Very recently we heard that SAP Ariba had been asked to meet with the UK Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion, John Penrose MP also Minister of State for Northern Ireland. A team consisting of Justin Sadler-Smith (Head of SAP Ariba UK & Ireland), Chris Francis (Director Government Relations, SAP) and Pascal d’Arc (Senior Director Center of Excelence, SAP Ariba) shared experiences and thoughts about how Public Sector Procurement could benefit from some of the new initiatives in the Private Sector. These, unsurprisingly, centered on transparency of data through supply chains and identification of risk.
The Minister was entirely engaged, we are told, and asked very insightful questions in a frank exchange of views. This was a welcome move by HMG at the most senior of levels and shows a commitment to improvement which is encouraging given the outcome of the Crown Marketplace Programme.
The discussions, we understand, centred on understanding how Procurement solutions can assist in risk management within government, and were of enormous benefit to both parties. This move by government highlights how important supply chain risk is to both the private and public sector. It is encouraging for the procurement community to know that government is proactively collaborating with vendors to address supply chain risk. We will have a more indepth article with SAP Ariba on the discussion in the New Year – so tune back in.