Professional Development Europe
19 October 2006: “Successful Government Procurement in the Digital
Age”
Moderator: Mr. Dewar Donnithorne-Tait, MA MB FIoD – ADFINGO Professional
Development Centre
Minimum participants: 8
Maximum participants: 20
What is this course about?
Organizational procurement poses challenges for both the buyer and the vendor. Small and
medium-sized enterprises find particular difficulties in selling to large organisations. Who sets
the requirements? Who holds the finances? Who has the power to approve expenditure? Who
is responsible for making the purchase? Who decides that the deliverables meet the
requirements? Who is responsible for in-service support and also for end-of-life issues? How is
it all coordinated?
For many, private sector organisational procurement is easier to understand than that of public
sector procurement, which is subject to the special conditions imposed by value for money
auditing. Defence procurement is an even more challenging area for a variety of reasons,
including safety, lethality, reliability, security and 24-hour, all-climate, all-environment
requirements.
Especially in defence procurement, the government customer is often seeking capabilities which
are not yet mature. This requires both research and development before successful systems
can be fielded. There are also increasing simulation requirements. How can these activities be
best managed across the wide range of different procurement types?
The rapid advances in information and communication technologies and a very wide range of
mature ICT products, which can be of use to governments, pose unique problems, especially in
terms of manpower and security. And there are emerging technologies, such as autonomy, for
which many new special conditions will have to be created.
This course delivers relevant education on these topics and stimulates concept development to
address the procurement challenges of the future.
Overview
The purposes of this course are to:
 Review the main features of procurement
 Teach the main differences between private and public sector procurement
 Teach and explore the special characteristics of defence procurement as a subset of
government procurement
 Examine the existing challenges of government procurement in the face of rapidly
unfolding technology
 Review current and emerging best practice to deal with such challenges
 Examine future trends in the light of emerging technologies
Target Audience
People from both private and public sectors who will derive best benefit from this course include:
 Those new to organizational and/or government procurement
 Those new to defence procurement
 Those familiar with traditional procurement and who wish to address the challenges of
rapidly evolving and emerging technology
 Those who wish to form a view on evolving best practice
Format and Logistic Arrangements:
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The course is class-based and led by a moderator
No pre-study is required
The ideal class size is between six and 30 students
The course requires one working day (seven to eight hours depending on language skills)
Course notes will be issued on compact disc
Exercises are used to develop and confirm student understanding
There is no exam
Students may wish to bring their own writing materials to make their own additional personal notes
There is no fixed dress code, but ‘smart casual’ is the choice of most students
A computer-driven LCD projector, screen and AC power sockets are required for the moderator’s
presentation
Module 1 – Procurement In Context
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Training Objectives
– Terminology (including ‘service delivery’ in the context of procurement)
– Strategic Context
– Activities: design and inter-relationships
Module 2 – Public Sector Procurement
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Training Objectives
– The differences between Private and Public Sectors
– Cultural considerations
– Value for Money (VFM) auditing
– Legislation and Regulation
Module 3 – Defence Procurement – Organization and Practice
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Training Objectives (by activity area)
– How is Defence different?
– Concepts, Equipment Capabilities, Requirements Management, Enterprise
Integration, Test & Evaluation
– Research & Development (including technical safety)
– Simulation and Analysis
– Technology Demonstration
– Initiating Procurement Action
– Procurement Execution
– Introduction into Service
– In Service management, Modifications and Updates, Disposal
– Current Challenges: Interoperability, ICT Procurement, Security, Autonomy and
Unmanned Systems
Module 4 – Procurement Methods
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Training Objectives
– Procurement Policy Options and their effects. Current trends, new contractual
and regulatory requirements
– Management techniques (LoD, Portfolio, Programme, Project)
– Comparative Overview:
• 1970s methodology
• Contemporary methodologies
• Smart Procurement
• PRINCE/PRINCE2
– Enterprise Integration
– International Cooperation