AI in public procurement: less hype, more honesty
AI is already influencing how public procurement teams work, whether they openly acknowledge it or not. The real question is no longer if AI has a role, but how it is used responsibly, transparently and to genuine effect.
That was the clear message from techUK’s recent roundtable on AI in public procurement, hosted by Anna Inman and BidCraft’s Eve Upton. What stood out was not wide-eyed optimism about automation, but a much more grounded conversation about trust, accountability and realism. Public sector organisations are rightly cautious. They are wary of black-box tools, over-promised benefits and unclear ownership of decisions. At the same time, many are holding AI to a standard of perfection that no human-led process has ever met.
The discussion cut through that contradiction. AI does not need to be flawless to be useful. It needs to be understandable, well-governed and used to support (not replace) professional judgement. Participants from across government were clear: accountability always sits with people, not tools. AI works best when it removes friction from repetitive tasks and frees up time for better commercial thinking, stronger supplier engagement and more informed decision-making.
For suppliers, there is also a challenge. Being vague or defensive about AI use will only slow adoption and damage trust. Openness about where AI is used, what it does, and what it does not do is becoming a commercial necessity. The other challenge is to guard against bland, generic proposalslop and be accountable for what you bid.
The full insights from the session are well worth a read. techUK’s event round-up captures the nuance that is often missing from the AI debate – practical, sceptical and a good dose of reality.
You can read the full article here:
https://www.techuk.org/resource/event-round-up-ai-in-public-procurement-key-insights.html
By Eve Upton, BidCraft, and Anna Inman, Digital Modus