Net Zero Living: Procuring for Net Zero

About the events

With Procurement accounting for a substantial amount of public sector expenditure it holds significant potential to stimulate the delivery of improved products, processes and services to meet net zero and social value objectives. These sessions unpack upcoming changes to public sector procurement, procurement frameworks, social value and net zero in procurement for both the public and private sector. Watch recordings of all three events above, or click the event titles below to go directly to the videos.

Who should attend?

Sessions are aimed at local authorities; however, businesses are welcome to attend and can benefit from the discussions.

• Local authority representatives: The sessions are aimed at officers involved in the procurement process and also those who are indirectly involved who are looking to learn more about the process.
• For businesses: companies and organisations who are seeking to engage in public sector procurement with local authorities.

Past events

1: Leveraging the Procurement Act for Place Based Net Zero Innovation

3 September 2024

The first webinar in this series explored the new Procurement Act which will come into force in October 2024. This change represents a new opportunity for procurement to be utilised by the public sector as an enabling force for driving place-based net zero innovation.

During the session, Rikesh Shah, Head of the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre at the Connected Places Catapult, explored how the new Procurement Act empowers public sector to be more creative and innovative in driving net zero initiatives. Session included real-world case studies that illustrate successful strategies and a Q&A session.

Topics covered:

• What IPEC do and how local authorities can get involved
• Overview of the key changes that will be brought about by the Act
• Key enablers of creating value through procurement
• Real-world case studies from public sector

2: Procurement of Innovation: Best practice and tips

18 November 2024 – postponed from earlier date

The second webinar in this series explored the basics of ‘Procurement of Innovation’.  During the session, Dr Ian Brotherston, Interim Deputy Director for Innovation Funding at Innovate UK, explored topics such why you would want to procure innovation, the different types of procurement, how the Procurement Act will aid procurement of innovation, and the need for teamwork and planning. The session also included a Q&A section.

Topics covered:

• What are the benefits of procurement of innovation
• Public Procurement of Innovation and Pre-commercial Procurement
• The importance of pre-market engagement
• Challenge-led procurement
• Pre-commercial procurement of innovation (Contracts for Innovation)

3: Driving Net Zero Outcomes with Procurement Frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing Systems

14 November 2024 (10:00-11:00)

The final webinar in this series [not actually final because webinar 2 was postponed] will be led by Kristen Green, Head of Sustainability at Crown Commercial Services. During the session Kristen will provide an overview of procurement frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems explaining how they help streamline the procurement process for the public sector and advance progress towards decarbonisation targets.

Topics covered:

• What a framework and dynamic purchasing system is and how to select one
• How suppliers are chosen
• What protection do they offer for the buyer
• What are the benefits of using a framework or dynamic purchasing system
• How frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems can help advance progress towards decarbonisation targets