OVERVIEW

Public sector procurement amounts to some 50% of total public sector spend. Currently £230bn a year, it is thought that it could reach £300bn by 2015. This expenditure is a huge potential resource for investing in the UK economy, driving innovation and helping to boost economic growth. Its size makes it key to delivering quality public services and to ensuring that taxpayers' money is used most effectively and efficiently.

Despite much investment in initiatives going back almost 30 years, public sector procurement is still not managed as well as it could be. This is partly because of the diverse nature of the sector. For example, there remains inadequate knowledge of how much is spent overall, on what and with whom. The growing focus on spend data and analysis, prompted by the government's commitment to transparency and accountability, is delivering significant benefits.

There is a great emphasis on value for money in the public sector. Led by the Efficiency and Reform Group, the government is developing a more coherent approach, jointly addressing common categories, relationship management with suppliers, and a much leaner approach to procurement to speed up processes and make it quicker and cheaper to do business with the government. The creation of the Government Procurement Service, which has replaced Buying Solutions, will help drive the adoption of such initiatives and opportunities throughout the wider public sector. The drive has been reinforced by the 'Public procurement as a tool to stimulate innovation' report by the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, published at the end of May, which expects big improvements in public sector procurement. Linked to this topic is the Open Public Services White Paper, which has significant implications for procurement.

It is essential that public sector procurement professionals understand what is happening in order to plan their future careers and business opportunities. There are many outstanding examples of well-managed public procurement, and this conference will offer delegates the opportunity to hear both policy-led and practical sessions, giving an overview of the future direction of procurement, and examples of innovative and replicable procurement practices from across the public sector.

Public Service Events' second annual Managing Public Sector Procurement conference will provide an essential update on the latest developments and initiatives and the changes that are likely to occur in the next few years. Delegates will learn about new ways to save money through better procurement and new opportunities provided by the private sector, with topics to be covered including lean procurement, spend analysis, supplier engagement, progress with the common category 'deep dives', and the latest on EU procurement directives.