Guidelines for AI procurement

Overview

Public procurement can be an enabler for the adoption of AI and could be used to improve public service delivery. Government’s purchasing power can drive this innovation and spur growth in AI technologies development in the UK.

As AI is an emerging technology, it can be more difficult to establish the best route to market for your requirements, to engage effectively with innovative suppliers or to develop the right AI-specific criteria and terms and conditions that allow effective and ethical deployment of AI technologies. These guidelines provide a set of guiding principles on how to buy AI technology, as well as insights on tackling challenges that may arise during procurement. It is the first of such guidance, and is not exhaustive.

These guidelines have been developed by the Office for AI in collaboration with the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Government Digital Service, Government Commercial Function and Crown Commercial Service. A wide range of stakeholders from industry, academia and Government Departments have helped to shape this update. The guidelines were initiated through the World Economic Forum’s ‘Unlocking public sector AI’ project.

This content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0

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