Leveraging Public Procurement to Drive Local Innovation

As we navigate an increasingly complex world, the strategic use of public procurement presents a unique opportunity to address pressing societal needs whilst simultaneously fostering innovation and economic growth. This research offers in-depth analysis and recommendations for harnessing public procurement as a catalyst for innovation. 

The research examines several key aspects of innovation-driven procurement, including: 

  • Theoretical foundations and real-world evidence supporting procurement as an innovation policy instrument 

  • Factors influencing procurement’s impact on innovation, including scale, technical capacity, and political considerations 

  • International case studies showcasing successful implementation across sectors like healthcare, energy, and transport 

  • The role of emerging technologies in enabling more transparent, efficient, and innovative procurement practices 

  • An analysis of the UK’s new Procurement Act as an opportunity to embed innovation in public purchasing 

The work also highlights the challenges faced in realising procurement’s full potential as an innovation driver. From risk aversion to fragmented budgets, the study offers insights into overcoming these barriers and provides recommendations for policymakers and public sector leaders. 

Download and read the report. 

 

Meet the author

Chloe Billing 

Chloe is a Research Fellow at City-REDI, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham.

Chloe Billings' current research explores the routes to developing a regional innovation ecosystem, to better support the transfer of university technologies into key sectors and help grow our local regional economies.

Part of this involves understanding both the challenges that universities are facing with their technology-transfer mechanisms, as well as, the barriers to innovation amongst local firms (such as skills and other productivity constraints).

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