Meeting the procurement challenge‏

The new preferred route for private companies to extend their ‘market share’ of public service delivery is via commissioning or procurement. It has become widespread across all public services in the UK and is being intensified as public bodies attempt to force financial savings through cuts in staffing and reductions in levels of service. Where in house bids are unsuccessful, or in some cases excluded, union members face transfer of employment to private companies or so called not for profit employers.

The European Services Strategy Unit (successor to the Centre for Public Services), produces a database of public private partnerships between local authorities and private contractors. The 2009 database is now available to download:
http://www.european-services-strategy.org.uk/news/2009/new-2009-edition-of-the-ppp-database/
This invaluable resource shows the extent of marketisation of ICT and related services in local government since 2000. It highlights that only a minority of local authorities embarking on strategic service delivery partnerships have chosen the in house option preferred by the union.

In response to the scale of the challenge posed by procurement UNISON has produced an excellent guide to campaigning and negotiating on procurement:

http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/17808.pdf

An introduction to the guide is available for branch officers and stewards:

http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B4388.pdf

Also, all regions of UNISON are providing training on effective trade union responses to procurement processes.

For an analysis of approaches to trade union engagement in procurement processes read:
http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2009/10/unison-active-analysis-public-service.html