Tyneside-based Bloom Procurement Services has been awarded up to an eight-year contract to deliver the NEPRO³ procurement solution that has already been proven, on average, to save hard-hit public sector buyers between 11% and 19% against budget.
This coincides with the Institute of Fiscal Studies spending review 2019 which states that on a like-for-like basis, departmental spending is more than £40 billion lower in 2018 -19 than in 2009 -10.
Bloom has been appointed by NEPO (the North East Procurement Organisation) to deliver the multi-billion-pound NEPRO³ public sector procurement solution. NEPRO³ is a compliant procurement framework, available to every public sector organisation in the UK.
Adam Jacobs, founder and executive chairman at Bloom, said: “We are living and working in unprecedented times and that requires a focus on innovative outcomes. Spending cuts, the uncertainty of Brexit and the on-going pressure on our public services makes it a challenging time for procurement teams. Yet, there is still a huge opportunity to provide the public sector with a dynamic supply chain of professional service suppliers who can deliver the outcomes, control and value that the public expect. NEPRO³ will enable us to drive change in the way the public sector buys professional services”.
Bloom provides a full end-to-end marketplace solution for the procurement, contract management and payment of all consultancy and professional services. From local authorities, housing associations and central government departments to NHS trusts, not-for-profit, emergency services and education, Bloom’s solution supports and assists the entire UK public sector to buy and manage professional services from a choice of regional and national suppliers. It allows them to move quickly and at the lowest possible cost, whilst achieving better outcomes.
Bloom have already had great success working within the public sector. An example being corporate advisers, Torne and Shirmers, a Bloom Accredited Supplier, who were provided with the opportunity to bid on a level playing field with large multi-national companies.
Torne and Shirmers was awarded a large project with Sheffield City Region to deliver a dedicated key account management programme. The project generated 26% savings against budget and delivered a 44% reduction in project timeframe.
Bloom has been the UK’s exclusive operator of the NEPRO solution since its original inception in 2012 and has been successful in winning the third iteration of the contract up to 2027. NEPRO³ will open up procurement opportunities for public sector buyers – giving them access to a constantly evolving supply chain – whilst providing efficiency savings, transparency and a compliant route to market.
The solution will deliver substantial savings to the public sector. On average, public sector buyers currently using the NEPRO solution save between 11% and 19% against budget.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies spending review 2019 states that on a like-for-like basis, departmental spending is more than £40 billion lower in 2018 -19 than in 2009 -10 and has fallen to a share of national income last seen in 2000-01. At 38.2% of national income, total government spending is roughly where it was in 2006-07 https://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/bns/BN243.pdf. This again highlights the need for a dynamic supply chain of professional service suppliers who can deliver outcomes, control and value.
NEPRO³ will open up the market to all suppliers, removing the traditional barriers of marketing and selling to public sector bodies. The advantage to suppliers, especially smaller SMEs, is that once they are registered and accredited with Bloom they no longer have to go through time-consuming prequalification stages, instead they compete on a level playing field against larger suppliers for contracts they might not otherwise have access to.
Opportunities available to suppliers include small to multi-million-pound public sector projects. Bloom is regularly involved in roadshows across the UK, which outlines to local companies how they can join Bloom’s supplier community – and the ease of access this allows to multiple projects from over 330 public sector bodies. To date, Bloom has successfully completed over 4,500 projects.
Opening up procurement to SME suppliers is a key aspect of the NEPRO solution. 70% of projects have been delivered by SMEs enabling the public sector to drive significant growth back into local economies and remove barriers previously faced.
Steven Sinclair, procurement and commercial director at NEPO said: “NEPO is committed to driving social value through NEPRO³ and opening up opportunities to SME suppliers is integral to this. We are excited about the next stage in the delivery of the NEPRO solution. There’s continued growth in the number of public sector buyers transforming how they procure specialist professional services through this ground-breaking model. We look forward to continuing to work with the talented team at Bloom to make sure the opportunity for delivering increased value and better outcomes is realised across the wider public sector under NEPRO³.”
To find out more about working with Bloom, visit: https://bloom.services/work-with-us/