Warren Smith, interim director of the Digital Marketplace programme at the Government Digital Service, has been officially given the position full-time.

Digital Marketplace is the government’s website for public sector procurement – Photo credit: Screenshot

The appointment, which was made following an open recruitment process launched in June, was announced this week by chief technology officer Andy Beale.

The Digital Marketplace team manages public sector procurement, and Smith has been interim director for the past five months.

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During that time, Smith oversaw the launch of the Digital Outcomes and Specialists Framework, the successor to the Digital Services frameworks, as well as working to improve open data standards in public contracting and purchasing.

In a blogpost, Beale said that Smith was “ideally placed to continue the development of the Digital Marketplace, creating the right environment and circumstances for his team to get on and do the things they need to do”.

Smith will also lead procurement transformation alongside the GDS Technology Group’s wider reforms, Beale said, which would ensure that government “has the right technology and capability to deliver great public services”.

In addition, Smith will be programme director for G-Cloud, which aims to help public sector agencies identify and procure technology services that use cloud computing.

He will report to Beale and lead a team of 38 staff, working closely with the Crown Commercial Service and the Government Legal Department.

The director’s role was advertised with a salary of around £90,000 and is for a fixed period of two years.