The LGA's wide ranging remit includes procurement policy guidance, best practice and training, led by its National Advisory Group (NAG) for local government procurement. It has promoted the role of strategic procurement in reshaping and transforming service delivery, as well as ensuring value for money and making a positive impact on local, regional and national businesses and jobs.
For LGA members, reduced budgets, high user expectations and demand issues are well rehearsed and there is a growing recognition of the role of procurement in encouraging innovative responses to meet these challenges. Since 2000, there have been new policy instruments and innovation project funding from the EU and the UK. The Small Business Research Initiative, run by Innovate UK, is recognised as one of the leading programmes. The 2014 reforms of EU procurement rules, transposed in the UK into the public contract regulations 2015, include new elements that encourage procurers and commissioners to promote more innovative approaches.
In the environment of reduced budgets, higher user expectations and demand issues and the growing role of procurement in encouraging innovative responses and solutions to these challenges , the National Advisory Group for Procurement (NAG) agreed, at the beginning of 2016, to establish a working group to make recommendations on the policies and practices that local government could follow to encourage innovative procurement. This review covers goods and services, and also examines the innovative aspects of integrating social value into procurement.
Encouraging innovation in local government procurement report
Additional resources
Innovation roadmap: A guide to the procurement of innovative solutions
The innovation roadmap shows how councils can achieve greater efficiencies and deliver better outcomes for their communities through collaboration and sharing what works. Use the roadmap to assess your current situation and plot how to meet your desired innovation maturity level.
GovTech Catalyst process
Information about the GovTech Catalyst process, current challenges and competitions, news and historical data