Who is the UK Government's new Chief Commercial Officer?
Andrew Forzani has been appointed as the new UK Government Chief Commercial Officer, to steer the cross-government commercial community in delivering the Plan for Change.
The announcement comes as the UK prepares to implement the Procurement Act 2023 in February, as well as publish an updated National Procurement Policy Statement.
Andrew's experience of over 30 years in commercial, procurement and supply chain management will aid in his goals to steer the cross-government commercial community to deliver the Plan for Change.
Currently, Andrew is the Director General Commercial at the Ministry of Defence (MOD); prior to joining the MOD in 2017, he was the Chief Commercial Officer at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Public procurement in the UK
His attention will turn to the over 6,000 commercial professionals who manage and influence £176bn (approx. US$220.2bn) of procurement spend on vital goods and services, focusing on delivering for working people and ensuring every pound of taxpayer money delivers for the public.
These include things like roads and trains – to defence equipment and energy. The procurement work of the government impacts millions of people's everyday lives. By refocusing and reimagining the way the government undertakes public procurement, it can rebuild Britain in a decade of national renewal.
Andrew Forzani says: "I am extremely proud to be appointed as UK Government Chief Commercial Officer, at a critical point for our function. This is an exciting time for the UK Government, with a unique set of challenges ahead of us. But as we have seen, a highly skilled and committed public procurement community has repeatedly stepped up to meet these challenges head on and I'm confident we can continue to do so.
"I look forward to working with the entire Government Commercial Function community across the United Kingdom to ensure that every pound we spend or influence goes towards delivering great outcomes for the Country and the Plan for Change."
The Government Commercial Function
The Government Commercial Function (GCF) is a cross-government network procuring or supporting the procurement of goods and services for the government.
The GCF was formed in 2015 and incorporates around 6,000 people working in commercial roles, predominantly within central government departments and some arm's-length bodies.
The commercial teams in departments are supported by a central team based in the Cabinet Office, which provides cross-cutting functional coordination support, as well as specialist services and expert advice on complex transactions, key suppliers and market stewardship.
This helps to ensure that the Government can effectively leverage its significant scale, benefit from greater efficiency and drive improved value for money from its suppliers and the wider supply chain.
Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, Cat Little, adds: "The Government Commercial Function provides a crucial service to Government, delivering mission-led procurement policy, harnessing the public sector's collective purchasing power and working hard to improve the commercial capabilities of the Civil Service.
"Andrew has a wealth of senior commercial experience both within government and beyond, and will continue to drive excellence and commercial expert advice in everything we do. I look forward to working with him in this new role."
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