New partnership between techUK and LOTI
techUK is delighted to announce its new strategic partnership with the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), London’s local government digital innovation community. LOTI helps boroughs work together to bring the best of digital and data innovation to improve public services and outcomes for Londoners.
The partnership will focus on the priority issues of digital inclusion, social care, and using data and tech to develop ‘smart city’ environments. LOTI and techUK will jointly explore initiatives such as facilitating early market engagement between boroughs and suppliers to support procurement goals, as well as networking opportunities and encouraging the exchange of ideas and good practice.
Breaking down the barriers to collaboration
The fast pace of technological change often makes it difficult for local government to be on top of what the latest innovations are that can help them reimagine the delivery of local public services. It can also be confusing and difficult to understand the true value against a blizzard of competing solutions. Technology suppliers have a key role to play in driving and delivering innovation into local government, especially when it comes to the ‘unknown’. Suppliers can help local government to horizon scan, but it can be challenging for suppliers to present their solutions, in particular SMEs. For these reasons, techUK is excited to be working with LOTI and its London borough members to break down the barriers between buyers and suppliers and create the environment to showcase what good meaningful market engagement looks like.
Shaping what good market engagement looks like
As co-publisher of the Local Digital Declaration, techUK is committed to working with public sector partners such as LOTI to fix the plumbing and improve outcomes for people and places through better use of digital and data.
techUK has an active public sector programme of activity that provides a neutral forum for the public sector to connect with a diverse group of suppliers. techUK regularly convenes local government with suppliers on various market engagements. This can be from a pre-procurement briefing to an art of the possible workshop. Most recently techUK launched its Innovators Network, a forum for councils to connect with peers and innovators to access the latest technologies to help solve some of the most pressing challenges they face.
Procurement is part of a bigger transformation and innovation puzzle. If done well and outcome-focused, it can help stimulate the local government tech market and create places where citizens can thrive and feel safe. By bringing together LOTI members with suppliers in early market engagement sessions, boroughs can access the latest innovations and a diverse group of suppliers to enable them to get the best solutions for their residents and community.
Together our key aims are to:
- Stimulate industry engagement and improve market engagement opportunities for SMEs
- Build trust and foster positive relationships between industry and LOTI, and its London borough members by creating a common understanding of shared goals and priorities
- Work together on the common aim of leveraging the power of digital, data and technology in the transformation of local public service outcomes
- Share knowledge and encourage the exchange of ideas and best practice
techUK is delighted to launch a partnership with the London Office for Technology & Innovation (LOTI) to foster greater collaboration between London boroughs and industry. To innovate and solve some of the biggest challenges councils face, we need to collaborate across both the public sector and the supplier base. It is only by convening our two communities can we make a real impact to transform outcomes for people and places and help create an innovative marketplace. I’m excited about what this partnership can bring. It’s an opportunity to showcase to local government what good and meaningful supplier market engagement looks like.
We’re thrilled to be launching our partnership with techUK. Making better use of data and technology is crucial to the future of public service provision in London. Boroughs are determined to be on the front foot, and closer links with industry are an integral part of achieving this. Through working jointly with techUK, we’ll boost boroughs’ opportunities to engage with industry and to secure important benefits for their communities.
Georgina Maratheftis
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Eddie Copeland