“ There ' s no point in managing the vendor if you don ' t also manage the contract ”
GARETH RHYS WILLIAMS , GOVERNMENT CCO
people now do the basic-level contract management training , and it ’ s working really well .”
This goes to many aspects in procurement which in recent years have been highlighted as requiring the same level of supervision and care after implementation . Just as digital transformations are not just one-off overhauls , but require steering after launch , contract management abides by the same rules of engagement , and if handled correctly , can yield some impressive fiscal results .
“ We have saved £ 720mn so far ,” says Williams , as both the profitability , and the status of public contracts gain traction .
“ If you wind the clock back five years , the commercial function in government wasn ' t well regarded . We had some great people , but too often our good people left and we didn ' t have the structure or resources to tackle the workload we had . So we set up the Commercial Assessment and Development Centre . If you are a commercial specialist and you want to enter the Government Commercial Function , you undergo classroom-based tests and training . Its purpose is to recruit commercially astute professionals into the Government Commercial Function .”
How public procurement reflects public service The importance of procurement was catapulted into the spotlight following global supply chain disruptions , as we all now know . This realisation wasn ' t confined to private procurement alone . Williams says : “ We ' re trying to make the point that we ' re taking the procurement
48 March April 2023