Page 88 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable
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The DVSA found that most of the WEF “AI Government Procurement Guidelines” were implemented
successfully:
“Make use of innovative procurement processes to acquire AI systems - encourage
collaboration between different bidders”
It was important to rely on a team of suppliers for project delivery, rather than on just one supplier.
Partnering with multiple suppliers and asking them to deliver the project in collaboration ensured
that all relevant skills were available, and that checks and balances were in place. One supplier
developed the AI model and another supplier helped to test it.
“Focus on developing a clear problem statement, rather than on detailing specifications of
a solution”
The requirements in the ITT focused on outcomes rather than the means of how to achieve those
outcomes. This gave suppliers flexibility to select the technology that best fit this purpose, and
ensured that solutions were innovative and effective.
“Work with a diverse, multidisciplinary team”
The DVSA worked actively on upskilling internal teams and recruiting experts into the team where
needed. This helped them to become a better customer for AI systems.
Project delivery was supported through close collaboration with the suppliers. Key to this was
thinking as a single team and as partners, not as contractors.
On a practical level, this meant being open about the problems that needed to be solved, the
challenges those different solutions may present, and the costs of different options. This experience
showed that openness makes things better, bringing real reward in getting value from the
partnerships.
“Engage vendors early and frequently throughout the process”
Extensive pre-market engagement helped to better target potential AI system providers. The DVSA
asked shortlisted suppliers to present their proposed approaches, which helped them to evaluate
the different delivery options.
74 Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023
