The British government, represented by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), launched the Spark initiative in 2019 driven by its constant keenness to support the public sector's technological shift and provide it with the latest innovations and inventions in an attempt to empower small and medium-sized enterprises. This marketplace is an integrated platform for new and emerging tech products displayed on the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). The latter includes the rating feature that helps users find suitable providers and identify different areas of technologies according to their needs and preferences. This marketplace also focuses on emerging technologies expected to leave the greatest impact in the next two to five years.
In addition to enabling government innovation, Spark supports SMEs, knowing that the British government had set a plan to spend EUR 1 in every EUR 3 with SMEs. Spark removes obstacles facing SMEs, allows them to sell their innovative products to the government, and increases government spending that these enterprises would leverage. Users will also be able to access new technologies that have proven effective to support technological transformation, whether at the governmental level or with regard to services provided directly to individuals.
To determine the level of interaction achieved by the marketplace, the CCS implemented a special procedure that uncovered a gap between the products offered and the markets that are still developing, and identified some pillars related to the use of innovative solutions for overcoming obstacles facing the public sector. For example, these pillars include relying on a prototype that SMEs cannot afford, compared to major companies that are more financially capable. Users within the public sector tend to avoid the risks of investing in new technologies and products developed by accelerators were not launched in the marketplace, which made it very difficult to showcase their advantages.
CCS has chosen DPS to support the marketplace since it has proven to be effective in supplying new and beneficial technologies after conducting preliminary tests. DPS is divided into eight technological areas that allow users to classify search results according to their needs. These areas are IoT, AI, automation, simulation, enhanced environments, materials science, engineering science, data, wearable devices, transportation, and security.
Spark will act as a link between Innovate UK and mature products, such as the G-Cloud framework. Thanks to the new procurement system, suppliers can join the marketplace at any time and specify their areas of expertise. Providers that succeed in joining the market must demonstrate their ability to provide innovative products that fall into two categories. The first is a revolutionary innovation that introduces a new product, service, mechanism, or strategy designed to make a tangible impact and replaces current technologies and methods. The second is a disruptive innovation that fosters a new value and market competing with the companies and products currently dominating the market.
DPS involves several phases, starting with compliance requiring suppliers to submit a request to participate and join the marketplace at any time, and ensuring that they meet the selection criteria and accept the terms and conditions for joining DPS. The second phase requires soliciting and posting offers submitted by users through DPS to receive responses from qualified suppliers. Then, the users can rate the response of the suppliers, and the process ends by awarding the tender to a given provider.
Spark is the result of lengthy research and study to determine how the public sector can adopt new technologies. This market has played a pivotal role in enabling customers to use new technologies that have proven their effectiveness and ability to achieve innovation in public services and generate savings for the public sector, thus expanding the G-Cloud framework launched by the British government. CCS expects to spend EUR 20 million in this marketplace during the first year of its launch, especially since the primary function of DPS is to support new suppliers and showcase the most prominent features that the system offers to help customers and suppliers choose the capabilities that meet their needs. Seven providers participated in the platform upon its launch in 2019, including Accenture. Today, 63 approved providers have joined the marketplace.
