Municipal / Regional plans for CP should have effective structure and seamless design to other plans related to sustainability, climate, environment and energy
Small municipalities (such as Elverum with its 21,000 inhabitants) also have small administrations. This often means that tasks (such as procurement) are decentralized to the various departments, and consequently performed by many different people. It is then important that the various guidelines and strategies are easily available to the organization.
Elverum Municipality solves this challenge by having a good planning routine that clearly describes which plans are to be updated, in what order, how they will be implemented, and how the content of the different plans are linked.
Therefore, a plan-hierarchy is built:
1. Overall rules (National legislation)
2. Municipal plan (Political document with vision and (long)term goals)
3. Municipal sub-plans, such as the "Climate and Energy Plan"
(This also provides guidelines for the municipality's procurement,
investment and operation)
Such plans includes the implementation, time schedule, responsibility,
and measurable targets and sub-targets
4. Underlying plans and strategies, including "Procurement strategy"
(which also includes CP), handbooks and guidelines
Resources needed
Some personnel costs because it is required:
- Structure and discipline in the preparation of plans
- Training of different groups of employees
Both can be included in the ongoing development of routines, and the fact that the planning is to a large extent available on an electronic platform.
Evidence of success
About 1 year ago, the municipality adopted a new "Strategy and International Cooperation", in which form and structure are in accordance with the same philosophy. This is now much better known in the organization than the earlier plan.
A number of other strategies and plans are now under review, and the working groups that prepare these have found the structure useful.
Potential for learning or transfer
In small organizations with decentralized activities for purchasing, it is important with simple, logic, and easy understandable plans and guidelines.
Our region - South Østerdal - have 5 other municipalities, all of them are far smaller than Elverum. Those are all included as Stakeholders in CircPro, and the plan-structure is one of the learning themes they focus on.
In Norway we have 422 municipalities, 369 of which are smaller than Elverum.
In Europe there are probably tens of thousands of small Municipalities, all with the same challenges.
This practice might also be transferable to larger organizations, although they probably might have other tools available.
A simple and logic structure for strategies, plans and guidelines will support CP.
