OVERVIEW

Existing procurement spend is split mainly between central government (£70bn), Local Government (£50bn), the NHS (£20bn) and education (£30bn). The total procurement spend amounts to nearly 20% of UK gross domestic product (GDP). It covers a vast range of products on a vast scale, including outsourcings, ICT, healthcare, social care, defence, prisons, construction and buildings, buildings maintenance services, energy, office consumables, reprographics, food, transport, roads and roads maintenance, police services, fire services, research, research equipment and ships. Its diversity of products is immense and there is little that it does not buy.

The public sector is complex - and that makes procurement complex. There are 40,000 procurement points, several thousand heads of procurement and several hundred thousand budget holders, who often determine or influence what is purchased. Procurement procedures can be complex, partly in order to demonstrate public accountability and new transparency requirements make this even more important. UK public sector procurement spend is influenced also by the EU procurement directives, prescribing how procurement should be conducted and the procedures to be followed.

It is a myth that public sector procurement is not open to SMEs. There are several hundred thousand suppliers and analysis of local government procurement spend suggests that most contracts are won by SMEs. The Prime Minister has set a target for 25% of central government contracts to go to SMEs and is keen to encourage the use of new suppliers. So there are huge opportunities for businesses and huge benefits from doing business with the public sector. For example, the public sector always pays on time. Potential suppliers also have many rights, some of which are enshrined in legislation. For some companies, the public sector provides a reliable level of business to be used as a basis for business growth in the private sector.

However, many businesses do not understand how to engage with and obtain public sector business. They do not understand how it goes about advertising its contracting opportunities, how to tender for business, the rules and regulations within which it operates, who makes the decisions and the rights of suppliers. At Win the Contract: Selling to the Public Sector an exceptional group of public sector procurement professionals will outline common pitfalls in the tendering process, explore new opportunities for suppliers and offer an invaluable guide of how to win a public sector contract.