Waste and Resource Management Procurement 2.0: 3 Lessons for Decreasing Costs, Managing Risks and Boosting Sustainability

Waste and resource management services in the U.K. are under pressure to provide more value for less money. With a predicted rise in contract procurement in the next few years, how do councils create effective, compliant long-term contracts with the right partners? It starts with these industry lessons.

Waste and resources management is arguably the most underappreciated public service. It's a highly complex industry with thousands of moving parts and partners, and it's a logistical puzzle to ensure residential and commercial waste is managed smoothly. What the public sees and interacts with is only a tiny fraction of this critical public service.

Local Authorities (LAs), through primarily private sector contracts, are statutorily obliged to provide and operate these vital services including the following: waste and recycling collections; bring sites; Household Waste Recycling Centers (HWRCs); Bulking Facilities/Waste Transfer Stations (WTSs); Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs); composting facilities; Anaerobic Digesters (ADs); Recovery or Energy from Waste (EfW) Facilities; and landfill and disposal facilities. Research predicts that the waste management market in the U.K. is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5% from 2020 to 2026 and will reach a value of £18.10 billion ($23.72 billion) by the end of the forecast period.

Local Authorities are under increasing pressure to procure better, more rounded waste and resources management providers to achieve more effective, long-term solutions. The question is: how do they find the right partner? According to the experienced team of Carl Hughes, Keith Corden and Louisa Williams, success relies on using these three industry lessons and a proven track record.