2nd April 2013 - Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework continues to grow
The Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework, an EU compliant framework covering a number of sector leading building materials suppliers, continues to be a popular choice for social housing and local authority buyers.
Over the last 12 months uptake of the framework by contracting authorities has increased significantly, with a 50% increase in expenditure on materials and 37% more organisations choosing to use the framework. With a wide range of merchants to choose from and millions of pounds of purchases every month, the framework has a proven track record of delivering value for money and efficiency for consortium members.
For more information about the framework and how it could benefit your organisation please visit the
Frameworks page of our website.
4th February 2013 - Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force from the 31st January 2013.
The Act requires affected purchasing bodies to consider the economic, social and environmental benefits and impacts when tendering for services over the current EU public procurement services threshold (£173,934). The Act does not apply to the procurement of goods and works contracts, below threshold service contracts, or to call off contracts from a framework agreement.
For more information on the Act and how to integrate its requirements into your procurement activity and policy documentation
please contact the Cirrus team.
1st October 2012 - New eProcurement targets planned
Another characteristic of the proposed new EU procurement rules is the proposal to enforce the switch to 100% electronic communication within 2 years. The UK government has stated that the timescale may be problematic and is lobbying for a longer lead in to full eProcurement, but has stated that it “will encourage the rapid take-up of eProcurement in the UK, to achieve undoubted benefits”.
Cirrus sees this direction of travel as positive, as eProcurement has tangible environmental and efficiency benefits. The Cirrus team supports eProcurement having achieved 100% electronic tenders since June 2008 via our own eTender system, CirrusTenders.
If you wish to implement eProcurement ahead of this target, CirrusTenders is available to use on a subscription basis. To subscribe to CirrusTenders or for more information please click here to contact a member of the Cirrus team.
To visit the CirrusTenders website and for online information click here.
1st October 2012 - New eProcurement targets planned
Another characteristic of the proposed new EU procurement rules is the proposal to enforce the switch to 100% electronic communication within 2 years. The UK government has stated that the timescale may be problematic and is lobbying for a longer lead in to full eProcurement, but has stated that it “will encourage the rapid take-up of eProcurement in the UK, to achieve undoubted benefits”.
Cirrus sees this direction of travel as positive, as eProcurement has tangible environmental and efficiency benefits. The Cirrus team supports eProcurement having achieved 100% electronic tenders since June 2008 via our own eTender system, CirrusTenders.
If you wish to implement eProcurement ahead of this target, CirrusTenders is available to use on a subscription basis. To subscribe to CirrusTenders or for more information please click here to contact a member of the Cirrus team.
To visit the CirrusTenders website and for online information click here.
30th June 2012 – CirrusTenders exceeds 6000 bidders
CirrusTenders online tendering system continues to go from strength to strength and now has over 6000 companies registered as bidders to use the system.
For more information or to see current tenders visit the CirrusTenders website.
22nd May 2012 – Cirrus carbon negative for 2012
Following our annual assessment of our combined carbon production across the business through Carbonfootprint.com Cirrus has not just offset to a carbon neutral position, but instead we have offset beyond our calculated carbon emissions. We are therefore proud to confirm that we are a carbon negative company for the second consecutive year.
Offsetting Certificate 2012.
Our chosen verified carbon programme is a tree planting scheme in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, where planted trees not only help offset carbon dioxide, but also help alleviate poverty through providing employment opportunities as well as providing habitats to support the local ecosystem. More information about the scheme can be found at http://www.carbonfootprint.com/plantingtreesinkenya.html
In addition to offsetting the carbon we produce we also strive to minimise the amount of carbon we use through: Teleworking to reduce commuting mileage, targeting for 90% of all business travel to be by public transport and extensive use of mobile and cloud technologies to ensure low carbon communications and processes.
As a result of our environmental approach to business Cirrus Purchasing is also as close to a paperless office as is possible. As a company we have collectively used less than 2,500 sheets of A4 paper (5 reams) in the last 2 years, equating to less than 1 sheet of paper per employee per day. As a comparison, the government backed Envirowise have stated “experience shows that in a best practice small office, employees will use as little as 15 sheets of paper a day compared to a less resourceful office where each person can squander a staggering 100 sheets of paper per day”.
30th April 2012 – Cirrus working with Liverpool University Careers & Employability Service
When recruiting staff Cirrus has worked closely with Liverpool University Careers & Employability Service to find high quality graduates to join the team. Claire Gamble is the fourth and most recent graduate to be recruited by Cirrus.
