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A software system created for South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) by Meantime IT will streamline procurement procedures and drastically cut the time spent on administration.

The bespoke software, which will cost £4,000 to create and install, replaces the council’s paper-based procurement toolkit with a more efficient and user-friendly interactive online system. Officers will be encouraged to use the new system for all council purchases over £2,500.

SLDC’s procurement officer Eilidh Lee said of the software: “Our previous paper-based system was outdated and the council needs an interactive and accurate system to support the procurement process. Meantime is providing the council with a system that will bring multiple benefits: we can see what’s being procured in real time which helps with our planning processes; the procurement team will spend much less time on support calls which will free up resources; officers will have less paperwork, and cost calculations will be automatic ensuring a much more consistent approach.”

Fenner Pearson is Meantime’s managing director. He says: “For a relatively small investment, South Lakeland District Council will achieve a significant business improvement in its procurement procedures. The system will be tied to the council’s IP addresses so staff across different sites, including MPS Estates Management which carries out a lot of procurement on the council’s behalf, can use it safely without the need to log-in.”

SLDC’s interactive procurement system will be rolled out across the council’s 430 staff over the next three months.