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What is it?

Regardless of whether a procurement is a new contract, an extension or a re-tender, it is best practice for each procurement exercise to be subject to planning to identify and schedule the key activities that will need to be completed.

Poor commercial planning is one strategic activity that London boroughs consistently report harms the effectiveness of technology procurements, often leading to lengthy delays, sub-optimal solutions, and costly failures.

Why does it matter?

As the NAO writes: "Many of the problems across commercial and contracting activities result from a failure to plan how best to achieve operational requirements through commercial arrangements. In other words, departments jump to buying without developing a full commercial strategy." **(NAO, 2016)

Effective procurement planning will help boroughs best prepare to complete key steps in the commercial process. Generally, the benefits of good procurement planning should help to:

Who should do it?

Project Managers / Senior Responsible Officers (SROs) Project Managers or SROs ought to be responsible for undertaking procurement planning at the outset of each new commercial project.

Procurement Teams The procurement directorate is ultimately responsible for commercial best practice across the organisation. While it cannot oversee all procurements, it can set standards or write guides that inform a better, organisational commercial approach.