Procuring for Success: How the Public Sector Can Move Beyond Cost to Create Lasting Value

When you think about procurement in local government, what usually comes to mind? For many, it’s a strict exercise in compliance, competition, and driving down cost.

While keeping budgets tight is vital, techUK’s Public Sector Procurement Landscape report highlighted a frustrating reality: 73.7% of public sector buyers felt that at least half of their recent procurements missed the best outcome. The primary culprit? A default focus on the lowest initial price.

If we want digital transformation to succeed across local authorities, we need to change the conversation. True value isn't created when a contract is signed. It’s built long before that.

By engaging earlier, leveraging sector-negotiated agreements, and looking beyond headline discounts, local government can build a resilient digital foundation, together, turning routine technology spend into long-term organisational value.

Value Starts Long Before the Tender

The most effective procurements don't start with a fixed specification. They start with an open conversation.

Bringing stakeholders, buyers, and suppliers together at the early planning stage gives you a clear view of true market capability. It allows you to challenge assumptions, explore new commercial models, and shape requirements around genuine business outcomes.

This early market engagement is especially critical in fast-moving areas like cloud services, AI, and cybersecurity. When you engage early, you give suppliers room to propose innovative approaches you might not have considered, while leaving plenty of space for agile SMEs to contribute alongside larger framework partners.

Look Beyond the Headline Discount

Sector-negotiated agreements, such as the AWS Optimised Government Value Agreement (OGVA) or the OCRE framework, provide significant collective buying power and pre-vetted, compliant procurement routes. But the discount on the invoice is only part of the story.

The greatest return on investment often comes from the extra benefits you secure through proactive negotiation. As my colleague Richard Bailey explored when looking at how institutions get the most from their AWS spend, true optimization extends far beyond baseline pricing.

When you ask suppliers to bring more to the table, you keep your infrastructure connected, protected, and in control, unlocking:

• Direct funding programmes and proof-of-concept resources
• Hands-on migration support and technical advisory services
• Skills development and training for your internal teams
• Cloud optimization assessments and FinOps tooling to eliminate waste

When you add these value-added services to your baseline commercial discount, their impact on your council's long-term digital strategy often far outweighs a simple price reduction.

Transforming Tech Spend into Measurable Outcomes

Rather than treating procurement as a transactional chore, forward-thinking councils view it as an enabler of wider transformation.

At Jisc, our work across cloud, cybersecurity, and connectivity has consistently proven that procurement should focus on turning technology spend into practical, measurable benefits. For instance, a thorough cloud optimization review can help your team identify unused capacity, tighten security governance, and reinvest those savings directly back into frontline public services.

Suppliers are frequently willing to provide extra expertise, investment, and support if you ask for it. Partnering with trusted sector experts before formal procurement begins helps you map out exactly what incentives are available so you can build them directly into your plan.

Asking the Right Questions

Procuring for success means shifting from a purely transactional mindset to a strategic partnership model.

As you plan your next cloud or digital project, move beyond asking, "What discount can we get?" and start asking: "What additional value can this partnership bring to our community?"

Whether that answer is funded training, migration support, or strategic guidance, the total value delivered will far exceed the initial purchase price.

Discover Your Cloud Opportunity at DigiGov Expo

Ready to explore how your council can get more value, better outcomes, and stronger discounts out of your cloud procurement? Visit the Jisc team at Stand TS7 to speak with our specialists, scan the QR code on our stand to explore the offer, or reach out to us directly at cloud@jisc.ac.uk.