Our recommendations

Using “functional leadership” to improve government procurement.

New Zealand Government Procurement and the State Services Commission need to work together to strengthen the framework that underpins the procurement functional leadership role.

Priorities, roles, and responsibilities need to be clearly understood, and more attention needs to be given to providing transparency and accountability for performance. Our report discusses matters we expect New Zealand Government Procurement and the State Services Commission to consider.

In particular, we recommend that:

  1. New Zealand Government Procurement:
    • clearly define its leadership role and responsibilities for improving government procurement; and
    • identify its stakeholders and revise its approach to stakeholder engagement to work more collaboratively with public organisations and central agencies;
  2. the State Services Commission clarify its oversight role for procurement functional leadership in the public sector;
  3. the State Services Commission, as appropriate, clarify its oversight role for other functional leaders in the public sector; and
  4. New Zealand Government Procurement:
    • put in place its planned national procurement strategy to give direction on priorities;
    • put in place performance indicators that would help it to monitor performance in improving government procurement; and
    • prepare and publish a regular report on government procurement.