Public Procurement and Property

Supporting pre-procurement reviews: a valuable opportunity for procurement professionals

October 7, 2025 by Scottish Procurement No Comments | Category Procurement news, Scottish Procurement

The Technology Assurance Framework (TAF) supports programmes and projects to deliver successful outcomes. It is managed by the Digital Assurance Office (DAO). Major digital project reviews apply at key stages in the project lifecycle and projects must satisfy the conditions of the review before moving to the next stage. Pre-procurement is one of the stages for a major digital project review.

Major digital project reviews are carried out by two external advisers accredited by the UK Government. Pre-procurement reviews typically include a Scottish Government procurement professional as part of the review team. The DAO worked with Adrian Williamson, a Technical and Commercial Specialist from Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate (SPPD), who participated in a review, to prepare this blog. It outlines what being part of a review team means and the benefits of getting involved.

Why pre-procurement reviews matter

The pre-procurement gate considers whether a project is ready to commence procurement and that commercial risks are well understood. All reviews are structured around a checklist which sets the scope for the review. The pre-procurement review considers a broad range of issues including:

• procurement strategy: market engagement, sourcing strategy, and risk management across the commercial lifecycle
• Statement of Requirements (SoR): well-defined service expectations, equal treatment of bidders, and robust evaluation methodology
• contract and supplier management: planning onboarding, change control, and exit strategies

The DAO have published insights from the recommendations made from reviews on procurement and commercial matters. These insights give a good flavour of the areas of improvement identified by review teams during pre-procurement reviews.

The value of getting involved

Supporting a pre-procurement review as a procurement professional offers a unique opportunity to step outside the day-to-day and engage with a project in depth. As shared by Adrian:

“It opens your mind to what the benefits are of being able to step away from the day job and look at something in real detail.”

Professionals who volunteer gain:

• exposure to different organisational approaches and procurement strategies
• insight into exemplary practices and areas for improvement
• a chance to reflect on their own processes and identify efficiencies
• confidence in their expertise, regardless of grade or title
• opportunity to be involved in a short life, focused team, learning from experienced external reviewers

Adrian’s review experience highlighted the value of visual communication, such as user journey diagrams, and the importance of collaborative reflection. His involvement led to improvements in his own team’s practices.

What to expect

The review process is structured and well-supported:

• preparation: in advance of the review, two days are allowed for the review team to plan for the review by reading project documentation and meeting with the project’s Senior Responsible Owner to confirm scope and logistics
• review days: interviews are conducted over two days, followed by a third day to draft the report
• reporting: a draft report is prepared and shared with the SRO and DAO. The SRO can provide comments on the report, after which it is finalised

Participants are guided by experienced external advisers and DAO professionals and work collaboratively with project teams. As Adrian noted:

“The team I was working with were brilliant… You learn a lot from the way they approach it and the way they present feedback positively.”

Encouraging participation

Many professionals hesitate to get involved due to time constraints or uncertainty about the process. A pre-procurement review is a time commitment and requires participants to step away from regular duties for three days during the review week and additional time for pre-reading.  The benefits are substantial, the opportunity to gain insights into procurement practices, learn from experienced colleagues, and reflect on and improve their own processes.

Anyone who has managed procurements for the Scottish Government is well-qualified to contribute – it is not about grade it is about knowledge and experience of delivering procurements to SG requirements.

Final thoughts

Contact the Digital Assurance Office at DigitalAssurance@gov.scot to discuss the reviewer role in more detail and the experience you could bring to it.

For further information on public procurement in Scotland please visit www.gov.scot/procurement

Please email enquiries to scottishprocurement@gov.scot

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Tags: procurement, public sector procurement

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