The government has wasted no time signalling its ambitions to champion tech innovation, and in particular, how it can deliver smarter, more efficient public services. From defence to spending reviews, early signs point to the government’s intentions to engage with the private sector on tech, data and digital infrastructure.
While the narrative around “digital transformation” is familiar, what is now emerging is a more procurement-focused shift, a government increasingly open to using innovation to solve structural challenges, from healthcare delivery and transport modernisation to revolutionising planning delivery and house building.
The Prime Minister demonstrated this with the ‘Extract’ AI tool announcement to kick off London Tech Week. Aiming to directly support the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes by improving planning permissions, this tool has been designed to accelerate and transform the planning system by expediting home construction through its ability to rapidly convert handwritten planning documents into digital data. The tool has been jointly developed by the government and Google with the ambition of optimising operations for planning officers and local councils, and hopes to alleviate delays that have long impacted the planning process by reducing manual document checking time, estimated to currently take 250,000 hours annually.
The public sector is under pressure to deliver more with less. There is a clear understanding from the government that innovative tech, especially from startups and SMEs, can be a significant part of the solution. This recent announcement signals an opportunity for emerging tech firms who are able to meet public sector buyers where they are with the right message and positioning and secure contracts, build lasting relationships, and contribute to the digital transformation of public services.
At Showrunner Communications, with a strong background in the public sector ourselves, we have an in-depth understanding of the challenges and expectations that are unique to engaging with government and local authorities, and go beyond the standard bid writing and proposals.
Positioning your innovation at the intersection of need and influence is key. Showrunner works with tech startups and scaleups building solutions for the public sector, whether in health, transport, procurement, education, or local government, to refine their message, build credibility and engage effectively with policymakers.