Business Plan
The below is a summary, download a copy of our full Business Plan 2021-2024
"Our focus for 2021-24 continues with building on our successes such as; delivering first class procurement and demonstrable, cashable savings as well as securing Social Value for our partners and clients and continually improving our Core Offer. Growing STAR and sharing our approach and successes with the wider public and 3rd sector organisations is our other focus. Whilst we continue to lead procurement excellence from a successful shared service we are using our expertise into sharing our success and also offering wider shared services support to the public and 3rd sectors who recognise that working differently is key as we move out of 2020 and all feel the differing challenges facing us economically, environmentally and socially."
Lorraine Cox - Director, STAR Procurement
Our Offer
Our strategic approach means we can support our Partners with their wider Corporate Priorities, outcomes, and objectives, which enables our delivery to reach and impact on the Greater Manchester Communities (people and businesses). This also means that we can grow and provide support and diversify into new sectors and industries.
We are proud of our achievements to date.
The STAR Procurement Core Offer is delivered through our experienced and professional Delivery and Development Teams. Our offer reflects the needs of our Partners and ensures consistency and parity in our approach and the service we provide. This enables us to have a clear understanding of the role we have, how we work and support our partners, focuses on areas where we can demonstrate and add value and where we can act as a strategic enabler.
Through our team’s experience, skills, and expertise we also deliver an Extended Offer, which includes a range of other added value support activities for our Partners and other customers regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Our Business
"There are exciting plans for STAR in this new Business Plan and as the Chair I will be supporting them to achieve their ambitious vision and objectives. STAR are working with their Partners and clients to help us deliver to our corporate objectives and regional priorities and help us and our wider Greater Manchester community to ‘Build Back Better’."
Cllr Oliver Ryan, 2021 Chair of STAR Joint Committee
Our Vision: Leading Transformation Through Procurement and Co-Operation
Supporting Communities
We will continue to identify and strengthen our local and SME spend. We will deliver a strategic approach to ensure we give our local businesses and VCSEs the best possible opportunity to supply and provide services to our Partners.
Social Value is well embedded into our work and we have been recognised nationally and internally for our achievements to date. Social Value is a ‘golden thread’ used Globally, from the UN through to our STAR Business Plan. We embrace Social Value to ensure that the businesses we contract with are supporting our local communities and adding value throughout the supply chain.
Deliver Commercially
We recognise that it is more important than ever for us to deliver savings, efficiencies, and a return on investment. Through our commercial expertise we will continue to deliver value for money and ensure we maximise the delivery of outcomes for our Partners. Savings will be delivered through a robust category management approach and working collaboratively across all of our partners, driving economies of scale, and increasing efficiencies.
We will take a considered and measured approach to growth, ensuring that it is beneficial to STAR and our Partners, and optimises the opportunities available.
Build Collaboration
As a shared service, collaboration remains a key priority. We have the skills and expertise to help drive this agenda and secure measurable outcomes.
We already collaborate across our Partners and the wider public sector, and we will continue to embrace this and maximise the collaborations to deliver economies of scale, share best practice and drive efficiencies.
We will share our expertise as a successful shared service and further develop our position as market leaders. We will share our expertise to other sectors, with a focus on the third sector.
Provide Confidence
We will continue to provide confidence and assurance that all our activity is robust, compliant, and continuously improved. We will ensure consistency through quality assurance and deliver the best possible service, with appropriate risk management and controls in place.
Be Courageous
We will continue to champion strategic procurement and the shared services concept as a successful way to gain greater efficiency and effectiveness. We will lead by example and promote our successes as we continue to be recognised as market leaders locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
We will share our success with others to ensure the wider benefits are realised and retain our position as market leaders. This will help drive our growth strategy but also promote the achievements of our Partners.
Our Enablers
Our enablers are what we have in place to support us to deliver the ambitious vision and objectives that we have set ourselves. They also form part of our USP and provide us with resilience and confidence to innovate, grow and diversify.
Leadership and Governance
Through our STAR Board and STAR Joint Committee we have robust governance and strategic decision makers embedded within the delivery and development of STAR. This helps to ensure their needs are met and that we utilise their leadership, vision, and strategic support to further develop and improve. This sponsorship from the top and strong governance provides transparency and confidence in our delivery and development.
Communication and Engagement
We value the importance of celebrating our successes and promoting our achievements. Through a planned and structured approach we promote the work that we do, share good practice, and ensure that the success of STAR as an entity is celebrated, as well as our successful projects, commissions and experiences of our people.
Technology and Data
Robust and transparent data is a key enabler for us. Through effective use of data we are able to drive our performance, benchmark, identify collaboration, ensure compliance, and identify areas for continuous improvement.
Talent Management
All our successes to date have been made possible thanks to the passion, confidence, and flexibility of our entire team. We are proud to be the ‘Employer of Choice’ and have successfully recruited and retained a diverse, skilled, and trusted team.
STAR Business Plan 2021 - 2024 published January 2021