A public procurement renaissance is overdue: time for action

Globally, procurement is a critical yet under-leveraged area of public policy, governance, transparency, and accountability. It's simultaneously one of the largest global marketplaces with an estimated US$ 13 trillion spent by governments each year, and "governments' number one corruption risk area because it’s where money, opacity, and discretion collide" (Gavin Hayman, Executive Director, Open Contracting Partnership).

Reimagining this function and profession for the internet era is long overdue. We need a public procurement renaissance.

By harnessing the pivotal role that public procurement needs to play in achieving the sustainable development goals, we can ensure intergenerational wellbeing and impact, and social, cultural, environmental and economic value is achieved, for the communities that governments exist to serve.

This talk will further explore this paradigm shift, with illustrative examples from around the world of organisations who are taking progressive steps towards internet era commercial approaches throughout the public procurement lifecycle.