Public Procurement Group Minutes: September 2026

Attendees and apologies

• Nick Ford, Director, Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate (SPPD)
• Nikki Archer, Deputy Director, Head of Procurement & PPM Policy & Strategy
• Colette Sherry, Deputy Director, Procurement Services Division
• Julie Welsh, Scotland Excel
• Angus Warren, APUC
• Chris Sanderson, Public Services Delivery Scotland
• Alison Gallacher, Angus Council
• Allan Ferguson, SEPA
• Andrew Foulner, Heriot-Watt University
• Michael Cambridge, NHS Lothian & NHS Tayside
• Susan Moore, East Lothian Council
• Colin Bell, Head of Collaborative Procurement
• Rhonda McKay, Abertay University
• Rachael Hughes, Communications and Strategic Engagement Team Leader
• Ruari Watt, Secretariat, Strategic Engagement Officer
• Ben Cooper, Procurement Assistant

Items and actions

Ministerial Download:

•    procurement continues to be viewed as a key enabler of Public Service Reform (PSR), with growing ministerial ambition to maximise the impact of Scotland's £17.5bn procurement spend

•    positive progress against Public Procurement Strategy key performance indicators (KPIs) and continued evidence of procurement's economic and social impact, was noted and welcomed

•    recognition that procurement reform is increasingly focused on three interconnected themes - strategic alignment, digital transformation, and policy and legislative reform

•    there will be a strong focus on delivering greater value, efficiency and consistency through a Once for Scotland approach

 

Sub-Forum Highlight Reports:

•    first reporting cycle completed under the refreshed Public Procurement Group (PPG) governance arrangements

•    members welcomed progress across forums, whilst recognising arrangements remain at an early stage, and reporting consistency will improve over time

•    the Collaborative Leads Group (CLG), Sustainable Procurement Forum, Policy Forum and Professional Practice & Development Forum continue to refine priorities and ways of working

•    the Digital, Data & AI Forum has been successfully established with strong cross-sector representation

•    no issues were escalated to PPG through the sub-forum reporting process.

•    members requested an updated list of forum memberships to review representation across groups

 

Objective 1 - Maximising Value Through Strategic Alignment:

•    opportunities were discussed to review Scotland's collaborative procurement landscape and ensure existing arrangements remain fit for purpose

•    strong support for improving consistency, visibility of future demand, collaboration and collective buying power across the public sector

•    recognition that strategic alignment is central to delivering a Once for Scotland approach and maximising public value

•    opportunities were highlighted to reduce duplication and consider greater use of commitment-based approaches where appropriate

•    ministerial views will help inform the scale and ambition of future review activity

Objective 2 - Digital, Data & AI:

•    Digital, Data & AI Forum created with representation from across all sectors

•    early discussions identified common priorities around AI governance, trusted data, automation, capability building and sharing practical tools and learning

•    strong support for collaboration and avoiding duplication of digital and AI activity already underway across the public sector

•    focus to remain on practical guidance and achievable quick wins before progressing longer-term strategic ambitions

Procurement's Strategic Role:

 

•    Rhonda McKay presented on findings from her MSc dissertation examining procurement's role within governance and financial management arrangements

•    discussion centred on the long-standing challenge of procurement being engaged too late in organisational decision-making processes

•    strong consensus that governance, financial planning processes, organisational culture and capacity all influence procurement's ability to contribute strategically

•    many of the challenges identified remain familiar across sectors despite significant procurement reform over the last two decades

•    recognition that future progress requires both capable procurement professionals and organisational structures that enable commercial expertise to influence decisions earlier in the process

PPG Workshop:

•    it was agreed that forums should remain empowered to deliver activity

•    objective champions will support delivery, provide challenge and act as escalation points where wider intervention is required

•    recognition that all forums contribute to all three priorities, while designated lead forums will work towards those objectives

•    agreed to test the proposed arrangements through the next reporting cycle and review effectiveness thereafter

•    positive progress against priority quick wins, including establishment of the Digital, Data & AI Forum and implementation of the revised governance structure

 

Programme for Government & Procurement Reform:

•    Programme for Government update was given following the ministerial announcement 

•    government has committed to consult on a future Scottish Procurement Bill during the current Parliamentary term

•    much has been delivered over the past 12 years, but the environment in which we are operating has also changed - this is an opportunity to build on what works and consider what more procurement can achieve

•    potential areas for consideration include legislative modernisation to support wider social and economic impact, reflecting technological advances and reviewing grounds for exclusion to ensure our spend continues to work in Scotland’s best interests

•    the consultation will sit alongside, rather than hold up, existing work. This includes considering responses to the recent consultation on thresholds and supporting implementation of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026

•    members recognised procurement is entering a significant period of policy and legislative development and discussed opportunities to inform future reform

•    strong support for learning from UK and European developments whilst ensuring reforms remain focused on Scotland's priorities

AOB:

NHS representation on PPG to reflect emerging NHS organisational structures:

•    Chris Sanderson (National Procurement)

•    Michael Cambridge (Scotland East)

•    Colette Whigham (Scotland West)

Actions:

•    circulate updated sub-forum membership lists (Secretariat)

•    develop draft Terms of Reference for the Collaborative Landscape Review (CLG)

•    undertake stakeholder engagement relating to the Collaborative Landscape Review (CLG)

•    finalise Terms of Reference and work programme for the Digital, Data & AI Forum (Digital forum)

•    communicate agreed reporting, champion and escalation arrangements to forum leads (Secretariat)

•    confirm revised NHS representation arrangements (Chris Sanderson)

•    circulate Programme for Government procurement briefing (Nikki Archer)