Bridging the Gap: How Private Sector Tech Know-How is Transforming UK Public Services
Private sector technology skills are an integral driver of change within UK public services. Collaboration between public and private organisations promotes efficiency, transparency, and innovation in public services through service-based software models and new thinking.
Greater Agility
Public sector organisations have historically struggled under the weight of inflexible, legacy applications. The positive impact of the private sector in enabling public entities to adopt service-based software models, has brought about greater agility and cost-effectiveness, so they can buy the exact services they need and move more quickly.
Scalable Cloud Solutions
Central to this evolution is the adoption of cloud technology. The cloud has been integral to the ability to innovate, allowing Oxygen and other similarly sized firms to deliver solutions that are secure and globally scalable, increasing our compute as data peaks. This shift has not only facilitated innovation but has also addressed longstanding issues such as data security and availability. The cloud means we can deliver both of those requirements quickly and at a sensible price.
Data Driven Decision Making
Data transparency and analysis within public sector finance and procurement is of increasing importance. Public sector finance and procurement teams often don't have access to good data. Oxygen's approach to cleansing and categorising £6trn of spend data has empowered public bodies, giving them insights into expenditure patterns, enabling them to make informed decisions. Because of this, bodies can outsource aspects of their reporting to us, and because we're doing this at scale, reduce the cost of production; all possible due to the openness of data within the UK public sector.
Furthermore, technology has fostered unprecedented collaboration among public sector bodies. Through platforms and solutions developed by private sector enterprises, entities across geographical divides can share insights and best practices seamlessly.
Technology and Social Value
Technology is also playing an important role in scaling frameworks designed to promote social value. It's right for the public sector to be leading on social value, and frameworks can help here, whilst also allowing solutions to be delivered in a small, focused way rather than always defaulting to an enterprise-level initiative. By mandating criteria such as local employment and living wage standards, frameworks can maximise public sector investment while fostering community development.
Through service-based models, cloud technology, and data-driven insights, public services in the UK are better equipped to meet evolving demands while maximising value for taxpayers. As technology continues to evolve, the potential for further transformation and improvement in public services remains promising.
Heather Cover-Kus
Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.
Ellie Huckle
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
Annie Collings
Annie is the Programme Manager for Cyber Resilience at techUK. She first joined as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023.
Austin Earl
Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes, before progressing into Junior Programme Manager in January 2024.
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