Ministerial Foreword
The Scottish economy is facing its greatest challenge in decades. In the current economic downturn public spending must help create a more successful country by providing efficient, high quality public services, supporting sustainable economic growth.
The Procurement Reform Agenda was vital before the economic downturn and is now more vital than ever - we need to renew and deepen our focus on ensuring that we get the maximum benefit from our public procurement activities. This means that public procurement must embrace a culture of strategic and continuous improvement and must be able to demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness at all levels. Over the course of the reform programme the Scottish Government has worked with cross sectoral partners to develop a variety of processes, mechanisms and technologies to assist procurement teams. The reform programme has also promoted collaboration in terms of best practice processes and benefits by the creation of the Centres of Expertise. I, along with my colleagues on the Public Procurement Reform Board ( PPRB), expect all public bodies to be using this additional support and the unprecedented management information available to monitor the way they do business at a local level, and track progress and improvements.
However, as well as monitoring progress throughout the year, it is important that each year we take the time to take stock, measure how far we've come, share best practice and then plan specific action for the coming year to improve continuously, at a local, sectoral and national level. This document sets out a mechanism for doing just that: the Procurement Capability Assessment ( PCA). The PCA has my full backing. It has been developed by a working group with representation from key parts of the public sector including Audit Scotland and will be rolled out across the public sector with the assistance of the sectoral Centres of Expertise.
The PCA represents a significant further step towards delivering John McClelland's vision of advanced procurement. It will further allow procurement to be recognised as a key public sector skill, as a vital conduit between the public and private sectors with a crucial role in helping to create a wealthier, fairer Scotland. It will allow procurement teams within organisations to plan their path towards delivering efficient, effective world class advanced procurement. In these challenging times, Scotland requires nothing less.
JOHN SWINNEY, MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth