2.22 As part of a mandatory Gateway 2 Review, central government contracting authorities are expected to prepare a delivery strategy which "confirm(s) that internal organisational resources and capabilities will be available as required for future phases of the project." Reviewers will also seek "assurance that the organisation has adequate expertise and capacity to undertake internal delivery of the requirement." 3 Wider public sector authorities are also encouraged to engage in the Gateway process to examine the progress and likelihood of successful delivery of their programmes or projects.
2.23 Despite this assurance programme, a frequent complaint about the Competitive Dialogue process concerns the significant amount of support and skills, internal and external, required on the part of the contracting authority to manage and deliver the procurement.
2.24 59% of contracting authorities have reported a need for increased internal resource, with a similar number requiring increased external support. This ranges from additional administration support to manage logistics to additional legal and financial support in the Dialogue meetings and early evaluations.
2.25 When considering the level of resource in place during a procurement, two thirds of contracting authorities felt they were sufficiently resourced. However a significant number of respondents (three quarters) to the general survey said that the public sector were either under, or considerably under resourced, indicating the private sector do not believe there is sufficient public sector capacity and capability being devoted to Competitive Dialogue procurements.
2.26 In addition to staffing the core procurement team it is important to recognise the importance of a strong leadership team. Competitive Dialogue projects must be led by a well briefed Senior Responsible Owner who is fully aware of the intricacies of the process and the demands it will make on their time. A project director with the technical, financial, legal, and commercial awareness to act as an intelligent client and lead the process is also vital to running a successful Competitive Dialogue procurement.
2.27 When considering whether to bid for particularly complex contracts, private sector bid teams are frequently expected to produce bid cost estimates and resource plans as part of the investment decision on whether to bid for the contract or not. Having the public sector mirror this behaviour and publish these plans as part of the procurement documentation would have a benefit.
2.28 The public sector is currently moving towards greater transparency in relation to procurement and the nature of its contracting engagements with the private sector, and as a consequence procurement documentation will now be routinely published.4
2.29 Publishing a detailed and robust procurement and resource plan in advance of procurement would not only give comfort to prospective bidders and help address private sector concerns on the capacity and preparedness of the procurement, it would also allow an audit of the actual time and cost taken during procurement once a project reaches close. Holding projects accountable in this way will focus attention on the true cost of procurement and help build a more realistic and achievable timetable.
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3 http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/BOOK_2_APRIL.pdf
4 http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/PPN_1710_Transparency_in_procurement_and_contracting.pdf