Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Partnerships and Partnering

Doncaster Council's Financial Procedure Rules and the Procurement Best Practice Guide both contain extensive guidance on partnerships and partnering. The term 'partnerships' is used loosely across the Council to describe many types of working relationships between an internal Council service provider and other bodies, both internal and external to the Council.

The Council's partner may be:

• A voluntary organisation
• A community enterprise / trust
• A private contractor / developer
• Another public sector body
• A local authority company           

However, the main point to remember is that intending to enter a partnership arrangement does not automatically preclude the need for a competitive process at the outset, to the partner and the initial organisational and administrative arrangements. Indeed, many strategic partnerships arrangements will exceed the European Community (EC) Procurement thresholds, and will therefore automatically be subject to a Restricted, Open or Negotiated Procedure in accordance with the EC regime. Similarly, other seemingly small value partnerships will extend over a large number of years in order to reap the benefits of the partnership approach, and will again be subject to the EC rules. Even where the EC thresholds are not reached, it is recommended that a competitive process be undertaken, in order to demonstrate probity in the choice of partner.