Public sector supply chain management officials must adopt a renewed approach to procurement in order to ensure value for money in today’s changing legislative and economic environment, according to Isac Smith, chief director of Governance and Asset Management at the Western Cape Treasury department.

The upcoming tenth annual Western Cape Procurement Conference, which is supported by Western Cape Provincial Treasury and hosted by the West Coast district, will equip supply chain role players with the skills and knowledge to meet the significant legislative changes and the current energy supply challenges. The event will bring together officials from various municipalities and departments. It is aimed at all public sector officials in the region, including municipal managers, chief financial officers, department heads, supply chain and procurement practitioners, asset managers and Local Economic Development (LED). Given the current infrastructure and energy challenges, key engineers and asset management practitioners are also invited to participate in the 2023 Western Cape Procurement Conference, which takes place from 25 to 27 July 2023 at Club Mykonos, Langebaan.

Held under the theme “Procurement for a Better Tomorrow: Strategic Public Procurement and Partnerships”, this event provides a platform for stakeholders to come together, learn from each other, collaborate and make a difference. The conference is being organised by Smart Procurement, who has hosted the province’s conference for over 10 years. 

A range of important topics will be covered in keynote presentations, panel discussions and case studies. These include keynotes on the Western Cape Development Strategy in the context of new legislative and country dynamics; the implementation of the Preferential Procurement Regulations 2022; viable procurement approaches for municipalities to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy programmes; the Public Procurement Bill; and empowerment assessment planning and transformative procurement.

There will be panel discussions on the implementation successes and challenges of regulation; frameworks for the procurement of power from IPPs and managing the potential risk; and collaboration and delivery. Commodity management, demand planning, technology, training and development will also be covered in compelling presentations.