Mayor applauds procurement principles to create truly sustainable Games

The Mayor of London has today welcomed the draft procurement principles that the new Olympic Delivery Authority will use to ensure the London 2012 Games deliver the greatest lasting benefits.

The ODA will be set up once Parliament approves the London Olympics Bill, expected to be in the first half of 2006. It will have responsibility for the completion of stadiums, infrastructure and transport for the 2012 Games. The procurement principles, approved by key Olympic stakeholders, will set the framework within which the Delivery Authority will operate, to make sure that:

• Sustainability lies at the heart of the delivery of the London Games
• Facilities meet the highest standards of design quality - and are of lasting use
• Local people are given every opportunity to benefit from the new jobs before and after the Games
• The Games are the most environmentally friendly ever
• The Olympic projects bring lasting economic, social and environmental benefits to London through regeneration and the creation of a lasting legacy.

The procurement framework includes practical measures to realise its objectives. To ensure design excellence for example, the main facilities within the Olympic Park will be procured by major design competitions, such that already used to select the designers for the Aquatics Centre. To ensure the greatest possible opportunities for local people, a programme of skills training based in East London will be developed.

The framework goes on to state: "A key assessment criterion in the selection of contractors should be their commitment to working with the LDA/ODA and others to underpin delivery of a programme of local community involvement and benefits including: employee representation; fair and ethical employment; London living wage; supplier diversity; local and ethical sourcing; local labour; community benefit; training and supply chain initiatives."

This is a draft set of principles that will guide the existing programmes of contract-letting and in due course a detailed Procurement Strategy for the London Games will be drawn up.

All of these principles are consistent with the policies in the Mayor's London Plan - the regional planning guidance for London that already informs planning decisions and frameworks across the capital, including the wider development of the Thames Gateway.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said:

"The London Games in 2012 will be far more than just a four week festival of sport. They will be quite simply the most sustainable ever - leaving a lasting legacy of jobs, homes and environmental improvements for East London, London and Britain.

"One of my key priorities over the next seven years will be to ensure local people and businesses benefit to the greatest possible extent. We are already discussing programmes to develop the skills of local people to help them compete for the jobs created by the Games. We will also work with the companies delivering the Games to ensure they fully involve local communities and create the greatest community benefits.

"We are already getting on with the work to deliver the Games. The procurement principles are part of the early work to ensure that the Games are delivered on time and to budget."

Work on the delivery of the London Games is already well underway:

• The Mayor has directed the LDA and Transport for London to begin the early work on the infrastructure that will make the Games possible.
• J Murphy and Co have been named as the preferred supplier to carry out tunnelling work before power lines in the Lower Lea Valley can be buried underground - a contract worth £70m.
• Key appointments have already been made to the LDA, which is undertaking priority transitional work on behalf of the Olympic stakeholders - the Greater London Authority, the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the British Olympic Association. These include the appointment of a Director of Transitional Delivery, Alison Nimmo, and Interim Finance Director, David Leather.
• The search has begun to find a Chair and Chief Executive of the ODA.

Manny Lewis, CEO of the London Development Agency said: "We are committed to driving forward the procurement process so as to ensure that the seven years until 2012 are used as effectively as possible. These principles underline our determination that the 2012 Olympic Games will transform one of the most deprived areas of the capital and be of real and lasting benefit to local people in the East End and right across London. These will be an Olympic Games that really will make Londoners and the UK proud."

Notes to Editors:

For a copy of the Draft Procurement Principles, please contact the Mayor's Press Office on the number below.

Media enquiries for the Mayor:

Matthew Neylan or Richard Brookes in the Mayor's Press Office, 020 7983 4020/6550