Appendix 1: Questions for leaders
Strengthening government procurement: Lessons from our recent work.
We encourage governors and senior leaders to consider these questions about key elements of procurement in their organisation. This is not intended as a comprehensive checklist, but rather the elements of good practice that we see are often missing in public procurement.
| Questions to consider |
|---|
| Are your procurement policies up to date and aligned with public sector expectations? |
| Does your organisation have the right capability to allow you to comply with your policies and carry out the range of procurement you do? |
| Does your senior leadership team (and/or governors) receive regular reporting on procurement activities, value for money, contract management, and assurance that policies are being complied with? |
| Do you have comprehensive conflict of interest systems and processes to support procurement activities? |
| Do you understand who your strategically important suppliers are, and are there adequate plans in place to maintain service delivery in the event of an emergency or supplier failure? |
| Have you considered likely procurement activities in an emergency and how you will maintain process integrity in those circumstances? |
| Have you developed guidance and support for staff looking to carry out innovative procurement outside normal rules and processes? |
| Are you meeting public reporting requirements on your procurement activity? |