Abi Lindsay, Bloom’s Head of Central Government, examines some of the key proposals within the Cabinet Office’s newly published ‘Transforming public procurement’ Green Paper.
“As a procurement professional with over 18 years of experience, I warmly welcome the consultation and believe it presents a real opportunity to transform UK government procurement approach.
“The ethos and heart of the paper, which remains open to public consultation until 10 March 2021, seeks to drive continuous commercial improvement across the public sector, enabling buyers and suppliers to be innovative and operate within a less bureaucratic environment. It’s fantastic to see a stronger emphasis on social value, transparency and enabling better access for SMEs and VCSEs, particularly at such a critical time in the country.
“Some of the key themes that pose real change and improvements for me are:
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- Opening public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery – we welcome government eliminating some of the barriers to SMEs to enable them to have a fighting chance of bidding and winning public sector contracts.
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- Single Uniform Set of Rules – a reduction in the 350+ current regulations to one single uniform framework will provide simplicity and, most importantly, clarity for both buyers and suppliers.
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- Open framework agreements with multiple joining points – although this will still be quite restrictive in terms of new suppliers being awarded a place on a framework, it is still a major improvement on current frameworks which are restrictive and provide no opportunities for those suppliers who have missed out or new entrants in the market.
“At Bloom, we deliver on all these requirements for our customers and are delighted to support the implementation of the paper through our fully managed, end-to-end procurement solution.
“Selecting from our dynamic supplier marketplace, we can identify and support shortlisting of the most appropriate services suppliers for your project, rapidly identifying and onboarding new suppliers where needed. All suppliers are onboarded via a robust and detailed accreditation process to verify their capability to deliver in the chosen category, giving our customers the cast-iron assurance that’s at the heart of our service. To date, 88.9% of our accredited suppliers are of SME status, with the past year seeing more than £97 million worth of projects awarded to local suppliers.
“Acting as your expert partner, we can manage the full process from start to finish, ensuring you have complete visibility at every stage of your project. Our service is delivered through the fully compliant NEPRO³ framework, a one-of-a-kind solution that delivers significant efficiency savings, transparency and a fast and compliant route to market for customers. Through NEPRO³, our customers save on average between 11% and 19% against budget.
“If you would like to discuss what these proposals mean for your organisation and find out how we can help you work more efficiently with local SME suppliers, get in touch with me today.”