Engaging consultants and temporary staff, where appropriate, gives organisations the flexibility to meet immediate, varying short term needs - rather than incurring the substantial costs in both time and money of recruiting staff directly - and is often the most cost effective option. They can bring relevant knowledge and experience which adds value to an organisation's objectives. However, this needs to be carefully managed. Efficient organisations should only engage consultants and temporary staff when the work is absolutely necessary; the work cannot be carried out internally; the required knowledge and expertise is not available in-house or from other sources from which the organisation can draw; and where management is determined to take action to bring about change and demonstrate commitment to act upon the substance of the outputs.
When consultants are necessary, they should be used sparingly, appropriately and effectively and public sector organisations are encouraged to use the national contracts established by Scottish Procurement which have secured significant savings for the Scottish public sector.
The professional services portfolio currently encompasses the following national contract:
Framework agreements for temporary and interim staff have now been awarded and are expected to deliver savings of 6% - 10% across the Scottish public sector. Across the 8 framework agreements there are a total of 21 suppliers.
- The frameworks will run from the 26th of April 2010 for a period of three years with an option to extend for one year.
- Depending on the framework, you have either the option of direct buy or mini competition to suit individual organisational requirements.
Please note: direct buy is only an option from some frameworks.
- Framework agreements for business management consultancy have now been awarded and are expected to deliver an average of over 35% savings. These will be accrued through these agreements due to the competitive rates that have been secured. Across the five framework agreements there are 32 suppliers.
- The frameworks will run from the 1st of September 2010 for a period of three years with an option to extend for one year.
National Category Forum (NCF): Business Management Consultancy and Temporary and Interim Staff
The NCF has active support from the following organisations who represent the Scottish public sector.
- Aberdeen City Council
- Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC)
- Scottish Procurement
- Central Scotland Fire and Rescue
- Glasgow City Council
- NHS National Procurement
- Renfrewshire Council
- Strathclyde Police
- University of Glasgow
- Perth and Kinross Council
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