Applying Agile Principles in Government Procurement with David Kershaw

Procurement is painful. The legislation isn’t the painful bit. It’s the policies and the culture these policies create. For years procurement has been a back office function (in fact the furthest of back offices) which was tasked with compliance checking and strict 17:00 Friday submission demands (do procurement people look at these submissions over the weekend?).

The digital age places new demands on traditional functions like procurement and finance. This demand is driven by:

– speed

– user-centred products and services

– customer value, and

– working in the open.

Some procurement teams have started to transform and gradually procurement is becoming less painful for its users. But we need many more to put their hands up and ask for guidance on becoming more agile. Let’s discuss how procurement functions can apply agile ways of working.

To join, sign up via Eventbrite here.

Speaker Bio

David is a recognised digital and agile procurement specialist.

A chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, David has worked in policy, commercial, tendering, category management, and complex transactions roles for organisations such as the UK’s Cabinet Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Transport, Ministry of Defence, and local authorities.

He has experience with the UK’s public rail organisation, Network Rail, and finance regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as overseas Governments and global organisations such as the World Bank. He’s also an experienced advisor to charities.

Since 2013 David has used his experience of working with the Procurement Regulations and helping to bring agile and procurement closer together. He led this work at organisations such as the Government Digital Service, NHS Digital, Crown Commercial Service and within the ‘Brexit’ space. David is a thought leader in agile procurement and advises organisations how to introduce and embed this.