The Connected Places Catapult (CPC) has developed a support tool for non-procurement specialists in the public sector to navigate the best routes to market in procuring innovation.
It said the Innovation Procurement and Support Tool - IPEC has been grant funded by the Department for Transport to provide practical guidance to local authority non-procurement teams such as transport managers, service owners and other public sector professionals in commissioning innovative solutions.
This comes in response to public sector buyers often struggling to find the right procurement route for innovation.
CPC said the tool simplifies the process by: providing step-by-step guidance on relevant procurement pathways: signposting to relevant resources, platforms and case studies; and reducing uncertainty and barriers for buyers and suppliers.
Net zero factor
It also makes it possible to generate market intelligence on the demand for innovation and can help organisations in aiming to achieve net zero through their procurement strategies.
A number of critical topics are covered, including challenge definitions, preliminary market engagement, pre-commercial procurement and the new Procurement Act 2023.
“By equipping public sector professionals with knowledge of diverse procurement approaches —complete with practical and actionable insights —the tool supports effective responses to emerging challenges in innovation,” CPC says in the introduction.
This project is grant funded by the Department for Transport, run by Connected Places Catapult, supported by the Transport Research Innovation Board (TRIB) and is integrated onto the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre (IPEC) website.
