5.36 As set out in Chapter 4, one of the key value for money drivers and hence a critical requirement for effective procurement is the ability of the authority to act as an intelligent client. Performance in the successful delivery of outcomes is strongly dependent on the skills of the client, not simply on the contract structure.
5.37 The skills required include those which are needed to create an effective engagement with the market, to structure the right deal and an underpinning contract to support and to drive continuous value from that arrangement throughout its life. Further value can be achieved by taking a whole-of-government view of key suppliers and driving performance improvement through strategic engagement, based on objectively measured performance. The Government is committed to building procurement capacity and capability, in the broadest sense, of the public sector to ensure it is able to deliver government's most complex projects.
5.38 Transforming government procurement sets out the following objectives in relation to procurement skills:
∙ Ensuring the right skills are available at all levels within government, with a career and pay structure that reinforces the recruitment and retention of high calibre professionals.
∙ Matching skills to projects, ensuring that the most complex and important procurements have the best staff assigned to them.
∙ Effective management of contracts in operation, where the right objectives, incentives, people and support need to be in place for contract managers to deliver public services outcomes.
To achieve these objectives the Government is committed to raising the level of procurement skills, and raising procurement capacity within departments and capability within contracting authorities more generally.