Public Procurement Group Minutes: November 2025

Attendees and apologies

Internal

• Ivan McKee Minister for Public Finance
• Nick Ford, Director, SPPD (Chair)
• Nikki Archer, Deputy Director, Head of Procurement and Commercial Policy and Strategy
• Denis McFadden, Deputy Director, Procurement Services Division
• Rachael Hughes, Communications and Strategic Engagement Team Leader
• Lynsey Boyle, Strategic Engagement Manager
• Heather Stewart, Communications and Engagement Officer / Secretariat

External

• Colette Whigham, Non-Executive Director
• Hugh Carr, Scotland Excel
• Gordon Beattie, NHS NSS
• Claire McCallum (on behalf of Angus Warren), APUC
• Susan Moore, East Lothian Council
• Allan Ferguson, SEPA
• Michael Cambridge, NHS
• Alison Gallacher, Angus Council
• Andrew Foulner, Heriot Watt University

Items and actions

Welcome and general update

• the chair welcomed members to the newly redefined Public Procurement Group (PPG), and introduced new members, as well as the Minister for Public Finance
• emphasised the aim of the group, to enhance the visibility of public procurement and to support ministerial priorities

Ministerial address – Ivan McKee 

• the Minister for Public Finance addressed the group, underlining the importance of its function and highlighted the economic significance of public procurement and the value of cross-sector collaboration
• emphasised the importance of public service reform strategy and procurement being a key enabler of this
• the Minister acknowledged the importance of PPG in driving procurement services and welcomed questions from the group
• members discussed how procurement can act as a key enabler of public service reform, while considering structural changes faced by certain sectors in implementing shared services, and the minister responded with support for strategic restructuring
• members also discussed the importance of clear policy direction and adopting a culture of integration across sectors

PPG Governance and structure – Nick Ford 

• the chair outlined the rationale for refreshing the PPG structure, aligning with the public procurement strategy for Scotland
• the chair emphasized the importance of visibility, communication, and the inclusion of broader sectors
• members discussed funding, investment, and utilisation of savings 
• there was agreement on the importance of collaborative contracts, local priorities, and consistent messaging across sectors and forums to ensure the support of dynamic delivery

Strategic tools and AI

• members considered the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and strategic tools to help in the development of procurement practices
• interest was expressed in technology such as copilot, and the group proposed a dedicated session to explore the role of AI in future planning

Terms of Reference and decision-making

• the chair suggested evolving the group into a formal decision-making body 
• members discussed the need for clarity around strategic governance with broad support for stronger oversight and structured reporting
• suggestions included formalising subgroup reporting and enhancing cross-sector collaboration
• the group also highlighted the importance of identifying barriers and enablers to effective strategic delivery

Communications and engagement

• the group stressed the importance of sectoral feedback, and the chair suggested rotational meeting locations to improve accessibility and engagement
• it was agreed that future agendas will include standing agenda items such as action tracking, relevant forum updates, and progress against strategic metrics