CBI survey gives suppliers chance to have say on UK public sector procurement

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is offering private sector firms the chance to take part in a survey detailing their experience of working with UK public sector. It follows a largely damning 2012 report from the same organisation which found that only 7 per cent of firms believed the public sector procurement function was effective. However the same report did find that around 80 percent of respondents were in favour of the UK Government reform programme and so the latest survey is a chance to see whether recent initiatives such as the recent Public Administration Committee report into procurement failings  and the setting up of the Crown Commercial Service have had any impact on private sector confidence in the way the UK public sector goes about its business.

Although the Cabinet Office has been instrumental in trying to transform public sector purchasing, claiming it has already saved around £1 billion in the process, many local authorities have also been adopting a new approach, often driven by necessity as their budgets have come under pressure.

The survey, which should take around ten minutes to complete and which closes on the 6^th September, asks suppliers for their views on  their relationships with the public sector, framework contract, and how the Government might improve its procurement functions to meet its aim of becoming a ‘world class’ operator.

Given the lobbying clout of the CBI and the fact the Government is already committed to change the way it buys goods and services, the survey will undoubtedly shape Government policy to some degree. If you’d like to take part, you can take the survey here.