Procurement as a launchpad for growth: In conversation with Rikesh Shah

The government spends nearly £430 billion a year on public procurement, or around 15% of GDP. In this episode Suzannah Brecknell speaks to Rikesh Shah, chair of the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre, about how government can use procurement as a genuine strategic lever for innovation – and why that's a challenge for the whole civil service, not just procurement teams. Rikesh sets out what innovation in procurement actually means in practice, why engaging the market early is essential, and the opportunities presented by NISTA’s £718bn infrastructure pipeline. He also tackles the cultural barriers head-on, with practical examples of how taking a calculated risk on innovation generated significant returns at Transport for London. Hosted by Suzannah Brecknell, Editor-in-Chief, Civil Service World. Recorded and produced by Podot. Links mentioned in this episode: Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre: To share your procurement challenges with IPEC's cohort programme, email: contact@ipec.org.uk

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Procurement as a launchpad for growth: In conversation with Rikesh Shah is an episode from The Civil Service World Podcast by Civil Service World.

This episode is 00:20:39 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

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