Cirrus Purchasing was featured in the April edition of the Graduate to Merseyside Business Bulletin:
“A savvy local firm has embraced the technological revolution by setting up a remote working arrangement with its recent intake of graduates who were recruited through Graduate to Merseyside. Wirral based Cirrus Purchasing recognised that the virtual office was the best way to reduce costs and empower staff, and with £1.2 billion of tenders managed in the last three years by its web-based electronic tendering service, it was also a sure way to deliver results. The most recent graduate was Claire Gamble from Leeds University who joined Liverpool University graduate Nathan Whittaker in 2012 as a Business Analyst. So how is Cirrus taking some of the risk out of recruiting?”
To read the full article
click here.
10th April 2012 - Housing Excellence Awards Finalists for fourth consecutive year
|
We are proud to announce that Cirrus Purchasing are finalists in the Housing Excellence Awards 2012. |
2nd March 2012 - Cirrus wins new Outsourced Procurement contracts
A growth area for Cirrus in the last year has been Outsourced Procurement. We have won major new contracts to become the Outsourced Procurement team for 3 Housing Association clients.
Through our outsourced procurement department service we manage core procurement team functions including advice and support and more hands on delivery of tender activities.
The role of the service is to provide an effective alternative solution to a directly employed purchasing manager.
Our approach to effective delivery is to be practical, hands-on, and most importantly; team-based. Having a team-based approach allows us to apply the flexible capacity necessary to ensure delivery of objectives, as well as ensuring continuity of support throughout the year. Clients therefore have access to a team of procurement specialists able to deliver targets and outputs over and above the day to day advice and internal support expected of a purchasing manager role.
The service is tailored to meet individual client needs and delivered through scheduled onsite time to co-ordinate specific activities, telephone support, staff training and regular drop in surgery days.
For more information contact:
Simon Reed Tel: 07828 121270 or email:
Phil Williams Tel: 07828 143935 or email:
7th February 2012 - New member of the Cirrus team
As a result of our continued success, Cirrus is expanding. We are pleased to welcome Claire Gamble to the team. Claire joins us in the role of Business Analyst/Consultancy Support.
Claire will provide project and research support and will be responsible, along with Mike Barnett and Nathan Whittaker, for administering our unique online on-demand e-tender solution CirrusTenders.
Claire can be contacted via cgamble@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07983 532407
1st January 2012 - New EU threshold values
The new EU threshold values for public sector procurement from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2013 are as follows:
Works: 5,000,000 Euros = £4,348,350
Supplies: 200,000 Euros = £173,934
Services: 200,000 Euros = £173,934
There are also new thresholds for small lots. Housing providers will need to ensure both staff and policy documentation are updated with the new values.
Also, please note, from 1st January 2012 the accelerated restricted procedure is once again only available in situations where urgency renders impracticable the time limits for the restricted procedure. (This rule was temporarily relaxed as an emergency measure during the financial crisis).
The full document is available to download from our Resources page.
17th November 2011 – KHT Successful Contractor Open Day
As an alternative to having a directly employed procurement function Knowsley Housing Trust have embarked on an innovative partnership with Cirrus Purchasing in which they have engaged Cirrus to be their outsourced buying team. Cirrus are currently responsible for all aspects of KHT’s procurement including large scale tenders, a supplier rationalisation programme and development of new procurement policies and procedures for the group. This highly successful partnership has now been in place since April 2011.
As part of this partnership Cirrus are currently undertaking a £10 million reprocurement of KHT’s subcontractors across multiple categories of repairs, voids and capital and planned works. In order to raise awareness of and accessibility to the subcontractors framework tenders which are currently in progress, an open day aimed at SMEs and local businesses was held on 14th November by KHT’s Corporate Social Responsibility team and Cirrus.
The successful contractor open day explained how the framework tender process works and provided information on the use of the etender platform CirrusTenders where the tenders are currently advertised. The closing date for the tenders is 30th November 2011.
“This is the first time we have held an open day for our smaller contractors and social enterprises and we were overwhelmed with the response. 48 people attended to find out more about the opportunity and it gave us some really good feedback about how we can work more effectively in the future. The event highlights our commitment to Social Responsibility and our commitment to listening to our partners and working with them to deliver the best possible services for our tenants” Louise Harris, KHT.
“It was good to see interest in the First Ark Group from so many local contractors and we are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received. Where appropriate further supplier days for the First Ark Group will be held to engage with local business, and the feedback we have received will help us to deliver improved sessions that address as many concerns of local Knowsley business as we can” Phillip Williams, Cirrus Purchasing.
If you are a supplier wishing to trade with KHT then click here to visit the KHT website for further information.
