Programme actions for central government

techUK's Central Government programme has been developed with members to help them: 

• Develop networks
• Develop markets
• Reduce business cost and risk.

Develop Networks 

• techUK is the platform that connects tech companies large and small with Government

  Issue: Central government is a complex and diverse market composed of 25 Ministerial Departments, 20 non- Ministerial Departments and over 300 agencies and other public bodies. The wide scope and complexity of central government business means that government and the tech sector needs a structured and formalised approach to engagement to support public sector innovation.

  Required Outcome: To develop networks we’ll hold regular central government community networking events throughout 2018. These will include techUK’s GovTech Snacks & Sips speed networking events, and Meet-Ups on the Digital Marketplace. We will use our GovTech SME Survey as a tool to promote a more diverse supplier base to government.

  Timescales:

  • A GovTech Snacks & Sips networking event will be held in Q2 and Q4
  • A Digital Market place Meet Up will be held in Q1 and Q3
  • The public sector annual GovTech SME Survey will be published in Q4 and techUK will work with central government departments to implement the recommendations of its Procuring the Smarter State report through workshops, opinion pieces and briefings with the Cabinet Office

Develop Markets 

• techUK will work with Government to open up the public sector tech market to a more diverse and vibrant supply base.

  Issue: The tech sector is innovating at a phenomenal pace, this provides a challenge for central government leaders to be informed of what tech solutions are available in delivering public service transformation. There is a huge opportunity to harness new tech to enable citizens to have comparable public services access and consumption channels as they receive from the private sector.

  Required Outcome: techUK will work with central government including the Cabinet Office, HMRC and DWP to support their digital transformation. This means techUK’s Concept Viability and industry briefings will be used earlier in the procurement process, allowing techUK members to feed into and have an insight into the relevant procurement opportunities.Our flagship Building the Smarter State conference will be the go to event that connects central government with the tech industry.

  Timescales:

  • One Industry Briefing with a central government department per Quarter
  • One Concept Viability event held in Q2 and Q4
  • In Q3 techUK’s annual Building the Smarter State conference will be the industry flagship event that connects senior civil servants with disruptive tech and the very best in emerging technologies the tech industry has to offer.

Reduce Business Cost & Risk 

• techUK will campaign for smarter buying from Government through clearer standards, simple, easy and accessible procurement vehicles

  Issue: Central government departments are undergoing ambitious transformation programmes in the context of increasing demand and rising expectations on services from citizens. A key component to successfully delivering transformation programmes will be taking a long-term approach to digital transformation to avoid ‘technical debt’ and a reliance on an ageing infrastructure.

  techUK's 2017 GovTech SME Survey identified a number of poor procurement practices which would apply to companies large and small. Furthermore, where effective commercial vehicles do exist civil servant buyers are not making full use of them.

  Required Outcome: techUK has a key role to help and support the public sector to understand the impact and transformative potential of technology andwill continue to act as the voice of the tech industry to support government in its transformation journey. techUK will produce regular reports with recommendations, allowing government to pick and choose suppliers more effectively. Through techUK’s campaigning and collaborating with government there will be greater clarity on how to access markets by the tech sector – with simple and easier procurement systems.

  Timescales: 

  • techUK will carry out an annual survey of civil servants and industry leaders to better understand the ongoing challenges of delivering transformation. Results and recommendations will be published by Q3
  • techUK will work with Members of Parliament, Ministers and Civil Servants to address the ongoing issues around delivering large scale projects through a series of dinners, seminars and roundtables.
  • Two Public Sector Innovation Dens will be held offering GovTech SMEs the opportunity to pitch their ideas to panellists from public sector organisations currently delivering transformation programmes.

For more information, please contact: 

• 
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  Rob Driver

  Head of Programme | Public Sector
  T 020 7331 2162
  E rob.driver@techuk.org