The Public Procurement Reform Programme 2006-2016: achievements and impacts

Key Impacts and Achievements

Savings

• Public Procurement Reform has generated total savings across the programme of almost £2bn.
• Collaborative procurement continues to deliver more than £150m in savings per year, over 6% of collaborative spend per year.

Wider Benefits

• A legislative framework for sustainable procurement including a duty on public bodies to consider how they can improve economic, social and environmental wellbeing through procurement activities.
• Increased transparency of contracting opportunities through Public Contracts Scotland from 3,516 adverts in 2009 to 14,785 in 2015.
• Provides Scottish public bodies with an easier route to contracts with supported businesses for goods and services.
• Increased support with simplified and improved access to contracts - through a comprehensive suite of tools, policy support and guidance.
• Since 2008, Community Benefit clauses have increasingly been used in public contracts across the public sector to deliver thousands of targeted training and recruitment opportunities across Scotland.
• Independent research looking at 24 public sector contracts identified community benefits clauses contributed to more than 1,000 people from priority groups employed; 200 apprenticeships; more than 650 accessing work experience; and 6,700 accessing training opportunities.
• Visibility for Scottish SMEs to supply chain and sub-contract opportunities through the Public Contracts Scotland portal.
• Increased support for suppliers through the Supplier Development Programme, providing local businesses with access and advice to winning public sector contracts.

Sector Specific

• Cash savings from Scotland Excel contracts have returned circa £5 for every £1 invested by local authorities in the organisation.
• Community benefits in Scotland Excel contracts have supported 158 apprenticeships, 158 jobs and 54,794 hours of work experience
• 332 national contracts implemented and managed by NHS Scotland Procurement
• Over 47 million domestic and medical products sourced, procured, managed, transacted and delivered for NHSScotland each year.
• Scottish Procurement lets and manages a suite of around 50 collaborative agreements across ICT, Utilities and Corporate and Professional Services. Electricity and Gas are used by over 99% of the public sector
• Since 2008, value for money benefits of £616m have been achieved. Significant sustainability benefits also achieved, spanning social, environmental and economic aspects.
• Across the HE/FE sectors, all institutions now have professional procurement resources in place either locally or through an APUC shared service arrangement, before the Reform Programme, less than half did.
• Collaborative spend has grown from under 10% of recurrent spend to circa 30% overall across the HE/FE sectors.