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Small Businesses: Procurement

Answer

This Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses, especially SMEs.

We are starting to see more opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs as the Procurement Act 2023 is implemented and embedded across the public sector. Initial trends show that the proportion of PA23 tender lots with a planning, tender, transparency or dynamic markets notice tagged as suitable for SMEs has increased to around two thirds of all requirements.

To continue to build on this positive trend, this Government has also published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).

We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.

We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

115151

Session

2024-26

Transferred

Yes

Subjects

Public sector Procurement Small businesses

Legislation

Procurement Act 2023

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk