How we're supporting public sector procurement

Agency staff are a crucial part of the public sector workforce. Schools, hospitals and other public sector workplaces rely on an army of temporary workers to meet growing demand in the UK.

We believe that public procurement should always promote good recruitment practices – recruiters play a huge role in getting this right. 

Supporting public sector recruitment

We’re helping recruiters understand how the public sector operates, so they can compete effectively. 

Our specialist sector groups bring together recruiters with a common interest to lobby, champion best practice and share knowledge. 

We’re working directly with employers to help them improve workforce planning. We meet regularly with bodies such as the Crown Commercial Service, the Local Government Association, NHS Employers and the National College of Teaching and Leadership, as well as individual schools, local authorities and NHS Trusts to improve services and supply the temporary staff that public services need to meet the challenges they face. 

We represent the recruitment industry on the NHS Employers National Agency and Temporary Staffing Strategic Forum, the Department of Health's National Procurement Council and the Local Government Association’s Employer Standards Advisory Group.

And of course, we’re making the case to our friends in government that spending cuts in the public sector will present long-term difficulties in meeting the UK public sector workforce needs.

We’ve consistently argued that public procurement exercises must not jeopardise safety in order to reduce cost. A strong focus on quality and viable opportunities for SMEs must be part of any procurement strategy to build sustainable supply chains that deliver value for public services.

For more infomation about our work to support public sector procurement, please get in touch.