The Future of Public Sector Procurement

Insights from Hayley Packham, Group Operations Director, Procurement Heads

What will the future of public sector procurement look like? How do we attract procurement talent to the public sector?

We know that the public sector can't compete with the private sector on salaries and bonuses, and therefore more emphasis is placed on additional holidays, enhanced pensions and flexible/remote working to attract people across.

Whilst these benefits are useful, they aren't going to attract the current Gen X or Millennials (in some cases) to want to apply, as the importance of a good pension is not something they will contemplate at this stage and remote working isn't conducive to a solid learning platform.

There is also a heavy bias towards having had experience with public sector procurement regulations which is fine if you've been in the public sector for years but what if you are just starting in your career?

So how do public sector organisations attract talent and what can recruiters do to support these challenges?

1. Be flexible with your parameters. Is it essential for someone to have deep-rooted category expertise or extensive knowledge of PCR 2015?

2. Have a clear EVP and purpose. People care about meaningful work. Ensure you are selling these in your recruitment campaigns

3. Reduce bureaucracy in the hiring process. Public sector recruitment processes are laden with more interview stages and paperwork than that of its private sector counterparts

4. Hire for behaviours and teach technical skills. If someone has passion for working in the public sector but limited procurement experience in this field, don't discount them. You are missing out on a broader talent pool as a consequence.

5. Demonstrate how they can progress in the organisation and don't expect someone who wants a job for life. Be open-minded about their CV and career history.

6. Partner with a recruitment organisation that builds communities and talent pools in the markets you serve. SMEs often don't get access to working with public sector bodies due to the frameworks in place and the red tape involved. Be flexible about how you contract with someone and you might just see a different set of results. Make it attractive for recruiters to want to work with you and not drive the cost to the lowest possible denominator to work with you.

7. Ensure your recruitment marketing campaign is being positioned correctly. If it's a dry job advert on public sector websites, this isn't going to yield the desired results.

Something missing? We'd love to hear your thoughts...