In 2010-2011 alone, HPV delivered $40 million in benefits ($23m in savings and $17m in cost avoidance) through a Tender Program that balances clinical effectiveness, best practice and economic viability. As a result, health services have been able to invest these savings in greater clinical activity or alternate areas.

HPV has gradually expanded to incrementally fulfil more of our legislative mandate. We are striving to improve the quality and range of services that we offer. We now have people dedicated to contract management, clinical engagement and data management as well as an expanded tender team.  This has enabled us to further assist health services by entering new areas, for example by undertaking several high value prostheses tenders.

We have also recently added to the value we provide by entering the realms of Equipment and Services. Our first major services tender, Nurse Agency, was well received and is constantly being fine-tuned to ensure that the best possible agency services are available for health services.

Our first statewide equipment tender for Beds and Mattresses is due for issue in 2012 and we hope it will provide benefits in both value and efficiency.  The more tenders we can undertake on behalf of the health services, the better as it benefits both large and small institutions financially and promotes best practice across the state.

The VPC (Victorian Product Catalogue) is an initiative aimed at improving the integrity and accuracy of the data available to health services about products. We are committed to its implementation as it will provide a standardised statewide product catalogue.

HPV is keen to expand the opportunities available for training and development. One of our recent initiatives is the PPP (Procurement Professionals Program).  HPV has developed and received accreditation for coordination of a twelve month training program which leads to an internationally recognised qualification accredited by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). This is open to all Victorian Public health services.

We continue to grasp every opportunity to nurture our relationships with health services. This takes many forms, from regular meetings with Clinical Product Advisors, and organising a national Procurement & Supply Chain Forum  to  secondment placings of health service staff in roles at HPV (and vice versa).  Our aim is to learn more about health service needs and to work together to the benefit of all.

We are all becoming increasingly aware of the need to promote best practice in the area of sustainable procurement. HPV appointed a sustainable procurement officer to guide us through the intricacies of tendering with sustainability as a focus and advise health services on making sustainability a feature of their purchasing policy and daily practices.

Data and reporting is an essential tool in procurement. We have recently been able to offer health services the benefit of customised impact reports, improved tender transition guides and have started to offer guides and assistance through the improved facilities on our website and using multimedia.

The past ten years have seen us refine our tendering and contract management processes. This enables us to remain at the forefront of health procurement practices in Australia.

Whereto from here? The recent VAGO audit report on health procurement commended the achievements of HPV on behalf of Victorian health services.  There were also areas of recommendation; and as we celebrate a decade of firsts and continuous improvement we are also looking to the future with our strategic planning work. Our Five Year Strategic Plan (2012-2017) is in development and will outline the exciting opportunities we have planned for the future. Here’s to another ten years of HPV gaining best value on behalf of all Victorians.