National Public Procurement Practitioners Day 2008 outlined a set of challenges for procurement professionals across the UK – and how best to achieve them, explains Government Opportunities (GO) Features Editor Morven MacNeil.

In its fifth year, National Public Procurement Practitioners Day (N3PD) once again brought hundreds of procurement professionals across the public sector together with service providers from the private and third sectors.

Held at the Institution of Civil Engineers at One Great George Street, London, N3PD brings the procurement community together to recognise and celebrate the achievements of those who help make a difference in delivering smarter, more efficient public services through effective procurement – so benefiting the end user and taxpayer.
Delegates heard addresses from high-profile keynote speakers Minister for the Third Sector Phil Hope MP and Deputy Director-General of the CBI John Cridland.

Chairing the event was Grahame Steed, Managing Editor of GO magazine, the media sponsor of N3PD.

Looking towards the future of public procurement, Mr Steed said: “Could the coming years be the opportunity for public procurement to build its legacy, and to be seen for what it is – an essential service that can add tremendous value for the taxpayer, help build capacity in small businesses, create social inclusion, improve public services and contribute towards a greener, more sustainable future? Put like that it’s a big ask – but if not procurement professionals, then who can rise to the challenge? And if not now, when?

“Of course, if it were this easy to resolve all of our problems, we would have done it by now. For many in procurement, thinning resources can mean that just getting the day-to-day tasks completed is a challenge in itself. But we should not lose sight of the potential that public procurement has to make a real and lasting difference.

“N3PD and the GO Awards are one occasion when we can pause to recognise and celebrate the achievements of all who work within the public procurement profession; from junior support staff through to procurement directors and beyond. And we firmly believe that public procurement is a profession, and in many ways an even more complex one to master than its private sector cousin. We also recognise the innovations and achievements of those who supply the public sector – businesses of all shapes and sizes as well as third sector organisations.”

John Cridland asked delegates how they were going to attempt to continue the process of public service improvement and meet rising demand

He continued: “The efficiency agenda is a significant part of this. We saw in the last general election a party political clash over efficiency savings, with the Government’s Gershon Report going head to head with the Conservatives’ James Review.

“And although the first stage of the Gershon programme is now complete, with the Government claiming to have not only hit but even exceeded its £21.5 billion a year savings, efficiency remains very much in fashion, something business is pleased to see.

“New plans call for £30 billion a year, although this time in cashable savings. Added to which an additional £5 billion a year plan is being led by Yvette Cooper in the Treasury, with much of the planned saving coming from bulk purchasing, as well as better asset management.

“This fashion for efficiency, in itself a product of both fiscal constraint and a taxpaying public taken to its limit, affects the work you do significantly, as the Government’s shopping bill will always be seen as a natural target.”

Minister for the Third Sector Phil Hope MP reiterated the vital importance of collaborative working between government and the third sector.

Mr Hope said: “Commissioning and procurement practices are an absolutely essential part of working well with the third sector. Good commissioning is essential for the third sector, and all the finalists in the GO Improved Delivery Through Greater Third Sector Involvement category clearly demonstrate that they have turned commissioning principles into reality in their procurement with the third sector.”

Summing up, GO Managing Editor Grahame Steed said: “In the rush to achieve increasingly difficult goals, it can be easy to overlook the good news stories. The GO Awards have demonstrated that there are plenty of these, and also that public procurement – as a profession and a public service – has much to be proud of. Congratulations go to all GO Award winners and those who were highly commended - the future of public procurement is in safe hands.”