April 2019
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Delegates at this conference discussed the future for public procurement in the UK at a crucial time for the outsourcing sector.
It took place in the wake of the collapse of Carillion, with the Government commitment to extending the Social Value Act and signalling an end to the further use of PFI and PF2 arrangements, and as the Industrial Strategy commits further resource to the Small Business Research Initiative.
Delegates considered the future management and monitoring of public contracts and their financing going forward.
With the Chancellor’s announcement of a centre of excellence to support NHS contract managers, they also looked at what else is needed to ensure that public bodies have the skills and expertise they need to improve the public procurement process and avoid further failures post-Carillion.
Planned sessions examined the implications for contractors and public bodies of plans to ensure that all government departments explicitly evaluate social value when commissioning services, as well as how to ensure the consideration of factors other than the lowest cost when awarding contracts whilst still delivering value for money - and how spending behaviour within public bodies can be developed to redirect wealth back into local economies.
There was also discussion on the future of the Small Business Research Initiative and what is needed to support a competitive bidding process and encourage more new entrants to tender for public contracts.
The seminar followed the Government taking forward a range of initiatives which aimed to support businesses through the use of public procurement, including the launch of a package of measures which aim to reduce the complexity of the bidding process and as the Government considered feedback to its consultation on whether it was appropriate to exclude suppliers from major government contracts if they fail to promptly pay their suppliers.
Further sessions looked at how businesses and public bodies can utilise new innovations to improve procurement, looking at next steps for procurement technology and automation.
