Helen Marsh, Director of Group Procurement at Riverside, joins ProcureCo as an Ambassador
As Director of Group Procurement at The Riverside Group – one of the UK’s leading registered providers of social housing – Helen brings a wealth of experience to the platform.
As the UK procurement community looks towards the rollout of the Procurement Act (2023) on 24 February 2025, we speak to Helen Marsh about what changes to the procurement process she anticipates. Having previously held senior procurement roles at Greater Manchester Police, Fusion21 and social housing landlord Your Housing Group, Helen brings a range of perspectives.
Helen notes that the new legislation will require both buyers and suppliers to adjust their strategies, particularly in terms of how they engage with each other prior to the release of formal tenders.
“The new Procurement Act requires us to engage with suppliers more than we ever have before. Having ProcureCo as a tool for us to achieve this in a transparent way is really helpful to us.”
The ProcureCo platform is a hub for suppliers and buyers. Buyers can conduct pre-tender market engagement with suppliers (including SMEs and new entrants) who are set up to bid for public sector contracts. And suppliers can find the support and knowledge they need to be better placed to take part in the procurement process.
Helen says that opening up public procurement to SMEs, microbusinesses, local businesses and new entrants will not only help contracting organisations like Riverside, but also the customers they serve.
Benefits for buyers
Public procurement teams always need to ensure value for money, and building a network of quality local suppliers can help to achieve that. “They can be difficult to find”, says Helen. She points out that many smaller businesses and new entrants may not be registered on the government Find a Tender Service (FTS) nor be checking it regularly, but that ProcureCo offers buyers another way of reaching them: “The wider we can get that message out to all of these other contractors and suppliers that a lot of us have never probably even heard of, is a massive bonus”.
“It can be a struggle to find local contractors and suppliers to fulfil some of our contracts. Having support from ProcureCo in sourcing SMEs and microbusinesses is hugely beneficial.”
Benefits for suppliers
Public procurement can be complicated and bureaucratic for those who are not used to it. ProcureCo has been designed as a hub for suppliers where procurement processes can be demystified and where suppliers can be supported.
“I think smaller companies can feel a bit lost”, says Helen. “Being able to use ProcureCo as a way of sharing knowledge with suppliers about the new Procurement Act – about what they need to do, how we can support them – is going to be really important.”
ProcureCo Ambassadors
ProcureCo’s Ambassadors are a group of experienced leaders dedicated to advancing the public sector by supporting SMEs, microbusinesses, and social enterprises in the implementation of the new Procurement Act.
Ambassadors are selected by invitation based on specific criteria. For more information about becoming a ProcureCo Ambassador, please email Moira Skinner at moira.skinner@procureco.uk
Join our Q&A session with Helen Marsh | Wednesday 18 September, 12.00pm–1.00pm
