RPEN meeting in their region in the last twelve months (Figure 1). Regional Procurement Excellence Network Update Report 2016 Background The Regional Procurement Excellence Networks (RPENs) are the primary Figure 1. Meetings attended in the collaborative mechanism established by the last twelve months Victorian Government’s Councils Reforming Business (CRB) program in 2011. Regional RPEN Structure Changes groupings of councils formed networks that were designed to encourage engagement Changes in the original structures of the nine between member procurement and purchasing RPENs have recently occurred. officers, and provide opportunities for facilitated discussions of business practices, joint The Central Highlands & South West networks procurement and collaboration. merged in late 2014 to form the Barwon South West RPEN. The two RPENs decided there were inception, all of the RPENs have pursued greater opportunities by amalgamating the collaborative activities from basic comparisons participating councils. This RPEN now includes: of procurement plans and contracts to more complex joint tenders with Local Government Ararat Ballarat Colac Otway Victoria (LGV) support. Several RPENs have Corangamite Glenelg Golden Plains designed and implemented activities without Greater Geelong Hepburn Moorabool any Victorian Government support, indicating a greater level of maturity. Moyne Pyrenees Queenscliffe Southern Surf Coast Warrnambool From 2015 there was a concerted effort by LGV Grampians to revitalise the RPENs by providing further support and resources to ensure that the In contrast, the North West Metropolitan RPEN of networks continued to meet and function as a fifteen councils split into the North Metropolitan and community of practice for local government West Metropolitan RPENs in September 2016. officers. LGV officers began regular attendance Members decided that the size of the original of meetings and started an online network for RPEN was too great to effectively meet, design the procurement and purchasing officer and produce quality outcomes. members. RPENs are now divided into the same format A survey undertaken in early 2016 indicated as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) forums. The that RPENs had become a platform for many City of Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip City local governments to undertake collaborative Council CEO’s also now participate in a smaller activities and collaborative business practices informal grouping (Inner Metro) as well as the more generally. North and West groupings. The survey indicated that 32% of the respondents had entered into a collaborative procurement or shared service as a result of RPEN activity and 50% had attended every
Regional Procurement Excellence Network Update Report 2016 Background The Regional Procurement Excellence Networks (RPENs) are the primary collaborative mechanism established by the Victorian Government’s Councils Reforming Business (CRB) program in 2011. Regional groupings of councils formed networks that were designed to encourage engagement between member procurement and purchasing officers, and provide opportunities for facilitated discussions of business practices, joint procurement and collaboration. inception, all of the RPENs have pursued collaborative activities from basic comparisons of procurement plans and contracts to more complex joint tenders with Local Government Victoria (LGV) support. Several RPENs have designed and implemented activities without any Victorian Government support, indicating a greater level of maturity. From 2015 there was a concerted effort by LGV to revitalise the RPENs by providing further support and resources to ensure that the networks continued to meet and function as a community of practice for local government officers. LGV officers began regular attendance of meetings and started an online network for the procurement and purchasing officer members. A survey undertaken in early 2016 indicated that RPENs had become a platform for many local governments to undertake collaborative activities and collaborative business practices more generally. The survey indicated that 32% of the respondents had entered into a collaborative procurement or shared service as a result of RPEN activity and 50% had attended every RPEN meeting in their region in the last twelve months (Figure 1). Figure 1. Meetings attended in the last twelve months RPEN Structure Changes Changes in the original structures of the nine RPENs have recently occurred. The Central Highlands & South West networks merged in late 2014 to form the Barwon South West RPEN. The two RPENs decided there were greater opportunities by amalgamating the participating councils. This RPEN now includes: Ararat Corangamite Greater Geelong Moyne Southern Grampians Ballarat Glenelg Hepburn Pyrenees Surf Coast Colac Otway Golden Plains Moorabool Queenscliffe Warrnambool In contrast, the North West Metropolitan RPEN of fifteen councils split into the North Metropolitan and West Metropolitan RPENs in September 2016. Members decided that the size of the original RPEN was too great to effectively meet, design and produce quality outcomes. RPENs are now divided into the same format as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) forums. The City of Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip City Council CEO’s also now participate in a smaller informal grouping (Inner Metro) as well as the North and West groupings.