Firebuy
From SR
Roles
Firebuy Limited was established to deliver Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) procurement at a national level. Its aims are:
- To drive the National Procurement Strategy forward
- To negotiate call-off contracts for Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) and take the lead in Contract management
- To take a lead role in testing and acceptance activities.
Firebuy acts as a central procurement body working closely with the National Procurement Board (NPB), English Fire and Rescue Authorities, Regional Management Boards (RMBs) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) as the users ‘intelligent client’.
The Framework Agreements will deliver a greater standardisation of product range based upon operational risk profiling, interoperability and user needs across FRAs, thereby contributing to national resilience along with opportunities to share resources.
Reporting Hierarchy
Firebuy Limited was established by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) now known as the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB)
History
The final version of the National Procurement Strategy for the Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) was launched by Phil Woolas MP in his opening speech at the Fire Conference in November 2005. It was aimed at fire-specific spend, focusing particularly on encouraging:
- Strategic coordination of procurement to support the key aims and objectives of the Fire & Rescue Service
- Standardisation of output specifications
- Coordination of FRS technical services
- Market development to ensure suppliers provide the equipment and services that meet the needs of the FRS
- Active management of the supply base
- Efficiency gains and quality improvement.
The plan for a central procurement organisation was a major part of the strategy, and Firebuy was established in 2006.
