The UK Government has a complicated structure. There are many departments, cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, and many, many civil services. Understanding the structure is important for B2G marketers so they know their target audience and can develop marketing strategies that are directly related to the contracting authorities’ needs and provide solutions that deliver tangible results.
We’re going to unravel one of the more confusing branches, the Central Government, and give you the information you need to craft compelling marketing strategies that target the correct government sector.
Is The Central Government The Government?
The answer is no, but it comes pretty close.
The Central Government is one part of the UK’s governance system. Devolved governments are another.
The Central Government is the predominant entity with the power to oversee the United Kingdom’s overall functioning.
Devolved governments include Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are aspects of governance that are independent of the United Kingdom, but the UK’s Central Government has the final say in many high-level decisions.
Central Government Hierarchy
The UK Government is very much like a family tree. It has the first of the line and then starts to branch out. Each branch branches out and so it continues. Here’s a quick breakdown of the Central Government’s family tree.
1) Parliament
2) The Prime Minister
3) About 100 Members of Parliament
4) The Cabinet
There are 15 – 25 Cabinet Members (or Ministers), including the PM and a selection from the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
Cabinet Ministers are rated above Members of Parliament in the UK’s Central Government hierarchy.
Some (but not all) Cabinet Ministers are responsible for government departments. In this capacity, their role is Secretary of the State.
Junior Ministers are the second tier of government departments. For example, the Minister of State for Schools works under the Secretary of State for the Department of Education.
5) The Civil Service
The Civil Service is a collective name for state employees who bring government decisions, legislation, regulations, policies, new laws and rules to life. Often, this means taking a new policy, stripping it from its theory, and turning it into something that delivers the UK Government’s desired results.
Civil Service jobs are politically impartial – they don’t favour one political party over another.
The Civil Service Structure
- The Minister of the Department
- Permanent Secretary
- Deputy Secretaries/Directors
- Senior Managers
- Middle Managers
- Junior Managers
- Admin and Support
It’s good to note that the Civil Service also includes some Non-Ministerial departments, agencies, and public bodies. However, their structure might vary.
6) Government Departments & Agencies
There are 24 Ministerial Departments, each led by a Secretary of State. They provide government services for each sector. For example, the Department of Education works with all education-related matters, primarily on a national basis.
There are 22 Non-Ministerial Departments which are led by Senior Civil Servants and are narrower in focus than ministerial departments, for example, the Food Safety Authority. They provide local services but also operate nationally.
There are 362 Government Agencies and Public Bodies. Their responsibilities can be national, regional, local, and even specific to a single entity, for example, the Victoria & Albert Museum.
There are 11 Public Corporations, including British Business Bank, Network Rail, and Post Office Limited.
As powerful as the central government is, it can’t operate without assistance.
Organisations party to the Central Government’s functioning
An efficient government depends on the following organisations.
The Core Executive
The Core Executive includes high-level decision-makers in the UK Government:
- The Prime Minister’s Office
- The Cabinet
- The Cabinet Office
- The Government Whips’ Office
The Departments of State
The Departments of State are directly accountable for carrying out government policies within different areas of operation, for example, the Treasury, Department for Education, Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Ministry of Defence, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Departments are overseen by Government Ministers, but the entire Core Executive is headed by the Secretary of the State.
Departmental or Executive Agencies
Departmental Agencies operate separately from the Departments of State, but they still fall within the Departments of State’s ambit. For example, the Highways Agency falls within the ambit of the Department of Transport
Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Non-Departmental Public Bodies (or Quangos) operate semi-independently from the Central Government but still deliver public services, for example, advisory committees and the Bank of England.
The Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a high-level organisation within the Central Government. It has many responsibilities, particularly supporting the Prime Minister and ensuring the Central and Local Government government operate efficiently.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Government policy development, coordination, and implementation
- Support for the National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Organisation
- Managing crisis responses
- Managing cyber security
- Government Digital Service management
- Ensuring transparency in government operations
- Civil Service management
The Home Office
The Home Office is a ministerial department that is primarily responsible for safety and security in the UK.
This includes:
- Immigration
- Crime prevention
- Fire rescue
- Counter-terrorism
- Police services
- National drugs policy
- Civil emergency management
- Public protection, especially for vulnerable people and communities
- Public services management
Independent Departments
Independent Departments aren’t affiliated with any political parties to ensure neutrality in certain agencies, for example, the Food Standards Agency.
