The Procurement Act, which came into force on 24 February 2025, marks a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of Welsh public sector procurement. For several years, our proactive and collaborative public sector procurement community has worked hard to ensure that Welsh contracting authorities were well-prepared to meet the new legal requirements. This thorough preparation has resulted in a smooth transition to the new regime, which stands as a testament to the thoughtful planning, collaboration, and dedication of our procurement professionals, as well as the strong support network that exists amongst procurement professionals in Wales.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Next? Seizing the Opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n The big question now is: What comes next? Over the next 12 to 18 months, we have an exciting opportunity to embed efficient, value-adding procurement processes within our organisations. Now is the time to move beyond mere compliance and embrace the full spectrum of flexibilities the new regime offers.<\/p>\n I recently attended one of the many webinars related to the Procurement Act, and I noticed a striking imbalance: the word \u201ccompliance\u201d was mentioned far more often than words like \u201cflexible\u201d, \u201cculture\u201d, or \u201cbehaviour\u201d combined. This focus on compliance reflects our initial efforts to achieve legal compliance. However, as I highlighted in my keynote speech at Procurex Wales in November, it\u2019s time for a paradigm shift.<\/p>\n The introduction of the Procurement Act gives us a unique opportunity to reframe our thinking:<\/p>\n I recently came across the concept of \u2018desire paths\u2019, which form when people choose to walk along routes that are most direct and convenient rather than following pre-laid pathways. This made me think about how, in procurement, we should encourage organic, intuitive processes that emerge from practical needs. By following our organization\u2019s \u201cdesire paths,\u201d we can cultivate streamlined and effective procurement practices that truly serve our stakeholders and transform our work environment to deliver superior value to our organisations and the public at large.<\/p>\n The transition to the new procurement landscape is an opportunity to reimagine how we work. I urge every public sector procurement professional and their colleagues to embrace this period of transformation and move beyond compliance towards efficient, innovative and agile procurement processes that maximise social, economic, environmental and cultural outcomes for Wales. Let\u2019s embrace the flexibilities of the new regime and deliver smarter procurement for a stronger Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reflections from Carl Thomas, Welsh Government’s Procurement Reform Stakeholder and Policy Lead, on embracing a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[74,46],"class_list":["post-1784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement-reform","tag-carl-thomas","tag-procurement-reform"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n