As with the I-Network Awards, STAR will also be celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2024, and our first award submission was in 2014 for the ‘Establishment of a Shared Procurement Service for Trafford, Rochdale and Stockport Councils’. STAR has very much been through the change cycle – adapting, progressing and innovating as we went. STAR has a continuous improvement ethos and drives procurement excellence, collaboration and social value at a local, regional, national and international level.
In 2014 we formed which in itself was a monumental achievement in bringing together three Authorities from three different political parties to form the first procurement shared service. As with any large scale change, a storming phase followed whilst we tried to recruit and retain a workforce whilst also implement the changes required to be a successful and genuine shared service including the implementation of a category management approach across all Partners. The norming phase followed where we had aligned Contract Procedure Rules, Procurement Strategy and Contract Register, and had a stable and productive workforce. This set the firm foundations to develop into the performing stage and the success of STAR began to be seen with savings secured, social value being implemented and a grow your own policy to recruit and retain the best procurement professionals. This success was recognised and in 2018 Tameside joined STAR as our fourth Partner, and STAR’s evolution really began to take shape and gather momentum.
In 2019, STAR began to have a planned and commercial approach to selling their procurement services to public sector outside of our existing four Partners. We recognised the need for the public sector to support the public sector, and the benefits that collaboration could bring. STAR now delivers commissions across the country from Basildon to Barrow, Anglesey and Birmingham Councils, as well as supporting our GM colleagues in Bury, Manchester and Salford. Annually we secure significant income for STAR to help ensure the future financial sustainability of the shared service.
Social Value has long been the focus for STAR who were one of the early adopters. Our approach has evolved and developed from simply including a weighting to now being fully embedded in the procurement process and across our Partner decision making. Social Value is considered through the procurement lifecycle and mechanisms are in pace to ensure the right social value is offered, and that it is then managed and monitored to deliver results. A Community Impact Fund has also been established to deliver tangible outcomes for residents.
Data is another aspect that has evolved and developed. Procurement has a wealth of data available and through our cyclical reporting we ensure that data drives decisions, results and outcomes. We have learnt that as procurement professionals we are not data experts, and have established a SLA with Stockport Council data team to work in collaboration to deliver this. Our most recent success is the further growth of STA to include Knowsley and St Helens Councils. This represents a 50% growth in STAR and therefore extensive due diligence was undertaken particular on financial, legal and HR to provide assurance to all parties. Following lessons learnt from on-boarding Tameside in 2018, the mobilisation and on-boarding has been seamless, with staff now TUPE transferred over and processes and procedures being aligned. Growth required complex governance procedures and processes to be understood and followed. But this growth into the Liverpool City Region demonstrates how STAR has adapted to opportunities and demonstrates that pan-regional collaboration can be done successfully. We are the first pan-regional procurement shared service in the country.
We are very proud of our team and how they have adapted and come with us on our journey. They have embraced the changes, being enthusiastic and championed star internally and externally. At a time when procurement recruitment and retention is exceptionally difficult, our grow your own policy and approach has been invaluable to recruiting and retaining an excellent and motivated workforce and strong team. We invest in procurement apprenticeships, training, coaching, and provide opportunities for or team to learn, widen their experience and empower them to deliver strategic projects and programmes of activity.
The legacy we have in place now is a resilient, sustainable, and high performing procurement shared service that is delivering to its founder Partners, new Partners and the wider public sector. The hard work has set very strong foundations to continue to drive forward, and most importantly using procurement to deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
Tonight everyone is tuning in to watch lay catch up with Alan Carr Chatman he’s coming on hurry up just get a bre I’ll be but as you know Alan we’re here to celebrate our 10 years star is officially 10 years old this month and anyway let’s get that champagne out none
Of this lamb Brusco Alan you know I’m a classy girl oh isn’t it good seal her in I’m chatting brilliant she looks great doesn’t she can you believe it’s been 10 years I know when we first started 9 years ago spent the first year recruiting we did that that team that
Amazing team that we’ve got now yeah brilliant right oh my God that’s where I work is it can’t believe it is that you know at 10 years a marriage gift would be tin now I know that doesn’t sound very glamorous Alan you know if somebody gave
Me a piece of tin as my 10-year marriage I’d probably throw it at them but that’s another story so wow do you know when she’s died we was only three councilors and we’ve gone from three to six wow that’s double I know amazing is it is amazing I have the most amazing team
Around me we’ve got just over 50 staff now who are highly qualified highly experienced and you know they are the making of star they are the people that that makes star work we put other stuff in place as well didn’t we such as the quality management system um the
Contract procedure rules aligning them was a night there wasn’t it but we did it yeah Che cheers where we are in 20 years time Alan but as you and I both know that’s Diamond now let’s see what star can sparkle in the next 10 years
And take us to that 20 year point but can I just say it’s been an absolute privilege today to be with you Alan bucket list stuff and and thank you for the champagne I think I need to top up