Putting social value at the heart of public procurement.

It was great to attend Procurex 2023 at the start of this month at the The NEC, Birmingham . The event certainly seems to be going from strength to strength and was noticeably larger this year in terms of both attendees and exhibitors. A real feeling of energy and a positive outlook towards the role of procurement throughout the public sector permeated the day. This was best evidenced by the focus on the central role that providing social value now has for suppliers in their partnerships with the public sector.

Against a backdrop of the new Procurement Bill, which will be enacted over the next year, Social Value was a common element running through the keynote speeches. It is clearly core to the goal of ensuring procurement solutions provide more for taxpayers money in the future. ? Malcolm Harbour CBE from Connected Places Catapult , a UK innovation accelerator for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure, gave a fascinating speech about how procurement reform can power innovation and enterprise, and the role of the new Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre in driving smarter spending throughout the public sector.

Over in the Social Value and Sustainability Skills Zone, there were some really valuable learnings shared by an impressive line-up of speakers. Veronica McGarry from the Cabinet Office Commercial Policy Team, gave some key insights into the role of Social Value in central government procurement, how it can be measured and its positive benefits for people, place and planet . Given our role here at Blackhawk Network in providing cost-effective fund disbursement solutions, her observations really resonated with our experiences.

?The overriding impression I was left with after Procurex 2023 was just how central a role providing and proving Social Value must now play in every proposal made for the Public Sector. The onus is firmly on businesses to demonstrate the added value they can deliver across a wide range of social value parameters. More than that, there is a clear need from public and private sector partners to think innovatively and to collaborate on delivering measurable solutions that don’t just tick boxes but address real issues for the economy, communities and the environment.

For more information on how Blackhawk Network is supporting the Public Sector please visit our new website or contact me on 07485 376 178 or at?[email protected].