Are we still judging public service projects by what goes in – rather than what comes out?

by Scott Collins

A major shift is taking place in public procurement: from a focus on inputs to one on outputs and outcomes. But is the adoption of outcome prioritisation fast enough?

Speaking with colleagues from across the public sector, we’ve been seeing some encouraging signs. Increasingly, contracts and tenders are starting with the question: 

“What difference do we want this to make?”

rather than

“What deliverables must we specify?” 

Change is clearly afoot – from multi-stage R&D and prototyping to smarter market engagement, outcome focused KPIs to a greater willingness to adapt based on real world performance. 

Across local and national initiatives, innovation is becoming less about delivering a “finished” product after years of development or sticking to an inflexible set of requirements. Instead, delivery teams are increasingly focused on co-creating adaptable solutions with market partners, where business impact drives iteration and flexibility is built in to allow for collaborative revision and review. 

We’re seeing this in practice: continuous improvement clauses and regular innovation workshops are more often being built into contract terms, with multi-stage procurements allowing for the iterative development of solutions.

So, fair to say progress has been encouraging – but is it fast or deep enough? To meet the ambitions of the Government’s missions, public procurement needs a step-change in both approach and pace. This means increasing our focus and investment across four key levers: