Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member Oxygen Finance
Each month, techUK's Associate Director for Local Public Services, Georgina Maratheftis, interviews a member active in the local government space about their vision for the future of local public services and where digital can make a real difference to people and society. This month we talk with Cameron Major, Sales Director at public sector procurement intelligence platform Oxygen Insights, about the role that digital plays in local government procurement.
Welcome, Cameron. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career, and how you got to this position today.
I lead the sales team at Oxygen Insights, the public sector procurement intelligence platform. We began life as Porge then were acquired six years ago by Oxygen Finance, which provides early payment programme solutions to local authorities; I joined soon after.
Our focus is supporting both sides of the public procurement equation - buyers and suppliers - with data intelligence, including spend, tender and contract intelligence. This also includes our market-leading pre-procurement intelligence, where our team of researchers trawl through council meeting minutes, planning documents and strategy papers to identify pre-tender opportunities months, even years, ahead of tender publication, giving work-winning teams a significant head-start. Since I joined, our client base has grown from around 40 to many hundreds using our SaaS data solutions.
My background has always been in sales, spanning recruitment and insurance in my early years. Before joining Oxygen Finance, I worked for an employee assistance programme, where I managed framework accounts and delivered presentations on the importance of good mental health. This experience sparked my interest in the importance of strong public service delivery, which led me to Oxygen Insights.
What is the greatest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital?
There are several significant opportunities for local government in the digital space over the next few years. The one at the top of most people’s lists is, of course, AI. The private sector has embraced AI because of the obvious efficiency opportunities, and we’re now seeing local authorities starting to leverage this technology too. Taking procurement as an example, use cases include demand forecasting, automated purchasing, negotiation simulation, and fraud detection – the list is endless!
Staying on that theme, giving procurement teams good data on how they are spending public money, and with whom, is another significant opportunity. Using this data, buyers can engage with both emerging and established suppliers, taking advantage of new solutions in the market while maintaining the quality provided by best-of-breed, established suppliers.
Digitalisation will also continue to transform the way society interacts with local authorities. In the past, people faced long wait times to speak to their local council on the phone. Now, the ubiquity of apps and other digital tools means engagement is much quicker, more seamless, and more efficient. This enhanced interaction represents a significant opportunity for local governments to improve service delivery, making citizens part of the solution and driving resident satisfaction.
What is your vision for the future of local public services and places?
Accessible data is going to enable local authorities to become more strategic, identifying areas for savings, benchmarking performance, and ensuring they provide the best value for money. With a solution like Oxygen Insights, I can have clear visibility into local government spending, including how and with whom they are spending. This allows me to see the differences between local authorities’ procurement strategies, pinpoint areas of over- or underspending, and evaluate supplier relationships.
Another key trend is diversification, moving from reliance on dominant suppliers to understanding that several suppliers can provide similar services. This change naturally supports SMEs and increases the regional spread of spending.
Finally, while the private sector often keeps lesson learning and best practice development internal due to competition, this is not the case in the public sector, where sharing best practices can benefit everyone. Technology is already helping local authorities identify and adopt best practices, but it can also ensure that this knowledge is efficiently distributed, increasing collaboration between authorities and raising the overall standard of public services.
techUK's Associate Director for Local Public Services, Georgina Maratheftis is now on maternity leave. If you have any questions, please contact Alison Young, who has taken on the Associate Director for Local Public Services, techUK or Ileana Lupsa. Programme Manager, Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK.
Alison Young
Alison Young is the Associate Director Local Public Services.
Ileana Lupsa
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
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