WORCESTERSHIRE County Council is paving the way for other authorities across the region in finding even more ways of running efficiently.

The latest scheme has seen the county council continue to pioneer e-Auctions when awarding contracts to external companies. An event at County Hall in December saw an e-Auction for home-to-school transport services save an estimated £50,000.

An e-Auction works like e-Bay, but in reverse, where bids for carrying out work on behalf of the county council go down instead of up. They use innovative technology provided by BravoSolutions and paid for by the West Midlands Centre of Excellence, a development partnership that supports all 38 councils in the region.

Worcestershire County Council is the first local authority in the West Midlands to use e-Auction in this way and where joined by officers from various local authorities across the region to see the technology in action.

The first event in July, also for home-to-school transport, saved the authority a similar sum.

Wayne Welsby, the county council's strategic procurement officer, said: "We are delighted with the results we've seen from both our events. It has been well documented that the county council is subject to severe budget pressures and we are therefore constantly seeking to push the boundaries and achieve better value for money residents.

"We also know that the West Midlands Centre of Excellence is keen to build on our work and see more authorities across the region look at the advantages of e-Auctions and explore the savings they could make."