Procurement Magazine April 2023 | Page 49

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT exercises seriously now . We ' re tracking our training , and we ' re tracking our assessments , and it ' s delivering . In 2021 we made savings of £ 3.7bn . That is seven teaching hospitals . However you look at it , that is a massive freeing up of cash to reinvest in public services .”
Williams points out that at the same time , government vendors are getting more profitable . “ So this is about taking waste out of the system . This is not about just beating up on our vendors . We need them to be profitable .”
And of course , the impact of efficient government procurement functions , expands into the wider economy . “ Our delivery is getting better and better , year-on-year , and we are working well for the economy ,” Williams says .
To ensure that this process is as effective as possible , all parties involved require efficiencies both on the demand and supply side of the equation . So another policy that the UK Government has put in place is around prompt payment . Williams says : “ SMEs are being paid dramatically faster now , not just by us , but through the supply chain .”
The Public Procurement Bill In light of all the regulations and laws that govern procurement , Brexit was a huge stimulus for change .
Since one in every three pounds of public money , some £ 300bn a year , is spent on public procurement , the UK government introduced the UK Procurement Bill , to adapt to the change and lay down the necessary framework for an effective domestic procurement system .
The bill includes a number of regulationmaking powers which are necessary to ensure
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