In the UK, the Government is driving innovation through public procurement. The Innovation Nation White Paper highlights the key role that public procurement plays in encouraging the development of new technologies and providing innovative solutions that provide better public services and respond to societal challenges. According to the new innovation procurement plan, all public procurement activities should take into account how innovation can be used to solve a given problem. In the UK, all government departments are required to publish an innovation procurement plan (IPP) setting out how they will drive innovation through public procurement activities. In order to address societal challenges, public institutions must ensure that public procurement is undertaken by professionals taking a broad perspective on cooperating with other public sector purchasers and procurement bodies outside the department. As a result, departments need to be much more conscious and strategic in their thinking about public procurement and how the private sector can be involved in providing solutions. It is expected that the new initiative will spur more innovation through public procurement activities.

Source: www.innovateuk.org.