Although the idea of public sector contracts may not be particularly glamorous, they are crucial to the smooth running of our day-to-day lives.
When contracts are successful and delivered, they provide services like buses, school maintenance and rubbish disposal.
As such, when they go wrong they are never far from the news; whether it’s a costly IT contract or the collapse of huge organisations, they regularly make the headlines.
What is a Public Sector Contract?
The entire procurement process starts with a need. Whether that's a need for goods to be provided, work or services, public sector organisations need the right supplier to fill this need. This is where contracts come in. Also known as a 'tender,' a contract is an arrangement between a public sector organisation and a supplier to provide goods, work or services.
In a nutshell, it's a bid for the business.
Why are they so Important?
The UK government spends roughly £284 billion annually on the procurement of services and goods - which means the market is huge when it comes to the businesses that supply those services and goods. To get the ones you want, your contracts are like public sector job opportunities. Contracts are awarded to businesses that offer the most value for money. This does not mean the contract goes to the lowest bidder. Rather, it means it goes to the bidder offering the best product for the price.
But why does this matter you ask? Well, public sector contracts are your organisation's golden key to achieving greater value for money and more efficient delivery of services through trustworthy and high-quality services and goods.
Taking all of this into account there is no doubt that public sector organisations should prioritise their contractual process and management to ensure it is effective - there's nothing worse than wasting valuable time on a contract that doesn't achieve its goals.
How Can We Help?
Whether you want to write stronger contracts to deliver more cost-effective services or you want to learn how to manage the contractual process, we've got the knowledge, expert trainers and experience you need in our training courses.
Want to gain the essential procurement and contract management skills you need to gain better value for money, improve the delivery of your services for your service users or enhance the resilience of your supply chains? Take part in our Essential Procurement and Contract Management Skills course to learn more.
Or, if you want to focus on the management of your contracts, develop stronger relationships with your suppliers and gain expert advice on how to ensure all your contracts are being effectively delivered, our Guide to Successful Contract Management is more for you. Read the full agenda here and book your place.
Not ready to book a course just yet? Read our blog post on 5 top tips for successful contract management to get started.
Who are the Experts?
Procurement Professional, Gillian King, is our top contract and procurement expert when it comes to the public sector. She has over 20 years of experience in global procurement and supply chain management, working for the government and multinational corporations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Gillian has been a trainer for us for many years, so she certainly knows her stuff. If you want to learn more about procurement in 2022 - including an expert's look at sustainable procurement and the Incoming Procurement Bill - read the Q&A with Gillian King here.
View The Upcoming List of our Procurement Courses
It's not just contracts and contract management courses that we're good at. We also offer a range of other training courses to suit your commercial and organisational needs. See the full list here and view the agendas to discover what you could learn.
