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Government should stimulate innovation through procurement, say Lords
15th September 2011 at 14:09:58 by Civil Service World
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More ministerial leadership required
Government is taking the “tried and tested” route to procurement, rather than stimulating innovation, according to chairman of the science and technology committee Lord Krebs.
Speaking in a House of Lord's debate addressing his committee's report on the subject, Lord Krebs said that “one minister should have overall accountability across government for innovation in procurement, rather than the present split between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Cabinet Office.”
His also said that there should be a better link between academia and civil servants so that “those responsible for procurement know about the whole range of potential technologies and solutions and are able to act as intelligent customers.” Krebs criticised a “culture of aversion” in procurement.
Click here to read the full debate.
Douglas Grant
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Amazingly I totally agree with Lord Krebs. Government for a long time has been seen by the market as the last bastion of "old technology use" and long used recycled efficiency Methodologies. Innovation also now faces the other barrier of "Austerity" . However I feel we can turn these very barriers to innovative thinking to our advantage. Crises bring new ways of thinking, these then bring on the need for improvements and in tern create local innovations.
The Civil Service should encourage these low price local micro innovation options rather than treating them as challenges to corporate Lean or Hi Tech solutions. Reuse our old technology to deliver better and encourage manual innovations in process as not everything innovative has to be technology based. Our people are "innovative" they just need the encouragement, an environment to "try" without the stigma of failure and , yes, rewarding for success.
You cannot buy an innovation revolution.
Douglas Grant 253 days ago