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WelcomeThank you for taking the time to visit this website and find out more about this exciting leadership role here at Reading Borough Council. |
Reading is one of the best places to live and invest in the UK. It’s a thriving borough in itself, but also benefits from first-class connectivity by road and rail – further enhanced by the imminent completion of Crossrail. Reading is a culturally rich and diverse place with a thriving economy that has bounced back well from Covid - but if it's to continue to thrive and grow and if Reading’s prosperity is to be shared with everyone locally – it needs a strong and ambitious council to stand up for the borough and support its community.
Whoever takes on this role can make an important contribution to our work. It goes without saying that we are looking for someone who can ensure the Council gets the very best value for money from its procurement and contract management. But it’s equally important that contracts are designed and monitored to ensure that they deliver the added value and high-quality outcomes that we want for our community.
The Council has been on a sustained improvement journey over recent years, and Procurement and Contracts has been a vital part of this. We are implementing a ‘hub and spoke’ model – ensuring that service and contract managers take the lead on procurement and contract management, so that their in-depth knowledge of their service area is maximised. Whilst the central Procurement and Contracts team will provide the expert technical advice, support and training that will enable them to manage contracts and procurement successfully.
Looking forward, we are already exploring how to embed social value into our commissioning and procurement activity – recognising the potential for the Council to be a catalyst for economic and social opportunities for our community. We’re also working closely with local businesses to ensure that they are better informed and equipped to bid for Council contracts. This outward focused work will be a key strategic objective for the new Assistant Director, alongside the essential role of corporate lead on procurement and contract management.
