Thames Valley Police opts for online purchasing

Thames Valley Police is using an online purchasing system to make better use of its £40m budget.

The system will be used by all of the police force's 7,000 officers and civilian staff as a central point for ordering services and materials.

In the past, eprocurement systems have often hindered small companies and suppliers in doing business with larger organisations, creating a competitive disadvantage in bidding for work, says the force's procurement manager, Barbara Hill.

'The reality is that most police forces and local authorities still use paper to deal with most of their invoices,' she said.

'That is because the small firms they deal with cannot afford to access large complex eprocurement environments.'

Using a hosted system that is accessible through a web browser, the force can bring most of its small suppliers onto the @UK eprocurement system, leading to cost savings from reductions in paperwork, says Hill.

'The objective of getting the system was to reduce the number of invoices we have to deal with,' she said.

'There are over 50,000 a year so we think the savings could be substantial.'

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