Procurement professionals gathered at ICC Wales, Newport, this week (5 November) for Procurex Wales.
The nation’s leading procurement event, organised in partnership with Welsh Government, gives buyers and suppliers, along with a range of public, private and third sector stakeholders, the opportunity to meet, network and debate the key issues facing the procurement sector.
The 2024 event featured the Procurement Wales Conference, hosted by journalist and presenter Sian Lloyd and addressed by the recently-appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Welsh Language, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS. Procurement reform was high on the agenda, as buyers and suppliers continue to get up to speed with incoming government legislation, with the potential to transform the procurement sector.
Four dedicated Skills Development Zones hosted a range of talks and sessions throughout the day, spanning areas like AI and digital technology, contract management, delivering organisational change, social value, sustainability and supply chain resilience.
The Welsh Government’s Procurement Pavilion brought together a range of partners, including Cardiff University, CYD, the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, Sell2Wales and WLGA. The Pavilion also hosted a collaborative procurement hub, staffed by representatives responsible for managing some of Wales’s largest procurement frameworks. To find out more about our collaborative frameworks, visit our brand-new framework brochure. Other public bodies with a major presence at the event included Business Wales and NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, who exhibited alongside a range of leading public sector suppliers.
For details of all our useful resources, visit GOV.WALES.
As a first for Procurex Wales, the Welsh Government also teamed up with the Centre for Public Value Procurement at Cardiff University to create a Micro, SME and Third Sector Zone. Featuring a food and drink-themed supplier and product showcase, the zone was developed in response to the opportunities that exist from The Procurement Act 2023 and designed to help public sector buyers explore opportunities to expand their supply chains to include a greater number of small and micro-businesses, as well as social enterprises, charities and not-for-profit organisations. Partners on the Micro, SME and Third Sector Zone included Cwmpas, the DTA, Social Firms Wales and Food and Drink Wales.
Procurex Wales also marked the launch of the Smarter Procurement, Stronger Wales campaign by Welsh Government – helping buyers and suppliers understand the changes to legislation governing public procurement, including The Procurement Act (2023), which will come into force in February 2025.
The changes will affect every public sector organisation, as well as any supplier of products and services to the public sector, including the NHS. All suppliers will need to register on all relevant portals to find and apply for new public sector contracts. The new legislation aims to deliver:
- Fair and transparent contracting
- Social, environmental, economic and cultural benefits
- Streamlined processes
- Greater collaboration and innovation
- Increased flexibility
- Benefits for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises; Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises