Scotland's public sector faces shared pressures around budgets, capacity and delivery, and no single organisation can solve these alone. This panel brings together perspectives from across Scottish and UK government and public services delivery bodies to explore what genuine cross-sector collaboration looks like in practice. Panellists will discuss shared learning, joint working models and how procurement teams can break down silos to deliver better outcomes for citizens and communities together.

Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from experimentation to everyday use across public procurement, but the path from pilot project to embedded practice is rarely straightforward. This session brings together voices from central government and academia to examine what's actually working, where the barriers remain, and how procurement teams can move beyond isolated trials toward scaled, responsible adoption. Expect practical insight into governance, capability and the realistic pace of AI-driven change.

As procurement's role in public sector delivery grows more strategic, so does the pressure to build a workforce with the right skills, knowledge and confidence to meet it. This panel explores how organisations are rethinking capability building, from professional development and training pathways to attracting new talent into the profession. Drawing on government, industry and consultancy perspectives, the discussion will address what it takes to future-proof the procurement workforce across Scotland.