WALGA is committed to assist all Local Government Officers with their mandatory procurement requirements and to achieve best practice outcomes for the sector.
The Local Government procurement function is responsible for delivering compliant value for money goods, services and construction works through external suppliers.
While the term procurement relates to all acquisition and sustainment/maintenance activities, the term purchasing usually refers to lower risk, lower value activities, usually below the mandated threshold for open competition or from an existing panel. Generally, the more complex the procurement, the more strategic, relational and collaborative the engagement is with the supplier.
WALGA’s procurement training will provide ‘best practice’ upskilling of key personnel, tailored to the Local Government sector, factoring in mandatory and best practice requirements. This includes practitioner focused guidance relating to Office of the Auditor General (OAG) recommendations in their reports on Local Government Procurement, Contract Extensions and Variations, and Fraud Prevention.
Key personnel includes all Officers involved in procurement activities, such as: CEOs, managers, delegates, procurement officers, governance officers, project managers, risk managers, administrative support staff and subject matter experts (those involved in asset management, construction, ICT, infrastructure, fleet, roads, waste, etc).
Training courses are interactive and cover key procurement concepts and methodologies. They are also supported by detailed Learner Guides which can be used for ongoing development and as a tool for reference.
The training materials refer to online content provided in the WALGA Procurement Subscription Toolkit. A Procurement Subscription provides access to regular Procurement Newsletters and Procurement Network Forums.
Local Governments should consider participating in On-Site training as a team, especially in preparation for a major procurement activity to build organisational capacity, establish best practice and confidently meet compliance requirements.
WALGA Training provides a suite of training courses, encompassing:
- Introductory Courses for Officers starting their procurement journey;
- Procurement Life Cycle Practitioner Courses for more experienced practitioners and
- Specification Writing courses to learn how to develop detailed specification requirements. compliance requirements.