Embracing a ‘people first’ approach to the upcoming Procurement Act

At Baringa, we believe that driving a ‘People First’ approach to the upcoming Procurement Act gives departments the chance to enable enduring procurement capability. The UK is leaving behind almost a decade of an EU-based regulatory set up, and now has the responsibility and opportunity to establish a more efficient, transparent and UK-tailored procurement system.  

By embracing behavioural shifts, empowering people and creating an open mindset within organisations, the public sector can increase competition, unlock efficiencies, drive better innovation and value for money through procurement reform.  

Shifting to a People First mindset 

Procurement leaders are facing various challenges related to the Procurement Act, often focused on process and procedure. At Baringa, we believe it is through putting People First that true reform to public procurement will be achieved. 

Process & Procedure Problem Statements vs. People First Approach 

• Problem: “I am worried the opportunity to innovate will be lost amongst the time and capacity pressures my team face.” 

• • People First Approach: “How can I enable and excite my teams to use the new Act to drive innovation in contracts by improving procurement outcomes?” 

• Problem: “I’m not really sure that I will do things differently to what I’m doing today and I don’t know how I could run a competitive flexible procedure.” 

• • People First Approach: “What skills and capabilities will my teams need to take advantage of the Act over and above the standard training, and how can I encourage collaboration across my department and other organisations?” 

• Problem: “Can the Act help me drive efficiencies and cost savings?” 

• • People First Approach: “How can I equip my team to focus on holistic value whilst driving better value for money?” 

How to ready your people 

By placing your people at the core of procurement reform and focusing on what the Act means for them, we believe there is an opportunity to supercharge your commercial function and make the most of this new way of operating. 

• Empowerment: Trust your instincts and expertise, critically balancing the opportunities to be gained alongside the risks being introduced. 

• Collaboration: Strengthen relationships between suppliers and stakeholders, gaining valuable perspectives and insights to support informed decision making. 

• Growth and Learning: Be both street smart and book smart, attending the training sessions ahead of the regulation launch, but also being curious about commercial realities that are not found in textbooks. 

Our approach   

We have been helping some of our clients understand the most interesting aspects of the Act, providing tailored engaging and informative workshops suited to the needs of their teams. We have covered areas such as what can be learnt from the private sector, opportunities to optimise testing supplier deliverability through the competitive flexible procedure and facilitate discussion around balancing the flexibility of the legislation with compliance risk. Our overall aim is to bring people together who are interested in understanding how best to leverage the regulations with our team of experts. 

We have chosen to approach the regulations in this way because we are a bunch of proudly geeky public procurement experts, keen to help you embrace this “disruption”, by bringing a fresh, fun and engaging approach to all aspects related to the Procurement Act with our people-first values being our guiding star. 

Get in touch with Abi Walbridge or Sally Dwamena if you would like to hear more about how we can support or sign up here to receive the latest government and public sector insights straight to your inbox.