Procurement activity: annual report 2019 to 2020

2. Highlights

Overview of procurement activity

5,043

5,043 regulated contracts were awarded (compared with 4,289 last year).

Good for the economy

£11.8bn

The £13.3 billion of procurement spend supported around

£11.8 billion of economic activity and around 120,000 full-time equivalent jobs and contributed around £6.5 billion to Scottish GDP.

Good for society

81%

81% of public bodies provided evidence in their report of the ways in which they had carried out their procurement activity with regard to equal treatment, while 77% did so in relation to non-discrimination (compared with 50% and 44% last year).

£13.3bn

Total Scottish public sector procurement spend (in Scotland and elsewhere) reached £13.3 billion. In Scotland alone, total spend was £7.4 billion (compared with £6.9 billion last year).

67%

67% of public bodies provided evidence in their annual procurement reports that their regulated procurements have been carried out with regard to environmental wellbeing and climate change (compared with 63% last year).

£5.4bn

Total Scottish public body procurement spend with SMEs (regardless of location) was £5.4 billion. This amounts to 46.2% of all spend.

Good for businesses and their employees

25,611

The £7.4 billion of Scottish public body procurement spend in Scotland was spent with 25,611 suppliers, with many more businesses benefiting within our supply chains.

Good for places and communities

£3.8bn

A combined £3.8 billion

(or 52.8% of spend in Scotland) was spent with suppliers based in the 60% most disadvantaged areas in Scotland (compared with £3.6 billion last year).

58 pence

58 pence in every pound spent with suppliers in Scotland went to an SME.

188

Of the 46 public bodies that reported awarding at least one contract valued at or above the £4 million threshold, 188 regulated contracts were awarded with community benefit requirements. This equates to 79% of all contracts of this value awarded by public bodies (compared with 78% last year).

£808.3m

£808.3 million of Scottish public bodies’ procurement spend in Scotland was with suppliers which were also registered charities.

Open and connected

79%

79% of public bodies provided evidence in their reports that they had carried out their procurements in a transparent manner (compared with 75% last year).