Procurement News, Opinions and Latest Market Leads

  Last week Finance Secretary Derek Mackay MSP delivered the Scottish Budget 2019-2020. In what he claimed to be a “fair and progressive budget”, Mr Mackay presented a business-friendly package that aims to prepare the Scottish economy for the opportunities of the future. Housing The Scottish Government wants everyone living in Scotland to have access […]

  The Scottish Government will spend £15m improving technology and sustainability in infrastructure such as street lighting, waste and water management, and public transport. The funding to the Scottish Cities Alliance’s Smart Cities programme has been allocated by the European Union. Find out more about the latest public sector investment in Scotland below. Scottish Cities […]

  The UK government will spend £9 million with UK businesses that are developing digital technology solutions for healthcare. Find out more about the latest funding plans provided by UK Research and Innovation and delivered by Innovate UK below.   Advancing new technologies  The £9 million of new funding will soon be made available through […]

  The UK government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, has released a document detailing estimated levels of investment over the coming decade – investment is projected to hit over £600 billion.   Analysis of the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline The “Analysis of the National Infrastructure and […]

  Arvato UK Outsourcing Index has revealed that both government and private sector outsourcing has boosted in 2018. Statistics have revealed that UK businesses have signed outsourcing contracts worth £1.50 billion between July and September 2018.   A strong Q3 for private sector suppliers Q3 2018 saw four times the value of deals agreed compared […]

  Earlier this year, the UK Government announced that it wanted to create “an economy that harnesses artificial intelligence and big data”, noting that it “is one of the great opportunities of our age”. The Government has now allocated an additional £50 million to boost UK Artificial Intelligence (AI). Learn more about the Government’s commitment […]

  In recent years cyber security has become a deciding factor in whether your firm wins or loses public sector tenders. SMEs that fail to adjust to rising expectations around cyber security risk being left behind when it comes to public procurement opportunities.   Supply chain risks Data breaches caused by poor cyber security in […]

  If you joined us at Procurex Scotland or Wales you will know that there was much discussion around early engagement. As part of our “Debunking the myths in public sector procurement” session at the Procurex events, our team spoke about engaging with buyers as early in the procurement process as possible to better understand […]

  The government is currently preparing for Brexit and is expecting “to negotiate a successful deal with the EU”. Nevertheless, they have published guidance on how to access tender opportunities if there is no Brexit deal and the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 with no transition period. These guidelines are among a […]

  During the Autumn Budget 2018, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said that this government must “prepare our nation for the technological change ahead”. The government has committed to technology by investing £1.6bn into advanced projects that focus on modern industrial strategy, nuclear fusion, and quantum computing.   “The great winner of the technological […]