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Keep up to date with conversations that are happening across the public sector that focus on procurement. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for stories to include in upcoming editions.

August 2024

In this newsletter:

• Advisory and Business Services - here to help
• Rules review 2024
• Graduate programme continuing with EPS
• The Social services procurement competency assessment tool and learning pathways guide are now live
• Contract management fundamentals online modules are here
• Australasian procurement and construction council membership
• Other procurement capability opportunities
• Procurement Capability Community of Practice
• Spotlight on reporting

Advisory and Business Services - here to help

We recognise the increased fiscal constraints and resource pressures that agencies are experiencing. Does your agency need support or advice with your procurement activities? Our Advisory and Business Services team is here to help! They can help at a range of levels: from questions around the Government Procurement Rules, to helping with the Treasury’s Better Business Cases process, through to high level commercial advice and planning.

  
Our advisors are not consultants in the traditional sense but a team that is staffed by the public service, for public service. The team is experienced both locally and internationally in infrastructure projects, construction, ICT, healthcare and social procurement. They have connections across government and the private sector and agencies can get in touch at any point in the procurement lifecycle. 

The team ran through some of the ways they can help in a recent Knowledge Hour. If you missed it or want to re-watch it, go to Hīkina. 

If you need assistance with a project or just want a chat, please email us.

Rules review 2024

We know many of you are interested in the Rules review and how it’s going. 

In June, we ran a virtual forum for businesses and industry associations to capture feedback to inform the Government Procurement Rules review. Thank you to those who attended and provided invaluable insights and perspectives. We also received feedback from those who could not participate on the day.

Our team is analysing all the feedback that has been shared with us, as we consider potential revisions to the Rules. There will be formal consultation on the proposed Rules changes before submission to Cabinet for approval.

We’ll continue to keep you informed of upcoming steps and revised dates on the Rules review.

If you have any questions, additional feedback, ideas or suggestions, email the Rules Review team. 

Graduate programme continuing with EPS

Earlier this month we reached an important milestone in the journey we began back in June when we announced that EPS (Expert Procurement Solutions Limited) would work with us to deliver the NZGP Graduate Programme until 2026.

Together with our graduates, we marked the formal start of this relationship at our Wellington office. It was an opportunity for the graduates to spend time together with EPS and NZGP hoamahi. 

Having EPS on board gives us the opportunity to focus on the future of the NZGP Graduate Programme. Our goal is to work with the system to create a sustainable long-term solution that will be ready for the 2026 cohort of graduates.

With EPS we can continue building the capability of the procurement system and developing tomorrow’s procurement leaders.

If you have any feedback or pātai (questions) about the future of the programme, email us.

The Social services procurement competency assessment tool and learning pathways guide are now live

A number of procurement practitioners specialise in procuring delivery of support or services in communities. These can range from courses to help with budgeting, stopping smoking, or family and whānau support. 

To help these specialised practitioners with their professional development our Capability team have just published some new tools and guidance. The Social services procurement competency assessment tool was developed in collaboration with social services and procurement experts to support practitioners.

These practical resources help us to:
•             take a more structured and purposeful approach to professional development
•             build a culture of excellence where learning is supported and encouraged
•             set consistent expectations for performance in social procurement practice.

The assessment helps social services procurement professionals identify learning priorities. The learning guide suggests actions to build on the skills, knowledge and mindsets needed to work in social services procurement competently and confidently. Both the tool and guide build on the Social Services Procurement Competency Framework published last year.

Social services competency assessment tool

Read more about the new social services procurement competency assessment tool

If you have any questions, email us.

Contract Management Fundamentals online modules are here

The new Contract Management Fundamentals online modules, developed in partnership with Ara Poutama and State of Flux, are now available on Hīkina.

These online modules are suitable for those new to contract management and as a refresher for more experienced practitioners.

There are five modules which you can do at your own pace. They cover:

•    the contract management lifecycle
•    supplier management 
•    performance management (key performance indicators and service level agreements)
•    risk management (including business continuity planning)
•    sustainability (broader outcomes and sustainable procurement practices).

