East Midlands REP structure 26

29 Apr 2010

ECHO - tool to engage communities

29 Apr 2010

Adult Social Care 'communties- healthy, strong and prosperous'

27 Apr 2010

Adult Social Care 'communties- healthy, strong and prosperous' This new IDeA publication provides a compelling narrative on the future direction of adult social care services. It identifies the key issues for councils in making connections between engagement, local area agreements and community strategies. Read it to find out how to produce better outcomes for users and citizens alike.

Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities Statutory Guidance

27 Apr 2010

Local Area Agreement Operational Guidance 2007

27 Apr 2010

Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities: Statutory Guidance

17 Mar 2010

This document provides statutory guidance to local authorities and their partners on creating strong, safe and prosperous communities. It covers local strategic partnerships, sustainable community strategies and local area agreements.

Service Design & Delivery Guide

17 Mar 2010

Reflecting recent developments in the public service reform agenda, public services providers have requested additional guidance in the areas of: 1) Take-up of e-Services 2) Efficiency Savings 3) Design of high quality public services.

How to be Successful in Commissioning Childrens Services

17 Mar 2010

How to be Successful in Procuring Joint Waste Services

17 Mar 2010

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

09 Feb 2009

CAA Framework

17 Mar 2010

Use of Resources 2008/09

17 Mar 2010

This document sets out the Audit Commission's approach to auditors' use of resources work from 2008/09. It outlines the key features of use of resources judgements for the purposes of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). It also describes how the specified key lines of enquiry (KLOE) form the basis of the auditor's value for money conclusion under the Code of Audit Practice 2005.

Midland Highways Alliance (MHA) e-News - Spring 2011

15 Apr 2011

Read all about the latest news from the Midland Highways Alliance, an EM IEP sponsored flagship project. 

This publication contains:

Membeship boost for MHA
MHA invited to West Midlands conference
Work stream focus
MHA Website update
Seeking a surface dressing contractor?
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adeu
Board meetings
Special equipment resource poll
Contact detail

EMPA Business Case 2011

17 Feb 2011

The economic outlook remains turbulent with local authorities planning significant service changes in response to reduced government grant funding over the next 4 years. Local authorities will need to do considerably more with shrinking resources; taking difficult decisions in order to make vital efficiency savings. In such challenging times, we can't just wait and see what happens; we must act now to improve and strengthen public services, collaborate and work better in partnership with other providers.

The empa collaborative construction programme, supported by the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency partnership, (EM IEP) is making a real difference for local communities by enabling the procurement of high quality public buildings in partnership with experienced contractors, resulting in significant efficiency savings, value for money for the taxpayer and active engagement of the
substantial skills of local businesses.

MHA Annual Report 2009-10

08 Feb 2011

The MHA comprises 13 local authorities and the Highways Agency. So far, savings of £16.75 million have been identified for MHA members by 2013. This will be a staggering 6720% return on investment on the original £227,000 East Midlands Improvement & Efficiency Partnership's pump-prime funding.

Where Does All The Money Go? (Planning Advisory Committee)

24 Sep 2010

The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) have produced the early report on Managing Excellent Planning Services (MEPS): A Planning Advisory Service project on value for money in planning.

The report is based on data from 15 authorities (LPAs) and £22m of costs. It uses information derived from 130,000 planning applications, 19 development plan documents and the timesheets of over 600 staff. Although most of the data is in draft and still requires formal acceptance from the authorities themselves. This report is not intended to suggest that ‘cheapest is best' or that the performance achieved in one place is relevant elsewhere, but rather to provide useful comparable information about costs, performance and methods.

empa Large Projects

04 Aug 2010

A 'Large Works' framework, covering projects in the range of £7.5 million to £30 million, has been established by Scape for empa members.

Available since April 2010, the framework provides a proven way to expedite your new build or refurbishment project and deliver best value. An empa framework provides:

- Client engagement from the start
- Proactive risk management
- Localised supply chain procurement and selection
- Structured project delivery process following
- PRINCE2 processes
- Ongoing project support
- Performance management control
- Managed continuous improvement
- Removal of waste on site and in the system

NIEP Progress Report 2010

28 Jul 2010

"Nationally, construction expenditure remains the largest area of spending activity in local government, accounting for 30% of the overall annual procurement spend. The NIEP's goal is to deliver a 20% saving in construction costs and a 14.5% saving in assets, at a time of unprecedented fiscal constraint."

The National Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (NIEP) for the Built Environment is the national body that aims to shape the
future of intelligent local government asset management and buildings and highways construction procurement across England.
The NIEP has recently changed its name from the NIEP "for Construction" to "for the "Built Environment" to better reflect all aspects of its remit.

Launched in September 2009 at the Institute of Directors' London headquarters, amid challenging economic times, the NIEP plays
a pivotal role in supporting and championing the delivery of efficiencies and better ways of working for all those involved in construction and highways programmes across the local government sector.

NIEP for the Built Environment - The benefits of collaborative procurement

28 Jul 2010

In today's uncertain economic climate, councils are searching for opportunities to drive efficiencies and make savings without compromising the quality or accessibility of local services. At the same time the construction industry is under pressure to stay afloat.
Fortunately, an important tool has been forging a link between better construction and improved public services and particularly in today's economy, has proven to be mutually beneficial to councils and the construction industry.

Around the country, collaborative procurement, whereby councils work together to jointly purchase goods and services, is saving money, achieving more programme certainty, and lowering risk.

Formed in 2009, the National Improvement Efficiency Partnership (NIEP) for the Built Environment is playing a unique role in leading the ongoing adoption of local government best practice. Building on the successes to date of nine Improvement Efficiency
Partnerships (IEPs), the NIEP is working to shape the future of intelligent local government asset management and procurement of building and highway projects.

The following report provides evidence of the benefits to date of collaborative procurement and the potential of the NIEP to maximise future benefits.

empa Business Case

16 Jun 2010

£7.4million saved by East Midland's public authorities

The East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) provides collaborative procurement arrangements through framework agreements for all public bodies in the East Midlands. This approach has enabled empa to secure collective buying power from the market and deliver better services than can be obtained via one off or individual contracting.