CIAT response to the Transforming Public Procurement Green Paper

CIAT took the opportunity to support a better and more efficient system by streamlining the process.

President, Eddie Weir PCIAT is passionate about improving opportunities for Architectural Technologists and raising the awareness of the members who could add value to public procurement projects. 

He said “In responding to the Government Green Paper – Transforming Public Procurement, CIAT took the opportunity to support a better and more efficient system by streamlining the process.  However, it is important to ensure that the standards and principles are not lost in the process for the whole industry” Our specific responses to the consultation are detailed below”

CIAT’s key comments are: 

• Support for a more efficient process to deliver public projects by improving transparency, reducing bureaucracy and amalgamating numerous existing legislation.  Caution was advised to ensure that the basic principles, as outlined in the paper, were not devalued, standards lost, or fair competition obstructed. 
• Certainty that any efforts to reform public procurement to streamline or simplify the process did not unintentionally allow for a reduction in standards of design so that safety and/or quality was compromised.  The level of quality standards should be clear to ensure that those providing the services were equipped to deliver and attain those degrees of quality and to ensure that buildings performed as intended. 
• Recommendation for a simplified and fairer dispute resolution system from the outset of the procurement lifecycle.  A simpler process that was transparent and accessible to all and would provide for a fairer and swifter resolution without detriment to the procurement process and suppliers involved.
• Insistence that the issue of non-discrimination was not restricted solely to domestic suppliers, but also to any competent professionals being given equal opportunities.  Recommendation for an absolute obligation to use “generic” descriptors.  As an example, use of “functions” rather than “titles” for describing services where there may be more than one professional competent to provide them.
• Suggestion that a concentrated effort was made to ensure any reform to public procurement did not create a barrier for SME’s from entering into the tendering process.  Public procurement was often seen as facilitating large projects or infrastructure and not enough cognisance was given to smaller projects and SMEs.  SME’s could offer high quality and innovative design and services, but often felt disenfranchised or unable to bid. 

To read the Institute’s full response download here: 

CIAT full response.pdf