1st October 2011 – OGC website has moved
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has always acted as a resource for procurement guidance for the public sector. With the reorganisation of government departments the OGC is now part of the Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office.
From the 1st October 2011 any guidance and other procurement information will be published at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
26th August 2011 – CirrusTenders exceeds 5000 bidders
CirrusTenders online tendering system now has over 5000 companies registered as bidders to use the system and a growing number of clients.
For more information or to see current tenders visit the CirrusTenders website.
1st July 2011 - Cirrus becomes a carbon negative company
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability Cirrus Purchasing is proud to confirm that we are now a carbon negative company.
In addition to our extensive carbon reduction initiatives such as targeted 90% of all business travel by public transport, teleworking for staff to reduce commuting mileage, promotion of a paperless work environment and extensive use of mobile and cloud technologies to ensure low carbon communications and processes, we have now completed a carbon offsetting project with Carbonfootprint.com
Following an assessment of our combined carbon production across the business, Cirrus decided to not just offset to a carbon neutral position, but instead exceed our calculated carbon emissions by approximately 25%, meaning as a business we are carbon negative.
Offsetting Certificate.
Our chosen verified carbon programme is a tree planting scheme in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, where planted trees not only help offset carbon dioxide, but also help alleviate poverty through providing employment opportunities as well as providing habitats to support the local ecosystem. More information about the scheme can be found at http://www.carbonfootprint.com/plantingtreesinkenya.html
21st June 2011 - CIPS Awards Finalists for second consecutive year
We are proud to announce that for the second consecutive year Cirrus Purchasing are finalists in the prestigious Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Supply Management Awards. These awards are national cross sector awards that celebrate excellence in Purchasing and Supply Management.
In the 2011 shortlist announced today, Cirrus Purchasing is one of only three finalists in the category of Best Purchasing Initiative by an SME for our highly acclaimed eTender system CirrusTenders (www.cirrustenders.co.uk)
This is a great achievement amidst strong competition as Cirrus Purchasing is the smallest of all the companies to be shortlisted in any of the 10 group categories this year.
The awards will be held on 14th September 2011 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
For further details of our awards, achievements and testimonials from our clients, visit our Testimonials page.
1st June 2011 - Staffordshire County Council Framework success
Following the successful completion of an OJEU tender process, Cirrus Purchasing has been awarded a place as one of three appointed operators on the Staffordshire County Council Framework for the Provision of Procurement Services. The framework covers the provision of services to schools in Staffordshire on behalf of the Staffordshire Procurement team.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with both the Staffordshire Procurement team and with schools in Staffordshire to support them in the procurement of products and services.
For information about Staffordshire Procurement
click here.
12th May 2011 – Cirrus public transport performance 2010/11
As part of our environmental policy we monitor all business travel to optimise our use of public transport and minimise our carbon footprint wherever possible. For 2010/11 we have achieved 86% of all business travel throughout the UK by public transport, with only 14% being undertaken by car.
This equates to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 5 tonnes compared to equivalent travel by car.
Our Environmental Policy target for 2011/12 is for 90% of all business travel to be by public transport. For this year we are expanding our environmental monitoring to include recording car sharing in situations where travel by public transport is not possible.
14th April 2011 - Housing Excellence Awards Finalists for third consecutive year
We are proud to announce that Cirrus Purchasing are finalists in the Housing Excellence Awards 2011.
Cirrus Purchasing has been shortlisted as finalists for the third consecutive year in the category of Consultant of the Year.
The Awards will be held on 11th May 2011 at Lancashire County Cricket Ground.
27th January 2011 - Launch of EC Green Paper
Revised EU procurement legislation is due to be published in 2012, which is expected to be a radical overhaul of the current legislative framework.
The European Commission has announced that it will:
“conduct wide consultations in order to make legislative proposals by early 2012 at the latest, with a view to simplifying and updating the European public procurement legislation so as to make the award of contracts more flexible and enable public contracts to be put to better use in support of other policies”.
As part of this consultation the EC has launched a Green Paper - The modernisation of EU public procurement policy: Towards a more efficient European Procurement Market.
For a copy of the Green Paper click here or visit our Resources page.
As the process towards the new legislation continues, we will keep you updated here.
2nd December 2010 - SME tendering toolkit launched
Cirrus Purchasing have been working with RLK Partnerships and The Confederation of Social Entrepeneurs (CoSE) as part of the Liverpool Procurement Facilitation project. The aim of the project is to provide one to one support to local SMEs looking to tender to public bodies and also work with public bodies to support and develop the local SME market.
