Procurement Enablers

Transport Scotland recognises that the achievement of successful strategic objectives is dependent upon the effective implementation of key enablers. Aligned with the principles outlined in the Scottish Government's first Public Procurement Strategy, the following enablers have been identified to support Transport Scotland’s procurement objectives:

Procurement Capability

Cultivating and nurturing staff in the procurement profession is a key to maintaining a high level of procurement capability across the organisation. Transport Scotland employs a wide variety of professionals with specialisms ranging over a number of disciplines including procurement, engineering, environmental, accountancy, and other technical disciplines. The skills of staff cover numerous competencies such as planning, project management, procurement, stakeholder engagement, budgeting, policy making and staff management. Transport Scotland is therefore well positioned to achieve the highest standards of innovation, professionalism, and teamwork across all areas of the business.

Procurement training is crucial to ensuring that staff have the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to support a high level of procurement capability within the organisation. Transport Scotland operates a graduate recruitment and training programme for civil engineers and transport planners, as well as offering opportunities for modern apprenticeships within other civil service professions. Specialist procurement staff are supported and encouraged to obtain professional procurement qualifications including chartered status.

Transport Scotland’s procurement training strategy identifies the training actions and resources needed to support procurement in line with Transport Scotland’s procurement objectives. In addition to development opportunities for procurement specialists, Transport Scotland’s procurement team also provides in-house training for DPA holders and project teams who are undertaking procurement work. The annual procurement training programme takes account of changes in legislation and Scottish Government policy as well as any identified skills gaps. An important aspect of the procurement training strategy is the alignment of training and development opportunities with the Scottish Government’s Success Profiles and Scotland’s National Procurement Competency Framework.

DPA is only granted to staff that have demonstrated the necessary skills and have undertaken appropriate training in procurement. In addition, those with DPA are encouraged to assess themselves against the National Procurement Competency Framework to identify procurement training needs within their Personal Leaning Plans, to ensure that Transport Scotland retains a high level of procurement competence.

The Scottish Government’s Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP) assessment was most recently undertaken in June 2024 and this demonstrated that Transport Scotland has a high level of procurement capability. The PCIP is designed to evaluate the performance of public sector organisations’ procurement activity. In addition to the 11 mandated areas which were assessed through this process, Transport Scotland opted to be assessed on a further 5 optional areas. The levels achieved for each question are summarised below:

Mandated Questions:

  • Procurement Influence – advanced practice area
  • Procurement Strategy – advanced practice area
  • Learning and Skills: Capability – advanced practice area
  • Risk Management – advanced practice area
  • Commercial Awareness and Acumen – advanced practice area
  • Continuous Improvement of Procurement Activity - advanced practice area
  • Contractual Obligations and Additional Benefit - advanced practice area
  • Lessons Learned - advanced practice area
  • Climate Change - good practice area
  • Implementation and Exit Strategies, Life Cycle Planning – good practice area
  • Contract and Supplier Management - good practice area

Optional Questions:

  • Procurement Representation - advanced practice area
  • Fraud Awareness and Prevention- advanced practice area
  • Strategy Development – advanced practice area
  • Specification – advanced practice area
  • Procurement Process Automation - good practice area

Transport Scotland is committed to continuous improvement of its procurement and commercial processes and has developed an action plan following the PCIP assessment. The procurement team will also review the areas which were recognised as being good practice areas to identify where processes can be developed further to ensure that the agency is at the forefront of best practice across all areas of procurement.

Supplier Development

Transport Scotland recognises the importance of its supply chain in delivering positive outcomes for communities, society at large, and the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes. Transport Scotland engages with its suppliers to inform them of opportunities and listen to their concerns. Transport Scotland is committed to ensuring transparency, accessibility, and fairness throughout all stages of its procurement. Procurement documents are designed to clearly communicate expectations and requirements to potential suppliers, thereby enabling informed and effective participation in public contracts. Key policy areas such as Community Benefits, Fair Work First, and Cyber Security are prominently highlighted in our procurement documentation. Where appropriate, suppliers are directed to additional guidance and resources to support their understanding and compliance.

Transport Scotland recognises the importance of considering potential impacts on the supply chain when introducing new procurement policies. As part of this approach, we assess how changes, such as the integration of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), may affect supplier engagement. Rather than prohibiting the use of AI, Transport Scotland acknowledges its potential value in how suppliers can streamline their responses and enhance the overall procurement process. Accordingly, Transport Scotland’s policies are designed to encourage the responsible and beneficial use of such technologies, in line with ethical and legal standards.

Proactive supplier engagement is a cornerstone of Transport Scotland’s procurements. For larger and more complex procurements, Transport Scotland hosts industry engagement events and conducts market consultation exercises. These sessions provide suppliers with early visibility of upcoming opportunities and offer a platform for open dialogue. This allows Transport Scotland to better understand market dynamics and respond to supplier concerns by incorporating relevant feedback into its procurement.

Transport Scotland is an active participant of the Supplier Development Programme’s Meet the Buyer Events which are designed to help suppliers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) understand what buyers are looking for.

In addition, Transport Scotland will take forward a programme of supported business engagement events in 2025-2026. These sessions are intended to raise awareness among Tier 1 suppliers of the value and social impact of contracting with supported businesses. By fostering stronger connections between primary contractors and supported businesses, Transport Scotland aims to promote inclusive economic growth and support sustainable procurement practices.

Through these measures, Transport Scotland continues to build a procurement environment that is inclusive, innovative, and aligned with its procurement objectives, while maintaining a strong focus on supplier development and market readiness.

Engagement

Transport Scotland’s procurement team engages with internal and external stakeholders, to share knowledge and experience, and to promote a consistent approach to procurement which benefits suppliers and project teams within the organisation.

Transport Scotland shares procurement processes and tools on its intranet to assist procurement staff and project managers throughout their procurement activities. Regular procurement training sessions are provided by Transport Scotland and staff are also encouraged to use the Scottish Government’s Procurement Journey and Sustainable Procurement Tools as a reference tool to enhance their understanding of procurement procedures.

Transport Scotland strives to maintain a consistent and coordinated approach to procurement across the organisation. Wherever appropriate, the procurement practices are aligned with wider Scottish Government policies and procedures, including the use of national frameworks and contracts to ensure efficiency and standardisation.

Transport Scotland actively engages and collaborates with other public sector bodies to share best practices, exchange information, and learn from collective experiences. This collaborative approach supports continuous improvement in Transport Scotland and helps ensure alignment with broader Scottish Government procurement goals across the public sector.

Transport Scotland is developing standardised procurement and contract management templates for its staff. These resources are designed to achieve greater consistency in the format of procurement documents across the organisation, enhancing efficiency for both Transport Scotland and its suppliers.

Collaboration

Fostering collaboration is essential to achieve shared objectives and secure success within communities and across organisations. Transport Scotland promotes this through regular meetings with internal and external stakeholders. These include the Scottish Government’s Scottish Procurement Policy Directorate, the Procurement Collaborative Group, the Procurement Cluster Group, the Construction Leadership Forum, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering Scotland, as well as the Civil Engineering Contractors Association.

By undertaking meaningful collaboration about its procurement processes, Transport Scotland aims to establish standardised approaches where feasible, encourage continuous improvement and exchange best practice. This will cultivate a culture that encourages innovation and excellence in procurement practices.