I'm Sam Parker, Client Partner at Valtech, one of this year's conference sponsors. We help organisations tackle complex transformation challenges by bringing together technology, data and human expertise.

Central Gov Partnership Network (CGPN) is wrapping up and some quick notes from my POV.

The recurring themes were striking. Encouraging in some respects, but also a reminder that many of the challenges facing government transformation haven't fundamentally changed.

Technology is rarely the biggest barrier to transformation. People, skills and legacy constraints are.

Four themes came up repeatedly throughout the event:

• People: One of my favourite sessions focused on the No. 10 Downing Street Innovation Fellowship and its mission to *embed technical talent* into government's most complex challenges. As Eoin Mulgrew observed, moving AI from concept to practical impact requires the right expertise at the heart of delivery. The message was clear: transformation is ultimately a people challenge.

• Skills: Several discussions highlighted a shortage of programme and transformation leaders. Technology is easy to acquire; delivery expertise is not. Without investing in the next generation of leaders, organisations risk having ambition without the capability to deliver it

• Legacy: Legacy technology continues to dominate the conversation. These estates are far more than an IT problem. They consume budgets, increase operational risk and make innovation harder than it needs to be. At the same time, government's collective buying power is enormous, yet departments often continue to tackle the same challenges independently. Collaboration remains the exception rather than the norm.

• Urgency: One comment particularly resonated: "Don't waste a crisis." We still heard references to the COVID years, when urgency accelerated change at pace. Today, that same urgency often feels absent. The organisations that succeed won't be those with the newest technology, but those with the capability, culture and confidence to turn it into measurable outcomes.

The conversations at CGPN reinforced something important: The challenges are well understood. The opportunity now is turning that understanding into sustained action.

We still heard references to the COVID years, when urgency accelerated change at pace. Today, that same urgency often feels absent. The organisations that succeed won't be those with the newest technology, but those with the capability, culture and confidence to turn it into measurable outcomes.

The CGPN 1:1 meetings reinforced this throughout the event. Conversations quickly moved beyond products and platforms to the questions that really matter:

• How do we build capability?

• How do we modernise safely?

• How do we collaborate more effectively?

• How do we deliver value faster?

Great discussions and plenty of food for thought. CGPN reinforced that the challenges are well understood. The opportunity now is turning that understanding into sustained action.