As part of this project Cirrus have produced a toolkit for Liverpool based SMEs who wish to supply to Registered Providers of Social Housing. This toolkit is a practical guide for SMEs and explains the key issues to be aware of when considering supplying to the social housing sector.
The toolkit, entitled Supplying to Registered Providers of Social Housing – an Introductory Guide, was launched on 2nd December as part of the successful SME Procurement Facilitation Event organised by RLK Partnerships.
To download copy of the toolkit please click here or visit our Resources page.
For more information about the project please visit the CoSE website
29th November 2010 - Cirrus Consortium Launched Today
Following the success of the Cirrus Materials Framework launched in May 2009 Cirrus Purchasing are proud to announce the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework. The Framework is the first to be first to be launched under the Cirrus Consortium which currently includes 12 Registered Providers of Social Housing.
The Consortium is lead principally by Viridian Facilities Management along with other Registered Providers, working together to produce a more effective and efficient procurement process. Cirrus Purchasing will manage the frameworks on behalf of the consortium.
This fully EU compliant framework is now available for use at no cost to all Social Housing organisations in England, Wales and Scotland.
For more details please visit our Frameworks page, or to download our PDF information sheet click here.
1st November 2010 – CirrusTenders exceeds 4000 bidders
CirrusTenders online tendering system now has over 4000 companies registered as bidders to use the system and a growing number of clients.
For more information or to see current tenders visit the CirrusTenders website.
20th October 2010 - Government Spending Review announced
The Government has announced its spending plans in the Spending Review 2010.
For more information visit the HM Treasury website or to view and download a copy of the Spending Review in PDF format visit our
Resources page.
25th August 2010 - New members of the Cirrus team
As a result of our continued success, Cirrus is expanding. We are pleased to welcome Mike Barnett and Nathan Whittaker to the team. Mike and Nathan join us as Business Analysts/Consultancy Support.
Mike and Nathan will provide project and research support and will be responsible for administering our unique online on-demand e-tender solution CirrusTenders.
Mike can be contacted via mbarnett@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07572 108320
Nathan can be contacted via nwhittaker@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07572 108323
15th June 2010 - CIPS Supply Management Awards 2010 Finalists
We are proud to announce that Cirrus Purchasing are finalists in the prestigious Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Supply Management Awards 2010.
Cirrus Purchasing has been shortlisted along with six other companies nationally in the category of Most Improved Purchasing Operation – start up.
This year's awards has seen more entrants than ever before with 222 entries across the eight team and two individual categories.
The Awards will be held on 8th September 2010 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
3rd May 2010 – Cirrus exceeds 2009/10 environmental target
For 2009/10 we have achieved 92% of all business travel by public transport, with only 8% being undertaken by car. This exceeds our Environmental Policy target of 90%.
30th April 2010 - Housing Excellence Awards Finalists
We are proud to announce that Cirrus are finalists in three categories of the Housing Excellence Awards 2010.
Cirrus Purchasing and CirrusTenders have been shortlisted for the second consecutive year for Consultant of the Year and Product of the Year.
CirrusTenders has also been shortlisted in the category of Innovation in Housing Technology.
Many thanks to Trafford Housing Trust for their nominations.
The Awards will be held on 12th May 2010 at the Palace Hotel, Manchester.
28th March 2010 - TSA Regulatory Framework for Social Housing in England
Following consultation the TSA has published the new regulatory framework. The full document entitled "The regulatory framework for social housing in England from April 2010" is available to download from our Resources page.
25th March 2010 – CirrusTenders reaches 3000 bidders landmark
CirrusTenders online tendering system now has over 3000 companies registered as bidders to use the system and a growing number of clients.
For more information or to see current tenders visit the CirrusTenders website.
11th February 2010 - TSA National Standard planned for April 2010
Tenant Services Authority National Standard: Securing Value for Money
The TSA has introduced through the new Regulatory Framework a National Standard on VFM with the expectation of a Local Standard to be developed in 2010/11:
“In meeting all national standards and their local standards, registered providers have a comprehensive approach to managing their resources to provide cost-effective, efficient, quality services and homes to meet tenants’ and potential tenants’ needs.”
Specifically, TSA expect landlords to publish information for tenants at least once a year showing:
- How we have allocated and prioritised what we have spent
- How we have made sure we got value for money in what we spent, how we have tested this, and the benefits that tenants can expect
- What improvements in value for money we expect to make in the future
The full document entitled "A new regulatory framework for social housing in England. A statutory consultation" is available to download from our Resources page.
Housing organisations should update their strategies accordingly.
News Archive
To view older news, our news archive can be accessed here.