North-east businesses to be supported by new procurement development officers
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Two new procurement development officers have been appointed to support both Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen businesses.
Julie Maclean and Nadine Jebali will help those local businesses in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen respectively which could supply the councils through direct or sub-contracting opportunities to bid for public sector contracts.
They will be encouraging the local supply chain to explore public sector opportunities to support the area's economy.
The officers’ roles will encourage suppliers to tender for work, provide assistance and identify the barriers preventing them from tendering.
Funding from this project has been provided by the Business Gateway flexible fund which supports projects within the region which support a more responsive, local and flexible manner to meet the evolving needs of businesses.
It is important that projects like these are there to support and grow local businesses which has greater economic benefits for the region.
Aberdeenshire Council Leader Councillor Mark Findlater said: “This project focuses on business support to ensure our local supply chains in both Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen are aware of the opportunities and, in turn, we gain valuable feedback on the capacity of that same local supply chain.
“Taking the Aberdeenshire construction sector as an example, the economic systems surrounding the decarbonisation requirement requires rapid and ambitious upskilling and innovation.
"This industry is driven by relatively short-term contracts of which few to-date have involved the type of full decarbonisation which will be driven through regulation over the next decade.
"While a lot of the detail around the transition is unknown, we can provide leadership, confidence, and stability around the pipeline.
"Making even a two per cent increase in our procurement equates to £5 million retained locally.”
Aberdeen City Council co-leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “The commercial and procurement team which covers Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Highland councils are working in tandem with the new team to identify upcoming opportunities from the council’s contract pipelines for targeted supplier engagement and support.
“We look forward to continuing this collaborative approach to engage with suppliers in advance of tenders going out to market.”
Anyone who has a query or would like to understand more about the planned programme can contact:
Aberdeenshire - Julie Maclean by emailing julie.maclean@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or calling 0447425127107.
Aberdeen City - Nadine Jebali by emailing nadine.jebali@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or calling 0447909213838.
