Negotiating Government
Negotiating Government
Podcast Description
Negotient is the expert adviser in managing negotiations between the public and private sectors; we advise clients in both sectors how to get the best results from their negotiations. This podcast explores the strategies and behind-the-scenes mechanics that shape successful negotiations, and the factors that drive the interests of both sides. Our aim is to help those involved in public sector negotiations understand the challenges they face — and how to overcome them to deliver better results for the public.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast encompasses themes such as public sector negotiations, fiscal policy analysis, and negotiation strategy, with episodes like 'Mapping out the Spending Review' exploring the implications of the Spring Statement on HM Treasury's negotiation approach and topics like the balance between capital and current spending.
Negotiating Government is the podcast about how to negotiate with government, influence public sector decisions, and understand how power, policy and fiscal strategy shape outcomes.
Hosted by former Cabinet Ministers, Treasury officials and senior public sector negotiators, the show provides an insider perspective on how the UK government really makes decisions — and what that means for business leaders, advisers and organisations engaging with Whitehall.
Each episode explores:
- How the UK Budget process works inside HM Treasury
- What the Spending Review reveals about government priorities
- How fiscal rules and the Office for Budget Responsibility shape policy
- Public sector negotiation strategy and government contracts
- Industrial action, strikes and collective bargaining
- Trade deals, regulatory reform and sector-specific tax risk
Whether you are negotiating with the Treasury, responding to a government consultation, managing industrial relations, or operating in a regulated sector, Negotiating Government explains the institutional dynamics and political pressures that determine real-world outcomes.
If you want to understand how to negotiate with government more effectively — and anticipate the forces shaping UK public policy — this podcast provides practical insight grounded in first-hand experience at the highest levels of government.
If you're negotiating with government, you're not just dealing with a department — you're negotiating with the Treasury.
In this episode of the Negotiating Government Podcast, David Gauke (former Chief Secretary to the Treasury) and John Hall (former HM Treasury official) explain how the Treasury shapes every major government decision — even when it’s not in the room.
Drawing on real experience inside Whitehall, they break down how public spending decisions are made, why negotiations with government can feel slow and opaque, and what private sector organisations must do differently to succeed.
You’ll learn how HM Treasury acts as the ultimate gatekeeper of policy, funding, and approval — and why understanding its mindset is critical if you want to influence outcomes.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why you are always negotiating with HM Treasury
- How government spending decisions really get made
- The three tests every proposal must pass: affordability, need, and value for money
- Why negotiations with government feel slow, unpredictable, and unclear
- How different Whitehall departments operate — and why culture matters
- The “hidden stakeholder” problem in government decision-making
- Practical strategies to influence the Treasury indirectly
- Why economic pressure is making government negotiations more difficult
Key Insight:
The person you’re negotiating with isn’t the decision-maker — they’re your route into the decision-making system. Your job is to help them build a case the Treasury will approve.
Who This Episode Is For:
- CEOs and senior leaders working with government
- Policy, public affairs, and regulatory professionals
- Private sector organisations bidding for government work
- Trade bodies and industry groups
- Anyone looking to understand how UK government decisions are really made
About the Podcast
Negotient is the expert adviser in managing negotiations between the public and private sectors; we advise clients in both sectors how to get the best results from their negotiations. This podcast explores the strategies and behind-the-scenes mechanics that shape successful negotiations, and the factors that drive the interests of both sides. Our aim is to help those involved in public sector negotiations understand the challenges they face — and how to overcome them to deliver better results for the public.
Disclaimer
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