Outcomes for procurement

The Power of Procurement

Our National Performance Framework provides a common purpose, and values, for all of Scotland. Through this, we aim to:

• Create a more successful country.
• Give opportunities to all people living in Scotland.
• Increase the wellbeing of people living in Scotland.
• Create sustainable and inclusive growth.
• Reduce inequalities and give equal importance to economic, environmental and social progress.

Procurement has a key role to play. Whether we are buying goods, works or services, we can use our considerable spending power across the public sector to help improve our:

• Economy
• Society
• Environment

We can do this, by focusing on the outcomes we are delivering through all our procurement-related activities and by using our collective spending power to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

We recognise the social impact of procurement and how we can benefit the communities we serve. We can also provide fairer outcomes for everyone we work with, and protect those who work in our supply chains.

Of course, we also know that economic and environmental benefits, along with innovation, also deliver social impact. They are therefore embedded in what we refer to as our sustainable procurement duty and approaches.

We're building our outcomes based on these values. We want everyone involved to think in the broadest terms when developing their procurement strategies and not exclude any of these vital components.

Our Sustainable Procurement Duty requires us to buy in a way which is:

• Good for business and employees.
• Good for society.
• Good for places and communities.
• Open and connected.

These outcomes, which are supported by our policies and guidance, underpin and enable our work.

These outcomes will help us shape the advice, services and solutions we provide and we have aligned them with our national performance indicators. This will help guide our actions and shape how they may influence local decision making.

Of course it may be that they cannot be deployed equally in all circumstances, however, we should have rational arguments for and against their relative importance in each case. Doing the right thing may not deliver on all the outcomes or indicators sought. That is okay.