service (GPS), PRO5 and other national partners, ESPO plays a leading role in helping to engage markets, challenge current practices and develop innovative new commissioning and sourcing strategies,” continued ESPO. “As well as delivering real ‘savings’ to local authorities and the wider public sector, ESPO reinvests any operating surplus back into pricing and competitive contract arrangements. In addition, over the last twelve months, more than £5million has been distributed back to the members’ public purse.”
To maintain its market-leading position, ESPO has recently completed a strategic restructuring programme to further improve service delivery and enhance the customer experience through the adoption of a co-ordinated and holistic approach to procurement. New category and business development heads have been appointed to provide an increased focus on building even closer links with customers and suppliers to make procurement more pro-active and customer-focused. This approach has already helped ESPO to win significant public sector contracts across England and Wales, including London and the South East.