YPO delivers public sector dividends

PRESS RELEASE

YPO delivers £7.5 million public sector dividends

YPO has delivered £7.5 million in dividends to local authorities across the country.

Using centralised contracts to deliver essential services such as energy solutions, apprenticeship training, HR, education and food services in 2017/18, YPO’s member and associate members all receive a share of profits which are returned to their budgets this year. YPO members are made up of 13 local authority members as well as 65 associate members, which include other local authorities as well as police forces and fire and rescue services across the UK.

YPO’s managing director Simon Hill, said, “Local authorities and emergency services across the country are under increasing pressure to reduce their spending whilst simultaneously facing huge delivery challenges. Increased demand for social care, shortages in housing and even long bouts of unexpected weather have all provided an added strain to council spending. YPO helps its members reduce their costs with an ever-growing portfolio of frameworks, offering compliant and cost-effective routes to market. In addition, the surplus which we return to local authorities every year helps to pay for these essential front-line council services.

“We’ve introduced a number of new frameworks this year and looked at innovative ways to engage with our key members. Long term investments in digital procurement solutions and investment in technology start-ups such as EdTech Impact have shown this in action. We’re looking forward to another exciting year ahead.”

Councillor Stuart Rawlings of City of York Council added: “YPO has always helped local authorities find the best routes of procurement whilst keeping costs low. The dividend return is a timely reminder that YPO is not just a procurement organisation but a public sector provider that can generate healthy returns.”

In 2018, YPO has explored new innovative ways to give more back to its members, as shown by the organisation’s recent investment into Edtech Impact, an online platform for education technologies. 13 key member authorities have invested collectively through YPO into the edtech platform, developed by Innovate My School. This unique investment will see the participating YPO authorities share the budgetary benefits collectively whilst helping to create a clearer route for educational bodies to purchase new education technologies.

In addition to investment in technology, YPO has been at the forefront of discussions about Social Value as Knowledge Partner with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply and recently hosted a World of Procurement event in London which gave procurement professionals in the public sector an opportunity to discuss the key procurement topics of the moment.

While the dividends directly benefit the public purse financially, the additional services YPO offers provides additional value and year-round support for local authorities and public sector organisations across the UK.