Over recent months, the Connected Procurement and Commissioning (CPC) Network Leadership Group (NLG) have been discussing and confirming the programme priorities for 2023-24. These priorities will support the focus and delivery for the CPC programme from April 2023 following a busy 2022-23 where the programme covered topics such as carbon reduction, sustainability, inflation and more.
Looking forward to 2023-24, the CPC NLG has discussed how much of the focus for the programme from 2022-23 continues to be relevant, whilst also incorporating the new Procurement regulations and key issues including the impact of the Ukrainian conflict and managing ethical public sector spend. It was felt that the priorities needed a clearer focus with an aim on achieving specific objectives to support more focused discussions and delivery for the group and further consideration given to the strategic role Procurement plays in supporting the economy.
The NLG felt that it was important to consider longer term goals for the group, rather than a tailored focus on the most immediate issues faced by the sector, whilst remaining conscious and responding to the impact the cost of living crisis, recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. Therefore it was agreed that the wording of the priorities would acknowledge the need to focus on the ongoing key challenges in the public sector whilst driving forward sustainable economic recovery and adhering to new regulations and legislation.
Moving into 2023-24, there will be a further collaboration with the other iNetwork programme streams; TIPS and EISS, providing the opportunity to further collaborate with colleagues and partners in a range of sectors. The priorities that will come in force from April 2023 are listed below:
| CPC Priorities 2023-2024 |
| 1. Effective Co-commissioning and Procurement Innovation – Support procurement and commissioning leads to jointly commission more effectively to deliver savings and efficiencies, particularly within the context of place based delivery and new approaches to procurement, including cost avoidance |
| 1.1 Support new ways of proactively innovating, collaborating, and promoting business change by providing a space for the local public sector to think about, and encourage best practice in the application of procurement and commissioning standard |
| 1.2 Support commercial practices in the local public sector by encouraging collaboration and the sharing of best practice and knowledge around the delivery of savings, efficiencies, income generation |
| 1.3 Stimulate a change in the conversation from specific services to genuine collaboration and innovation, promoting ethical spending, transparency and community wealth building |
| 1.4 Develop excellent contract and supplier management approaches to maximise value for money, manage risks, and use insight to inform future procurement and commissioning approaches. |
| 2. Tackling Policy Outcomes Important to the Public Sector – Support, and respond to, the evolving strategic policy objectives of the public sector through improved procurement and commissioning practices. These include, embedding social value to support inclusive and sustainable growth, building resilient local economies, and addressing environmental sustainability, poverty, inequality, and modern slavery. |
| 2.1 Support policy objectives by encouraging wider engagement between internal and external stakeholders to promote and deliver place-based innovation, prompting economic, environmental and social value practices. |
| 2.2 Support the membership to understand and champion the role of strategic procurement and commissioning practices in addressing the climate emergency |
| 2.3 Support the sector to adapt and take advantage of the changes in procurement legislation and regulations to promote innovation and best practice |