Serco Institute - News and views from around the world

Policy News: France to make public procurement of food more sustainable

Didier Guillaume, French minister of Agriculture and Food, has established the National Council for Collective Catering, with a focus on organic, sustainable and nutritional food. At a time when problems caused by unhealthy eating and unsustainable food production are high on governmental agendas, it will be interesting to see if this initiative is picked up internationally (source: foodnavigator.com).

10^th May 2019

New Thinking: Crowdsourced data to help air pollution, traffic congestion and infrastructure use

Consumers give away a vast amount of data for free to the apps they use. Geme.io has thought to harness this to improve air pollution, traffic congestion and other city infrastructure. Data collection is of course voluntary and can be crowdsourced on a very local level to make travel more efficient and the air cleaner. They have received EU funding and are looking to expand and implement new technologies (source: smartcitiesworld.net)

9^th May 2019

Policy News: Australian Government publishes Digital Transformation Strategy

The Australian Government has published a Digital Transformation Strategy aimed at allowing citizens digital access to all government services by 2025. The aim is not only to provide Australian citizens with one easy login to all services but also to encourage more interaction at both national and local levels. Will this be more successful than previous ambitions? Only time will tell. (source: globalgovernmentforum.com)

8^th May 2019

New Thinking: Developing a Smart City playbook

The concept of 'smart cities' is becoming ever more widespread, with governments and private organisations using the latest technology to manage urban infrastructure more effectively. A coalition of these organisations has been set up to bring to measure global smart city performance and return on investment, allowing for the creation of a playbook for what an effective smart city looks like; available for free in November 2019 (source: smartcitiesworld.net)

7^th May 2019

Policy News: Canadian Public Services and Procurement unveils modernisation plans

As Public Services and Procurement Canada and Shared Services Canada handle more than 75% of the Canadian government's yearly $22bn worth of purchases, their procurement processes need to be modern, responsive and as simple as possible. The new 'Better Buying' initiatives seek to bring these services fully up to date while also increasing competition, innovation and sustainability. Industry seems to have had a valuable input and early outcomes of several programmes look very positive (source: canada.ca)

6^th May 2019

News: UK Space Agency makes archive satellite images available

The UK Space Agency has made its archive of satellite data available to all those working in, or connected to, the public sector. Previously used to study such things as the thickness of polar ice, ocean salinity, and cloud properties, the agency hopes its detailed maps will enable SMEs and others to research and innovate to help the UK public sector overcome the challenges it faces (source: gov.uk)

2^nd May 2019

What does a renaissance in public service delivery look like, asks Reform..

The UK govt, if it can un-distract itself from Brexit, is in a unique place to reform the way public services are bought and delivered by the private and third sectors (particularly given a third of public expenditure is spent with them says Reform). Properly considering whether to 'make or buy' services, ensure Social Value outcomes are embedded in service design, up-skilling contracting authorities with technical expertise, and ensuring clarity over the lifetime of a contract - key pillars for good public service (source: reform.uk)

18^th April 2019

How big should government really be?

How much money is government wasting on public sector spend? What is the optimal % of GDP that governments can afford to get away with to deliver effective public service? How much tax are we as citizens overspending in reality? This insightful paper lays out some ideas around optimal govt size as a % of GDP (30%) across education, health, administration & posits the key question: 'Is it worth spending 10% of GDP more for limited gain given that it needs to be financed through higher taxes or spending elsewhere?' (source: econpol.eu)

3^rd April 2019

What it takes to deliver good public service according to New Zealand's State Service Commissioner

Peter Hughes says putting the citizen at the fore, humility, & being driven by a higher purpose is what it takes (plus managerial efficiency & tight commercial acumen). Collaboration between agencies to solve complex problems is also key & this will require greater flexibility in data sharing, budget setting, & staffing. Attitudinal change & a focused public service esprit de corps is what it takes (source: centreforpublicimpact.org)

27^th March 2019

World Health Organisation's 2016 Review of Integrated Care is still relevant & a useful source for those mapping the landscape with a view to developing solutions

As populations age, putting stress on healthcare services, the onus for developing scalable integrated models of health & care that enable the elderly to live more independently for longer increases. This WHO review sets out key definitions & possible models that we need to build on further (source: euro.who.int)

22^nd March 2019

UK government seeks consultation on Social Value in public procurement

UK govt goes to suppliers, public bodies & others involved in procurement to consult on initial Social Value framework through which govt depts will evaluate bids on themes around; diverse supply chains, skills & employment, inclusion & wellbeing, environmental sustainability, & safe supply chains (source: gov.uk)

12^th March 2019

The OECD's Observatory of Innovation in the Public Sector

Amongst many things, this provides a fascinating global map of innovation in the public sector: SociaLab in Holland looks at ageing populations; Waterdeep in Portugal optimises water consumption; an Open Data Portal in Spain allows citizen analysis of public sector data; E-residency for location-independent businesses in Estonia builds online trust; a Flood Warning system in Finland builds citizen resilience (source: oecd.org)

5^th March 2019

UK Government releases 'The Outsourcing Playbook'

Carillion's collapse provoked a (high-time) outsourcing renaissance to redefine the relationship between supplier & buyer of public services. This 'Playbook' is the charter that sets out key new policies for commercial, finance, & delivery professionals across central govt depts that aim to ensure; projects are comfortable from the start for both sides; robust procurement strategies exist; healthy markets are engaged with; contracts are made with suppliers who want to work with govt; and safety mechanisms are in place for the event of failure (source: gov.uk)

21^st February 2019

Report: Institute for Fiscal Studies publishes outlook for UK Government's 2019 Spending Review

Key findings: Departmental spending for 2018-19 is +£40 billion lower than in 2009-10, roughly at 2006-7 levels; DFID experience an increase of 25%, whilst the MOJ and DEFRA a reduction of 40%; borrowing is back to pre financial crisis levels; the NHS will recieve £20.5bn increase by 2023; disorderly Brexit does not necessarily mean a decrease in govt spending, but will mean slower economic growth (source: ifs.org.uk)

20^th February 2019

Policy: The UK Justice Secretary gives speech on providing a 'smarter' justice system and a shift towards investing in probation services

The Rt Hon David Gauke questioned the effectiveness of 6 month sentencing over using more modern tech-based interventions in the community (source: gov.uk)

18^th February 2019

Blog: Bringing local agencies to work together for shared outcomes

How local agencies can work together to reduce harm and vulnerability in communities

7^th February 2019

Innovation: The German Public Value Atlas develops a framework for measuring Social Value

Can other governments look to German private sector best practice for how the public purchase of services could measure Social Value? (source: gemeinwohlatlas.de).

1^st February 2019

Public Policy: The UK govt announced in November 2018 it will now measure & evaluate Social Value in its procurement of public services, yet Social Value remains undefined

It is one thing to demonstrate Social Value qualitatively. But how should it get measured in competitive environments? Should governments look to develop metrics for Social Value so they can rank the competition? (source: gov.uk)

1^st February 2019

Opinion: Food for thought from Arup on what Social Value could mean

In light of the government’s move to evaluate ‘Social Value’ in procurement of public services, the public sector can look to businesses that literally build societal and economic benefit through design (source: newcivilengineer.com)

1^st February 2019

News: Rupert Soames OBE gives speech introducing the Serco Institute

The purpose of the Institute is to be a forum where academics, civil servants, practitioners, companies small, medium and large, including our competitors, both in this country and abroad, can contribute their ideas.

10^th January 2019

News & views

We collate and provide links to news and views from around the world to help share ideas and thinking for policy makers, procurers, providers, and any other organisations working in the public sector sphere to deliver better public services.