Yes, budgets are tight and local government can make big savings if it co-ordinates its purchasing a bit more efficiently. That's just common sense. Take phones: if the council gets all its mobiles from one single supplier then it will get a really good price. Not to mention a shed-load of free minutes.
I'm all for cheaper mobiles. But I'm less enthusiastic about losing some of our hard-earned financial flexibility. After all, you can only have so much fun with a requisition form and a single supplier.
Most youth workers like nothing more than a bit of retail therapy, especially if there's a bargain to be had. But times are changing and corporate procurement isn't going to go away. So last week I took a very deep breath and went along to a seminar on this brave new world. I expected a fairly unexciting meeting, and I got that right. But what I wasn't expecting was for the seminar to be so reassuring.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
