art of the possible in public sector procurement

A recent panel discussion explored the transformative potential of the upcoming Procurement Act 2023 for public sector procurement, featuring:

• Rikesh Shah, Head of IPEC
• Carol Williams, Director of Transformation & Digital/SIRO at Walsall Council and Vice President at Socitm
• Katy Armstrong, Deputy Director for Digital Services at Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
• Helen Olsen Bedford, Publisher at UKAuthority

Key takeaways

• Complexity and Rigidity: Current procurement processes are often too complex and rigid, hindering innovation.
• SME Involvement: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to compete with larger companies because of onerous documentation and overly specific tender requirements.
• Competitive Flexible Procedure: This new approach offers more creativity and flexibility in designing procurement procedures, enabling better collaboration with suppliers.
• Innovative Partnership Procedure: Starting with a problem statement, this approach involves seed funding and testbeds to develop and refine solutions before awarding contracts.
• Procure for value beyond cost: Contracts should be awarded based on long-term outcomes and overall value, rather than merely cost. This approach requires complex modelling and innovative evaluation methods.
• Early Engagement: Involving diverse stakeholders early in the procurement planning process can lead to more intelligent and effective procurement strategies.
• Budget Clarity: Clear budgeting for innovation, including transparency about what qualifies as innovation spending, is crucial.
• Upskilling Teams: Investing in training and upskilling procurement teams to manage new approaches is essential for continuous improvement.
• Showcasing Success: Highlighting successful case studies and innovative practices encourages broader adoption and collective learning.
• Sharing lessons learned: Highlighting what hasn’t worked is just as valuable as sharing successes. This exchange of information is crucial for fostering innovation in procurement and will help shift away from a blame culture

Carol Williams expressed the optimistic perspective: “Don’t underestimate local government. If we can collectively release those shackles, local government will fly.”

For a deeper dive into these insights, watch the full panel discussion in this post.

If you have used innovative ways and challenged the norm in bringing new value into your organisation, please connect and share your experiences and case studies with us via contact@ipec.org.uk , which are then to be promoted to a wider public to facilitate collective learning.