Green Paper: Transforming Public Procurement (2021)

Access to data is becoming an ever more important part of developing innovative solutions.

The early sight of relevant Government data will enable the next generation of new business solutions.

It can be difficult to be innovative and take risks as the Government is often risk-averse, fearing repercussions from commentators of failed innovation projects at a large cost to the taxpayer.

The Government must consider the value of worth in risks

We recommend:

• The Government should actively source more tenders from SMEs or start-up companies, which are often working on the brink of cutting-edge innovation
• The procurement process should be focused on outcomes and whole life-cycle benefits, rather than specifying a slightly better version of the last solution
• Government procurement processes should be slimmed down and simplified for smaller companies to give them the ability to bid
• There should be a review of previous procurement processes leading to a refreshing of the current procurement roadmap

Procurers should be supported by a structured and continuous training programme to ensure standards are met and processes are efficient