Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services

outgo respect Procurement Bids in Council ServicesEmpirical WorkThis idea is an empirical study on the st regularizegic significance that better Value (BV) Procurement adds to Birmingham metropolis Council. The aim of the proposed look is to quantify the strategic yoke between the BV and the contemporary strategic Procurement. Then to create a exemplar which forget evaluate the contribution of the strategy when applied to Birmingham City Council.Best Value was introduced into the public sector in 1998, announced through the presidential terms clean-living composing Modern Local Government in Touch with the People. This report introduced extensive reform of local anaesthetic government, including the late initiative of BV. Within this BV is the e-Government, Community Planning, strategic Partnerships and new political forethought structures (White Paper 1998).The theory of Best Value was aimed at improving local government runs this was introduced in the Local Governm ent Act 1999. BV replaced the one-time(a) system of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT), and required local authorities to examine over a period of five years, the method in which they dole out all their functions. This would understand the form of consultation with the local community to present the most effective, economic and efficient services (Local Government Act 1999).The Governments goal to reform local government continued and in 2001 they published a further white paper entitled fortified Local Leadership, gauge Public Services. Addressed within this paper were issues that included unassailable community leadership, continuous improvement, comprehensive performance assessment, financial freedom and modernization of finance systems (White Paper 2001).The report in 2001 Delivering Better Services for Citizens, a review of local government procurement in England was published as a consultation paper. The report included the following recommendation in that respe ct should be clear political responsibility for procurement, with elected members taking a strategic role in securing outcomes. Best Value is about open frame down the boundaries between the public and private sectors in local service delivery. (The Byatt Report 2001)This enquiry paper is based on the government white papers and reports which initially defined BV in procurement and established Strategic Management tools used to identify strategic choice within local authorities. The conceptual analytic thinking is based on identifying the congruence of strategic tie in between the BV definition and chosen Strategic Management tools.The focus of the paper is Birmingham City Councils BV practices, and this will be invoiced against the resulting model. The output of this search is to measure the strategic worth of Best Value and the strategic worth of Birmingham City Councils delivery of Best Value. The paper will evaluate the relative merits of duodecimal and qualitative researc h methodologies.MethodologyThe rationale of this chapter is to comp ar and controvert the research methods that could be used for this empirical research paper. When researching any paper there are numerous methods for collecting data, they do not always conjure up workable data that is easy to analysis. Therefore it is vital to review and visualize the methods that will be employed.Before beginning any of the research a time scale will be composed, this will plan and located targets for the research. This plan is flexible, to allow for any considerable changes to the project due to upset(prenominal) research findings. Theoretically, the proposal should draw attention to any difficulties with the research call into question and the access to the data.Secondary inquiryThe secondary research will discuss the theories and concepts which exist on the topic and be presented in the literature review. The findings from the first research are then tested on these theories for va lidity (Saunders, M. et al 1997). Tertiary data sources will assist in the search for secondary data, this will reveal books, journals, newspaper articles, and Internet addresses on the topic (Bell, J. 2005). This function of the research will present some of the conclusions from the relevant Governments White Papers as a secondary source of research data.Primary ResearchPrimary research is vital to the project as it produces the raw data on the current situation in the establishments. A consideration when gathering primary research data, is adjudgeing the consent of two the giving medication and privates prior to initiating the research and this data must remain within the mount of the project (Saunders et al 1997).Primary Research MethodsMethodType of ResearchCharacteristics, Benefits and shortcomingsPostal panoramaQuantitativeCost is lowResponse rate can be poorAnswers may be incompleteResponses are pre-coded and simple so hoi polloi can understand themthis can mean valu e the quality of information provided is lower than from another(prenominal) methodsTelephone and/or netmail surveyQuantitativeCost effective method of achieving stout take in allowing generalisations to be madeResponses are pre-coded Certain groups do not seduce access to the telephone, so may be excluded from the sampleIt is difficult to expect sensitive questions over the telephoneWorks well with employersFace-to-face surveyQuantitativeincludes both open questions as pre-codedCan achieve robust sample allowing generalisations if sufficient poetry are surveyedExpensive and time-consuming to executive directorIdeal for gathering sensitive information or exploring complicated issuesinterview softIn depth and detailed information can be gatheredInterviewers are allowed more flexibilityAnswers to open questions can be difficult and time-consuming to analyseExpensive and time-consuming to administrator concentre groupQualitativeA group discussion with around 8-12 peopleCan last s up to 3 hoursCapitalises on interaction between participantsParticipants are not representative of wider population which does not allow for generalisation skilful method for gathering sensitive dataRequires careful and unbiased analysisCase studyQualitativeResearcher gains understanding of a individuals get a lineProvides good quotations and rich dataCan bring alive other research, such as survey dataFindings cannot be generalised to a wider populationQualitative ResearchQualitative research is not fitting quality, it is the starting point where individuals understand and can talk about their lives. Qualitative studies attempt to explain social phenomena (for example experience, attitudes, behaviour, interactions and belief) in terms of the wider contexts of individuals lives (Cresswell, J 1994). To gain this type of data methods such as direct, unstructured interviewing, or observation of real-life settings (ethnography) are used. The data that qualitative methods of research collect is usually words, rather than numbers, in the form of transcripts. That data is typically unstructured, and statistical methods cannot be used in its analysis (King, N. 1998).Individuals are surveyed or studied in order to understand their experience from their perspective, that is, what matters to them, rather than from the stall of the researcher or the professionals. Observational studies have been undertaken to understand the informal culture, of the organisation (King, N. 1998).Quantitative ResearchQuantitative research generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers, for example clinical trials or the National Census. Numbers are the main type of data that these methods collect, and those numbers will be analysed using mathematical or statistical techniques. Surveys that take the form of questionnaires are usually numerical (Cresswell, J 1994).ConclusionThis paper will combine both quantitative and qualitative surfacees, using a qualitative study to guide the design of a subsequent quantitative study and by mixing elements of the one approach into the other. Questionnaires can harbour both quantitative and qualitative questions.This paper will use both a quantitative and quantitative approach to the questions. This will be in the form of a ratings scale (1 to 5), whereas the qualitative questions will present a box where people can write in their own words.To obtain the strategic value in BV, a case study approach will be used this will gauge the working practices and will enhance the data from the questionnaires. The secondary research will focus on the Governments white papers, and will introduce discussion from books and journals written on the subject.ReferencesBell, J (2005) (4th Edition) Doing Your Research Project,Open University Press, BuckinghamCresswell, J (1994) Research Design (Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches), discerning publications, LondonKing, N. (1998) Template analysis in G. Symon and C. Cassell ( eds.) Qualitative Methods and Analysis in Organizational Research, Sage LondonSaunders, M. Et al (1997) Research Methods for Business Students, pitman Publishing, London.PapersWhite Paper (1998) Modern Local Government in Touch with the People,Accessed through, www.communities.gov.ukLocal Government Act 1999,Accessed through, www.communities.gov.ukWhite Paper (2001) Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services,Accessed through, www.communities.gov.ukThe Byatt Report (2001) Delivering Better Services for Citizens,Accessed through, www.woking.gov.uk