Scottish Government procurement strategy: April 2022 to March 2024

6. Contract Profile

Procurement is a key enabler in delivering Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation and contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic growth. We will continue to work together with the public, private and third sectors to deliver maximum value through public procurement activity.

6.1 Projected Procurements

In the next two years, SPPD anticipate starting around 220 procurements worth a total of around £4.2 billion.

Also in the next two years, we expect that:

• over 170 contracts will be awarded for the sole use of the Scottish Government, with an approximate value of £1.6 billion;
• 19 key contracts worth around £22 million will be awarded in relation to the specific services required to support the additional powers devolved to the Scottish Government by the Scotland Act 2016; and
• 33 national collaborative contracts/frameworks will be awarded on behalf of Scottish public sector organisations, with an approximate value of £2.6 billion.

The national contracts and frameworks awarded by our buying teams can be used by Scottish public sector organisations and cover a range of commonly purchased goods, services, utilities and works.

Our website contains more information on our current collaborative agreements.

6.2 Procurement Forecast

A full summary of the regulated procurements commencing in the next financial year can be found in Annex A of our Annual Procurement Report.

The forward plan^[7] of national and central government sector collaborative opportunities can be found online.

Details of our contract awards are available on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

6.3 Projected Savings against Spend FY 2022-2023

6.4 How we will Deliver Value for Money

In delivering the vision set out in the Programme for Government, we are addressing the challenges and emerging issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, EU exit and ongoing budget constraint. It is vital therefore that public sector organisations understand and mitigate risks and continue to think commercially, spend wisely and deliver real value for money. We aim to achieve this by:

• working closely with the people who use the goods, services and works we buy, to help understand their requirements;
• understanding the markets we work in;
• awarding contracts on the basis of fair, open and transparent competition which is in proportion to the contract being tendered and meets our legal obligations; and
• making sure that our contracts are effective and managed efficiently.

In line with procurement legislation and our guidance, contracts are not awarded only on the basis of lowest cost/price. Tenders are evaluated to achieve the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. This ensures the process is more than a “price for price” comparison.