Manchester City Council’s procurement spending is building wealth in communities

“Manchester City Council have been trailblazers in pioneering progressive procurement.”

Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, commented “Manchester City Council have been trailblazers in pioneering progressive procurement. Working collaboratively with CLES, they have shown the way in advancing the procurement aspects of community wealth building. The learning from this work has inspired many other local councils, places and anchor institutions across the UK. In Manchester, the continued and deepening of progressive actions and change is testament to a restlessness to continually improve, which has been driven by political leadership, officer dedication and supplier support.”

“Social value isn’t just a concept – it’s something which delivers real and lasting benefits to Manchester people.”

Councillor Carl Ollerhead, Manchester City Council Executive Member for Finance, added “Social value isn’t just a concept – it’s something which delivers real and lasting benefits to Manchester people. I’m proud to say that Manchester has taken giant strides in our quest to deliver the maximum social value from our spending in the last 12 years. Through concerted efforts, we’ve ensured that it isn’t an add-on, it’s embedded as a core part of our culture. It’s something I personally will continue to champion and we are determined to keep building on the progress we’ve made. Through innovations such as boosting the chances of environmentally-responsible companies of winning council contracts we are determined to keep driving this agenda forwards.”

CLES has been working with Manchester City Council to analyse its annual procurement spend and to understand its impact on the Manchester economy and residents since 2018. Since then, CLES has worked with the Council’s procurement officers to improve the processes, so that the social and environmental value of their activities are considered alongside cost when selecting suppliers. Additionally, Manchester City Council and CLES have worked in collaboration with the supply chain to change their behaviour to deliver social and environmental value.

The new findings highlight the key changes that have been undertaken in procurement policy and process, and the benefits achieved for the local authority, the supply chain, and the economy and residents of Manchester as a result. This approach has much in common with the much-praised “Preston Model” on which CLES have been key advisors.