We are pleased to announce that Sam Rowbury, Director of Commercial Policy in the Cabinet Office, has joined the Blavatnik School as an OPEN Visiting Fellow with the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab).  

The OPEN Visiting Fellowship provides policy professionals with the opportunity to explore policy challenges with researchers, to co-convene workshops, and to advise on effective approaches to policy engagement. 

During his fellowship, Sam will be partnered with GO Lab’ Academic Director Eleanor Carter, Research Fellow Felix-Anslem van Lier, and Senior Policy Engagement Officer Jessica Reedy. Their work investigates challenges in coordinating complex public service delivery networks and cross-sector partnerships. A central focus of this work is ‘formal-relational contracting’: an approach that combines clear contractual structures with shared principles and governance arrangements that support trust, learning, and joint problem solving, whilst maintaining public accountability. 

During his fellowship, Sam will bring his experience of government procurement reform to help test how these approaches can be applied in practice, supporting the development of practical tools and frameworks for commissioners.  

Sam said: 

“We are implementing a major reform programme in government to ensure procurement delivers better outcomes. Joining the Government Outcomes Lab as a Visiting Fellow offers a fantastic space to develop my thinking on how we implement these changes effectively, particularly against a backdrop of rapid technological and geopolitical shifts.”