“The challenge is to use public procurement and public services to lead the way, shape the market for innovative solutions and equip society to meet the challenges of the future”. Innovation White Paper 2008: Innovation Nation

The role of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

BIS and innovation: “We want to make sure that Britain is the best place in the world to run an innovative business or service - this is critical to the UK's future prosperity, our quality of life and future job prospects”

BIS and procurement: “Developing a public procurement culture that stimulates innovation in the economy and delivers improved value for money to the taxpayer”

The Innovation for Sustainability Programme was developed to support these objectives and to meet the Government’s commitment to scale up and replicate to use of Forward Commitment Procurement across the public sector. In November 2008 and January 2009 BIS issued calls for expression of interest from innovating procurement and policy professionals in the public sector who wanted to undertake flagship FCP projects, while gaining valuable FCP experience and know-how in the process. The aim of the Innovation for Sustainability Programme is to increase awareness and access to this valuable tool and support a select number of innovative flagship projects that can be picked up and replicated across the public sector. Six projects were selected under the first tranche, and the second tranche submissions are currently being evaluated.

 “The aim is not only to develop a portfolio of FCP projects driving innovative solutions that can be picked up by others, but also to create a broad base of public sector leaders and professionals who understand and can apply FCP approaches to deliver innovative solutions”. Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director, Innovation Policy, BIS

Innovation for Sustainability Know How Programme Members Log-in

The Public Sector urgently needs better, cost effective solutions to meet these challenges and make sustainable development a reality. Yet the products and services required to deliver what is really needed are often not available, are too expensive, or are seen as too risky.

To move forward we need to unlock this stalemate: Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) is a mechanism that does just that:

FCP harnesses the power of public procurement to translate ambitions and policies into affordable and effective solutions on the ground. 
  
Contact the FCP Team for more information: Gaynor Whyles (JERA Consulting) on 01666 57 5353 or David Williams on 020 3300 8690 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 
Why Innovation for Sustainability?

Sustainability is no longer a peripheral issue for the public sector, and the pressures to deliver significant improvements in sustainability and environmental performance are increasing. Yet the products and services to deliver what is really needed are often not available, are too expensive, or are seen as too risky.

All too often this leads to compromise in the delivery of sustainable development, and ambitious plans struggle to be realised on the ground. This needs to change if society is to meet the challenges ahead.

Leadership and Innovation

This is a time when the public sector needs to rapidly adapt to increasing environmental pressures and find new ways to harness the best possible solutions. Business as usual is not an option - innovation is needed to meet the challenges we face as a society; not just in terms of new products and services, but innovation in the way we go about delivering solutions on the ground. Above all this requires leadership and commitment; it also requires new tools and processes.

“Innovation will be the key to some of the biggest challenges facing our society, like global warming and sustainable development. We need use all the tools at our disposal to unlock solutions”. Innovation Nation

Innovation through Procurement

The Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) model provides a practical and proven means to enable public sector organisations to stimulate and harness innovation for the public good and achieve a step change in their performance. It does this by transforming the market, stimulating investment and making new and emerging solutions more affordable and widely available, and providing a way for the public sector to manage the risk of procuring innovative products and services.

  “The challenge is to use public procurement and public services to lead the way, shape the market for innovative solutions and equip society to meet the challenges of the future”. Innovation Nation