Contract management fundamentals

Australasian procurement and construction council membership

Did you know you can join the Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) to access quality engagement and resources? NZGP is a member of the APCC, and this membership extends to other government agencies. Its focus is on collaboration, leadership and bringing together different levels of governments across Australia and New Zealand. 

Matt Perkins, Chief Advisor, NZGP said, “APCC offers agencies working in government procurement a fantastic opportunity to be part of a trans-Tasman community. The ability to build our procurement expertise, engagement, capacity and capability through a government lens.”  

APCC offers special interest groups (SIGs) for construction and asset management, and strategic procurement. There are several working groups and interactive roundtables within these groups. In addition, the strategic procurement SIG has three sub-groups: digital procurement platforms, ICT commercial strategies and social services procurement.  

If you’re interested in becoming a member, or want to find out more about APCC, email us.

Other procurement capability opportunities

We can help you grow and develop your agency’s procurement capabilities. Improving and supporting professional development is a key part of what we do. Together we can achieve NZGP's vision of being fair, transparent, inclusive and efficient, delivering more value to New Zealanders. 

Our Demystifying Procurement workshops offer an excellent opportunity to grow your procurement capability while connecting with other procurement practitioners. 

We are working on refreshing Demystifying Procurement online modules which will go-live in September. 

Our Cultural Competency for Procurement courses are for procurement professionals who procure or manage social services.  These courses highlight the importance of cultural competency in contract management and procurement activities. You can now enrol for the following in-person workshop:
 
•    16 September - Cultural Competency for Procurement, Wellington (Pastoral House)
 
To enrol for any of our workshops, head to Hīkina. If you have any questions email Procurement Capability.
 

Other training and networking opportunities
NZGP works alongside other procurement professional bodies to offer New Zealand government procurement practitioners access to professional networks, events and training opportunities.
 

• 17-19 September AI Contracting Week 2024 : WorldCC
  Discover the forefront of innovation at this three-day digital takeover event dedicated to exploring the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on contracting practices.
• 17 September CIPS Combating Modern Slavery: Legislative Prospects and Procurement Impacts in New Zealand, hosted by ANZ Christchurch Branch. This topic is prevalent for all procurement professionals as we seek to understand what modern slavery really is, what the current and future legislation means and how to prevent modern slavery in supply chains. 

Procurement Capability Community of Practice

If you want to connect with other procurement peers across the public sector, have you heard about our Procurement Capability Community of Practice (PCCoP) pilot? Now in its third month, the pilot has achieved a lot: 

• The PCCoP has approximately 50 members from across the system who wish to collaborate, connect, and share resources and ideas to improve their procurement processes and capability.
• We have established an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of advocates, Te Tira Hāpai, who are driving conversation and momentum.
• One of the highlights of the past two months is the successful launch of the PCCoP Hīkina hub. This hub will house our PCCoP and provide a space for connection and collaboration.

Our vision is that, over time, the PCCoP will enable a confident and well-supported procurement workforce, becoming a vehicle for initiatives supporting individual competency, organisational capability, and best practice.

We still welcome expressions of interest. We aim to formally launch the PCCoP in mid-2025 and open membership to all public service procurement practitioners interested in developing their procurement capabilities. 

If you have any questions email us.

Spotlight on reporting: agency reporting for October 2024

Your reporting helps us understand how agencies are achieving positive cultural, environmental, social and economic outcomes. Thank you for your continued support in reporting on your procurement activities.

The next reporting deadline for broader outcomes, which includes progressive procurement is Tuesday 1 October 2024.

We are collecting reporting on these broader outcomes:

• Progressive procurement (part of Priority outcome 1: Give New Zealand business better access to government procurement)
• Improve conditions for workers (Priority outcome 3) 

All government procurement mandated agencies must complete this reporting.

The deadline to complete your PCI assessment has changed this year as we’re making a range of adjustments, such as refreshing the current questions and the way we collect the information.

We’ll be in touch with agencies about this reporting soon.

Spotlight on reporting – Agency reporting for October 2024

If you have any questions about this reporting round, email the Procurement team.