Duration: 1.5 days [ Day 1 ¦ In Person ¦ 9.30am – 3.30pm] & [ Day 2 ¦ Online ¦ 9.30am – 12.30pm]
Day 1:
Thursday September 24th (in person, Grand Canal Hotel, Dublin 4)
Day 2:
Friday, October 2nd (online)
Practical Strategies for Planning, Delivering, and Reviewing Public Sector Spend
PAI’s NEW 1.5-day hybrid programme equips public sector managers, finance officers, procurement professionals, and project leads with the knowledge and tools to effectively manage third-party spend and capital budgets across the full project lifecycle.
Participants will explore the critical bookends of public spending:
- Ex-Ante Appraisal – planning and justifying spend, ensuring regulatory compliance, and aligning projects with strategic and budgetary priorities.
- Ex-Post Evaluation – reviewing project and supplier outcomes, assessing value for money, and capturing lessons learned to improve future decisions.
The programme covers:
- Planning and managing capital budgets for high-value or multi-year projects
- Governance and management of third-party spend, including suppliers, contractors, and consultants
- Procurement, contract management, and compliance with public sector regulations
- Risk management, monitoring, and reporting for both capital and third-party projects
Through interactive exercises, case studies, and scenario-based discussions, participants will leave with the skills to plan, deliver, and evaluate spend effectively, ensuring accountability, transparency, and value for money in their organisations
Capability Framework Alignment:
Supports Civil & Public Service Capability Framework through: Strategic thinking and decision-making, Digital innovation and data utilisation, Governance, compliance and accountability, Collaboration and stakeholder engagement, Delivery, performance and continuous improvement
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Apply a structured approach to managing capital budgets and third-party spend
Plan and oversee spend across the full project lifecycle, including high-value and multi-year projects, in line with public sector frameworks. - Integrate ex-ante appraisal and ex-post evaluation into decision-making
Justify and plan spend effectively at the outset, and evaluate outcomes to assess value for money and inform future projects. - Ensure effective governance and compliance in procurement and contract management
Manage suppliers, contractors, and consultants in accordance with regulatory requirements and organisational controls. - Manage risk, monitoring, and reporting processes
Identify and mitigate risks while implementing robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms to support accountability and transparency. - Make informed, value-driven decisions across the project lifecycle
Use data, evaluation insights, and practical tools to improve efficiency, strengthen oversight, and enhance value delivery.
Who Should Attend
This series is suitable for:
- Procurement professionals
- Budget holders and contract managers
- Project and programme managers
- Policy and operational staff involved in procurement
- Senior leaders responsible for delivery and governance
