Development of the Waste Procurement Toolkit Available to Purchase

This paper describes the development and structure of Defra's (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs') electronic Waste Procurement Toolkit. The toolkit was developed jointly by Enviros and Nabarro Nathanson to aid local authorities in drafting waste contract documents, guiding them through the procurement process and helping them achieve their objectives in relation to eGovernment. The objectives of the toolkit are to: improve the standard of contract documents used by local authorities and the waste industry; reduce procurement costs for all parties; and ensure long- and short-term government targets are reflected in contracts. It is aimed at managers and those involved in waste procurement to ensure all relevant issues are considered in contract development. The toolkit was developed from first principles in consultation with a group of stakeholders from the waste management industry. The toolkit consists of three parts: a procurement plan to determine the procurement strategy; a contract toolkit to prepare the contract documents; and a procurement process toolkit to lead local authorities through the procurement process. A help manual is also included in the toolkit. The toolkit is a living document that is regularly updated to include new waste legislation and guidance.