Last week, the Government published its National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), setting out the strategic priorities for public procurement. This statement will come into effect on 24 February 2025, alongside the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023 and is intended to outline the government priorities to be achieved through the implementation of the Act.
In addition 2 new PPNs have been published:
- PPN 001: SME and VCSE procurement spend targets – making it a requirement for central government departments to set targets for SME and VCSE spend.
- PPN 002: Taking account of social value in the award of contracts – updates the ‘Social Value Model’ to align it with the NPPS.
There is a strong focus on economic growth and sustainability in the NPPS and it aim is to at lay out the intent and the ambition rather than the detail of how this will be implemented. We are likely to see more in the coming months on how this will be put into practice.
For BIVDA members, some of the priorities that are worth noting:
- Economic Growth and strengthening supply chains by giving SMEs and VCSEs a fair chance at public contracts.
- Working collaboratively across policy, delivery and commercial functions to develop a ‘pro-innovation’ mindset.
- Accelerating Net Zero goals.
- Ensuring suppliers are committed to providing high quality jobs, safe and healthy working conditions, fair pay, opportunity and progression for workers.
