Public procurement strategy: business and regulatory impact assessment

Purpose and Intended Effect

Background

There is currently no national strategic approach for Scottish contracting authorities. The solution to this was to explore the rational behind creating a Plan for the Future strategy for public procurement in Scotland. In May 2021, SPPD published the findings of commissioned research conducted by Proxima to support the development of a Plan for the Future.

Among the findings of the research was the following:

"The independent view from Proxima is that Scottish Public Sector Procurement, led by the SPPD and the PPG – and including those Procurement leaders delivering excellence within wider Contracting Authorities, working to a set of strategic objectives over a five-year period, as part of a new National Procurement Strategy, can move Procurement within Scotland from 'good to great' and from 'best in class to truly world class'.

This National Procurement Strategy should be designed at the outset to achieve and maintain the 'culture of cohesive collaboration' as described by the Minister for Trade, Innovation and Public Finance, through continuing to foster and deliver procurement excellence at the local level and through working proactively with suppliers and the supply chain throughout Scotland."

Objective

The Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland is intended to give rise to an ever more capable and cohesive public procurement community, increasing the public sector's capacity to deliver for the people and communities of Scotland. The Strategy will set the strategic direction for the procurement leadership of public bodies and will support public bodies in drafting their organisational procurement strategies and facilitate greater alignment and efficiencies across the public sector.

The intention behind developing the strategy is to supply a future high-level vision and roadmap for Scottish public procurement in the longer term which all public sector bodies can align and deliver against.

Rationale for Government intervention

The Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland will contribute to the following National Outcomes:

• Economy
• Communities
• Environment
• Fair Work & Business
• Education
• Health
• Poverty

The Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland seeks to embed policies and initiatives which will underpin, support and enable the delivery of the National Outcomes. With a strong change agenda and wide engagement activity, Procurement Professionals, suppliers, and other stakeholders will be aware of the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland to allow alignment of activity collectively towards the aims of the National Outcomes.