On paper, the Act promised to usher in a new era of openness, fairness, and value for money across public sector procurement. Demanding new levels of collaboration, data capability, and digital maturity from suppliers and public sector teams. Even though notice was given to prepare for the Act’s implementation, the challenge is that the digitisation of the new notices and requirements were not ready on day one. There is also an element of public sector organisations remaining rooted in long-standing systems and practices.

With pressure on public sector bodies to modernise their contract management and procurement processes, the Act’s principles of transparency and efficiency could function as a catalyst to drive positive change, but they must be underpinned by a combination of the right technology, robust governance and a truly collaborative culture.

A moment of digital opportunity

For public sector organisations, the PA 2023 is both an opportunity and a test. Departments and authorities are responsible for billions in annual spending. Yet many are still constrained by legacy systems, fragmented data, and manual processes that are burdensome, making compliance admin heavy, time-consuming and costly.

The feedback on the PA 2023 paints a mixed picture. The commitment to openness by publishing pipelines, tracking supplier performance, and ensuring fair competition is widely supported. However, turning these principles into practice has exposed long-standing gaps in data management, digital infrastructure, and capacity within teams.

Transparency leading to accessibility

The Act’s central promise is transparency, but we know transparency isn’t just about publishing notices or data sets. It’s about making procurement information accessible, meaningful, and actionable.

That means being able to connect procurement data with other systems: finance, inventory management, contract management, and supplier relationship management. Without that integration, compliance risks becoming a reporting exercise rather than a driver of improvement and sustainable procurement outcomes that deliver value. 

This juncture is where smarter use of technology can make all the difference. Based on the Salesforce platform,  Digital Modus can act as the connective tissue between disparate systems. With Agentic AI, agents work hand in hand with analytics and automation to support procurement teams with important tasks such as; tracking supplier performance, monitoring contract delivery, and highlighting any issues, all using a single, reliable source of truth. This level of transparency becomes a critical  tool in gaining insight and delivering real tangible benefits to the organisation.

Building a collaborative culture

Digital advancement is an essential part of this new phase. But, of course, the cultural side of procurement reform is equally important, and it’s a blend of the two that will create the best results. Procurement teams often operate under intense pressure. They are balancing statutory duties, challenging saving targets, reduced budgets, vacancy freezes, and evolving expectations from patients, end users, government and local communities. 

The PA 2023 adds another layer of complexity, asking teams to be not just compliant, but to be strategic. To make that shift, the public sector needs environments where procurement, finance, and service leads work more collaboratively. Data should flow freely across departments as well as being easy to access, and digital tools can, and should, support that collaboration. This cultural change doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with visibility and shared understanding. 

Transparency is a thread that weaves through every part of the evolution of  the public sector. When teams can see the same data, track the same supplier relationships, and measure the same outcomes, conversations change and goals align. Decision-making becomes easier, quicker, and more in line with the needs of the end user, whether that be a patient or a local taxpayer.

Data-driven procurement

As the final obligations of the Procurement Act are introduced, the next phase of reform should focus on enabling smarter, data-driven procurement.

Public sector organisations hold a wealth of information on suppliers; spending patterns, service outcomes and contractual obligations, but much of it is locked away in various PDFs and spreadsheets in siloed systems (and filing cabinets!). Unlocking that data is critical to achieving the PA 2023’s objectives. It’s also where technology partners can play a transformative role.

At Digital Modus, we want organisations to work with suppliers to build a clear, connected view of their procurement landscape. Spend analytics can reveal opportunities for aggregation and savings. Supplier dashboards can identify risks and highlight top performers. Automated workflows can ensure compliance checkpoints are built into every stage of the process. In practice, this means less time spent chasing paperwork and more time focused on strategic decisions

The next steps for the public sector 

Twelve months may not seem long in the life of public sector reform, but the early signs are promising. The PA 2023 is already encouraging greater consistency, better governance, and a renewed focus on value for money. The next step is to turn compliance into genuine efficiency.

Organisations will now need to invest not just in process change, but in digital capability and cultural alignment. The future of procurement lies in data, collaboration, and trust. Public sector organisations that embrace this shift, supported by the right technology, stand to gain most from the drive for transparency.

As this new era unfolds, the real measure of success will be how effectively we use this new guidance to deliver better outcomes for our public services and communities.

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This move strengthens the organisation’s leadership as it accelerates the commercial success and further development of its leading Cloud-based AI solutions for managing supplier relationships, Contract Management and Spend Analytics. 

Emma brings over 15 years of experience in senior procurement, commercial, and supply chain leadership roles across the complex healthcare ecosystem and the broader public sector. Among her varied roles, Emma served as Director of Procurement and Supply Chain at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, with an annual spend of ~ £1.7b. Emma led large, complex  100 people + teams to deliver major procurement and commercial transformation programmes during Covid-19 and periods of significant operational and financial pressure.

She has also held senior roles at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, an organisation with ~ £1.6b spend, managing a team of senior procurement professionals.  Other roles include collaborative procurement organisations supporting healthcare, education and local government, giving her a strong, practical understanding of how public sector systems operate at both strategic and frontline levels.

In her new role, Emma’s knowledge & experience will help to drive and shape how our products look, feel and deliver better commercial outcomes for our clients. Her remit is forward looking, shaping solutions that better use data & AI to manage suppliers and commercial functions more effectively. 

Emma is a proven leader with expertise in driving efficiencies and innovation, improving systems and processes, and enabling transformation through practical, scalable solutions. She has worked closely with NHS teams to ensure the successful delivery of technology projects that support frontline teams, freeing up time and resources to focus on strategic priorities.

