Public sector spending on goods and services across Scotland amounts to around £8 billion per year. Procurement guidelines govern the purchasing of these goods and services in areas such as health and education services, IT and telecoms, and local government.
The public procurement reform programme aims to drive up standards in the way the public sector procures goods and services to ensure that tax payers money is spent as wisely as possible.
The 4th Scottish Public Procurement Conference and Procurex will take place on 29 and 30 October 2008 at the S.E.C.C. in Glasgow. The event will be chaired by Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland's Political Editor and will feature keynote addresses from John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and Professor John Seddon from Vanguard. The full programme and details of how to book your place are available online.
The deadline for applications to the GO Awards Scotland is 25 August 2008. The awards seek to recognise excellence within procurement and the benefits to be gained from smart, effective and sustainable purchasing.