The National Health Service
England’s NHS is similar to an independent agency in the Department of Health. Responsibilities include running hospitals and the Clinical Commissioning Groups that manage GP surgeries.
The health services in other parts of the UK are managed by the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Arms Length Bodies
There are three types of Arms Length Bodies in UK’s Central Government:
1) Executive agencies
2) Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs)
3) Non-Ministerial Departments
Their role is to deliver and manage public services. There are also advisory NDPBs that play a part in developing regulations.
What’s The Central Government’s Role In The UK?
It has many responsibilities that fall within the following four categories.
Governance & decision-making
Firstly, it’s responsible for putting government policy into action consistently across the country. Nationally, the Central Government is responsible for enacting new laws and legislation. It’s also responsible for maintaining healthy diplomatic relations.
Service provision
The Central Government provides essential public services, often in conjunction with the relevant government departments. Healthcare is delivered through the National Health Service (NHS), education through the Department of Education (DfE), and law enforcement through the Home Office.
Civil administration
The Civil Service is in charge of the day-to-day government operations. Out of necessity, the service must be politically impartial.
Policy work
The central government develops and implements solutions for local authorities and city councils. The purpose is to address social, economic, and environmental challenges and improve quality of life.
Now you know how Central and Local Government are structured, you can tailor your marketing campaigns accordingly.
Marketing Strategies For Central Government Procurement
The first step is to research your audience. Your strategy for Local Government procurement will differ from your strategy for county councils. The distinction is important because there are …
- 25 counties with local government authorities.
- 192 districts, boroughs, and city councils
- 9000 parish and town councils.
- 10 national parks
- 455 departments (approximately)
You can see why your marketing strategy needs to be specific. In healthcare, for example, your field could be social care or ophthalmology. Narrow it further and you could have live-in dementia care or eye surgery equipment.
Open lines of communication
Early engagement is great for introducing yourself to the local contracting authority and starting a good relationship with decision-makers.
This spreads brand awareness and will stand you in good stead when procurement buyers have a contract ready to go. Because you already have a connection and, hopefully, communicated your expertise you could receive an invitation to tender (ITT) or be added to a supplier pool.
Learn how public sector procurement works
Business-to-government (B2G) marketing is different from private-sector marketing. There are different restrictions and regulations for local governments and other public bodies, as well as different frameworks, routes to market, and supply chain processes.
Marketers must be familiar with all of them to create bespoke marketing plans.
It needn’t be complicated. In-person trade shows and expos, and online summits or conferences are great for meeting junior and senior ministers and department heads.
Find out where your audience hangs out
Nope, not their favourite watering hole. You’re looking for their presence online, for example, on social media. LinkedIn is pretty much the place for professionals, especially LinkedIn Business. Facebook Business is still relatively new but it’s growing.
X (ex-Twitter) also has a dedicated business section. Even TikTok caters to businesses.
If you think that the government doesn’t use social media, you’d be wrong. It’s actually created a Social Media Playbook for X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Flickr, and YouTube and it’s definitely worth a read.
Choose your method
Content marketing is usually favoured in public procurement because it encompasses email marketing, webinars, paid advertising, SEO, and social media.
You can choose to use all of them or just some of them, it depends on your target audience, government department, and your budget.
The content you produce must be high quality, whether that’s well-written website content or a well-developed webinar. It must have value, like insight into your product or service and the benefits to the local authority.
The more high-quality high-value content you produce and the more delivery channels you use, the better your brand awareness and reputation.
Understand The Central Government Framework
A lot of procurement is done through frameworks. They’re generally pretty simple to use, after all, the idea is to facilitate the procurement process, not discourage suppliers and buyers.
Note: Frameworks can vary widely, so you need to fully understand the ones relevant to your procurement strategy. It also helps to be flexible, so you can create a template that’s easy to tweak for each framework opportunity.
Set Yourself Free With Experts In Central Government Marketing
The Central Government’s structure is undeniably complex. We hope that we’ve made it somewhat simpler so you can nail your next tendering opportunity, be it for a county council or devolved government contract.
However, tendering is a full-time process that needs all of your focus to develop contract award-winning proposals. This leaves precious little attention for marketing, especially if you’re an SME.
Set your business free to pursue lucrative contracts by outsourcing your marketing to an experienced B2G marketing agency. Cadence Marketing has decades of experience working with the public and private sectors to facilitate seamless procurement processes.
Book a free consultation to discover how our services can boost your bottom line.