Emma James, Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Modus, said: 

“Having spent many years working within the NHS, I’ve seen first-hand the pressures teams face and where systems and processes can fall short. This role gives me the opportunity to help shape solutions that work – solutions that are grounded in real operational need, deliver tangible value, and genuinely support public sector organisations to work more efficiently.” 

Nick Howes, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Modus, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Emma to Digital Modus. Her deep understanding of the healthcare ecosystem, combined with extensive hands-on procurement experience in senior leadership roles, will be instrumental as we continue to build and deliver our agentic, human-led solutions across procurement, supplier management, and spend analytics. Emma brings a rare blend of commercial insight, curiosity and creativity, alongside a genuine warmth and collaborative approach that will be a real asset to our team and our clients.”

Emma’s appointment reflects Digital Modus’ continued investment in senior leadership with deep sector experience.

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About Digital Modus Software Solutions

Digital Modus Software Solutions turns deep public sector knowledge and experience into practical solutions that drive impact, improve performance, and increase efficiency.

Built on Salesforce, the world’s leading Data and AI platform, we develop solutions that help organisations streamline procurement, contract management and strengthen supplier relationships and deepen understanding buying data through integrated analytical tools.  

We support organisations to buy the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and on the right terms — helping them build strong, lasting relationships with key suppliers.

The post Digital Modus Software Solutions appoints Emma James as Chief Commercial Officer appeared first on Digital Modus.

Q&A with Chris Hague

The HCSA & HFMA Annual Conferences are the must-attend events for professionals in the healthcare supply chain and finance. Digital Modus had the pleasure of attending and showcasing an exciting new AI procurement and cost savings platform use case to the sector. We sat down with Chris Hague, our strategy director to gain his insights and break down the key takeaways from the two events…

Q: Chris, you attended both the HFMA and HCSA conferences recently – tell us a bit about them and why they were such important events. 

A: The HCSA event is the annual gathering for procurement leaders across the NHS and the HFMA’s the same for Financial leaders. This year was our first time attending, and it was a great success. We went to showcase our cost savings module from the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) suite – particularly our work on data aggregation and cost-saving identification pilot with an NHS Procurement Collaborative.

Q: How did that collaboration resonate with the audience?

A: Exceptionally well. Edd James MBE procurement director for Humber & N.Yorks presented our Agentic capabilities at both events to packed rooms, demonstrating real examples of how we can alleviate admin burdens and streamline requisition processes. The energy in the room was incredible. People were genuinely excited to see practical applications that could free up teams for more strategic work.

Q: The NHS procurement landscape is a very regulated environment. How does SRM fit into that ecosystem?

A: The ecosystem is unique. Our focus is on non-clinical inefficiencies. What really struck a chord with the attendees was that we can leverage both structured and unstructured data to deliver a more agile, AI-driven feature set – one that feels familiar but offers a far richer experience. That familiarity combined with innovation is a winning combination.

Q: What broader trends did you pick up from NHS procurement leaders?

A: Naturally there’s a real push for collaboration across Trusts and Care Boards. Many are only just starting that journey, but there’s strong momentum. Everyone recognises the need to drive efficiencies and reallocate funds to frontline services. The timing for our platform is ideal as it helps organisations collaborate effectively and deliver measurable savings when it’s needed most.

Q: What spiked interest from NHS financial leaders?

A: Our approach is different, we analyse a Trust’s data to find savings from the bottom up. Financial leaders are under enormous pressure to find savings, Trusts have a long tail of suppliers and struggle to identify daily product pricing fluctuations so by standardising and visualising catalogue data in real time, financial leaders are able to identify savings across their entire supplier portfolio. Data then becomes an asset and guides future spend and savings strategies.

Our capabilities across central government were also of significant interest, financial leaders face similar challenges with siloed platforms and a lack of interoperability. Our vast experience in delivering complex data aggregation projects within highly regulated central government organisations with solutions such as the digitisation of  correspondence ,onboarding & compliance for applicant tracking systems and both grant and stakeholder management really opened up conversations as to what is possible.

There is a shift in mindset happening to engage with smaller more agile technology suppliers that can add real tangible value quickly.

Q: What are the main challenges teams face when adopting AI?

A: One barrier is the unknown. Many procurement professionals are understandably anxious about what AI and automation might mean for their roles. Building trust and demystifying the technology are crucial steps needed to ease that concern and ensure long-term adoption for successful outcomes.

The positive is that there is a huge appetite for change. NHS organisations clearly recognise the potential of AI and are now engaging in test pilots. AI adoption requires continual evolution – a multi-year journey that relies on support, guidance, and refinement of the tools.

Q: How will AI impact procurement in the NHS over the next year or so?

A: AI will deliver its most immediate value in contract management and supplier management. Today, procurement teams miss up to 90% of contract renewals simply due to lack of tracking and time. AI can fix this by providing timely prompts for renewals, offering insights into supplier performance and ensuring teams enter renegotiations better informed. CFOs are under increasing pressure to deliver savings that protect frontline services so by utilising AI tools in this way it provides the ability to extract meaningful insights from the data and will support stronger business continuity planning to improve efficiencies across the board.

Q: What will be the biggest win for AI in the NHS?

A: There is a powerful link between cost savings and social responsibility. Every £1 million saved directly in the NHS translates to 500 people receiving 24-hour critical care in an ICU. The commercial benefits matter, but the real impact is enabling public funds to be redirected toward better patient care and essential services.

We are mission driven to deliver tangible, data-backed savings through collaboration to improve outcomes for patients. This is what we are passionate about helping the sector to achieve, if you would like to discuss in more detail then please contact Chris – chris.hague@digitalmodus.com 

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