Procurement & Commercial

There is a wealth of established good practice in public procurement, built up from experience across different sectors. Procurement has a hugely important role to play in encouraging innovation and greater efficiency, however poorly thought through procurement can add unnecessary cost to projects. We are seeing different approaches to procurement across major clients in the rail sector, adding further complexity to a complicated process. 

Key Asks:

• The public sector must follow best practice, and the supply chain will do the same. Best practice includes early supplier engagement, publishing indicative volumes, and including volume and value commitments in framework procurements.
• Follow through on HMT Green Book and Cabinet Office Procurement policy and legislative commitments to outcome-based procurement.
• Follow the specific recommendations in the Government’s own Construction and Sourcing Playbooks. Apply the well-established principles of ‘Project 13’. 
• Learn the lessons from different approaches to procurement across major rail clients and share best practice to move towards a converged and consistent procurement process across the sector.