The changing faces of Procurement

Procuring the best consortium or supply chain organisation and negotiating the contract is perhaps more important to a successful outcome for a major project than the design and construction phases.

To what extent do personal relationships matter more than the procurement route? Do clients get the contracted suppliers they deserve? What have been the benefits and shortfalls in recent procurement experiences? With no obvious sign of major new PFI/PPP proposals in the pipeline, what form will future government procurement take to maximise private sector skills and access to financial models? Has the current recession led to less emphasis on sustainability?

This full day seminar will hear from some leaders in their fields. James Stewart, Chief Executive Partnerships UK, will give his predictions on future mechanisms for government involvement of private commercial skills. Andy Mitchell, now with CrossRail, will present his lessons in driving forward and procuring major rail contracts. Adam Green, Managing Director Carillion Infrastructure Services, will comment on the latest mechanisms to engage the supply chain to meet the overall clients’ requirements. Shaun McCarthy of Action Sustainability, is at the cutting edge of sustainable procurement. He will bring his experiences in acting for major clients and provide his thoughts on how this important topic should best be addressed at the procurement stage. We also hope to hear from a leading private sector client on how they are changing their procurement and contracts to obtain best outcomes.

Our chair for the day is Graham Dalton, Chief Executive Highways Agency. His organisation has been at the forefront of introducing many new initiatives such as the Toolkit, early contractor engagement and moving from specifying inputs to obtaining beneficial outcomes. As a leading Government Agency, and one with considerable budgets and annual spending plans, his organisation is currently examining emerging routes to procurement and successful forms of contracts and contractual relationships. Graham will therefore play a key role to steer this seminar to achieve an understanding of where our industries are currently and what we might expect from the changing faces of procurement.