The Scottish public sector spends more than £14.5 billion a year buying goods, services and works.
We aim to ensure that this significant investment is spent in a way that can deliver the most benefit to society.
Actions
We provide procurement tools, support and guidance:
And we are improving procurement systems and processes by:
- putting in place collaborative contracts and frameworks for the public sector, to maximise efficiency and save money
- being more transparent and improving accountability by publishing contract details, strategies and annual reports, and monitoring performance
- promoting transparency and greater openness through, for example, the use of procurement strategies and annual procurement reports. This includes publishing links to individual annual procurement reports published by public bodies
- sharing useful infographics highlighting key figures from our annual procurement report 2021 to 2022 and procurement activity in Scotland report 2020 to 2021
- taking forward action to improve the procurement of public sector construction projects
- publishing our procurement outcomes (March 2021) which are aligned to the Government’s National Performance Framework, and define what our procurement and supply policies, practices and services should deliver
We are helping to achieve wider social benefits from public procurement through:
- the sustainable procurement duty and associated tools
- the promotion of fair work practices, including the real Living Wage
- promoting the use of community benefit requirements in public contracts
- providing SMEs, supported businesses and the third sector with greater access to public contract opportunities
- producing tools and guidance to help public bodies comply with their procurement-related equality duties
- ensuring that public sector procurement activity contributes to our climate change targets and circular economy strategy
Background
We are responsible for developing public procurement policy and legislation in Scotland, as well as setting up contracts and framework agreements for ourselves and the wider public sector.
There has been a substantial programme of reform to improve public sector procurement, following a 2006 review by John McClelland CBE.
We set out progress in Public Procurement Reform Programme 2006 to 2016: achievements and impact.
Details of work to deliver continuous improvement in procurement in Scotland is captured and measured in workplans, last reviewed in 2019.
Our procurement strategy, refreshed annually, sets out how we plan to carry out our procurements for each financial year.
We published the Public Procurement Strategy in April 2023. This has been developed by a cross-sector work stream made up of procurement professionals, and provides a high-level vision, roadmap and strategic objectives against which public bodies can align to.
Archive
You can view procurement content prior to 2018 on the gov.scot archive.
Bills and legislation
Legislation governs how Scottish public bodies, including the Scottish Government, buy their goods, services and works.
The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 built on the work achieved in the reform of public procurement, providing direction to public bodies and setting out procurement responsibilities and accountabilities.
Contact
- list of procurement contact details
- read our procurement blog
- follow us on Twitter: @ScotProcurement
- Scottish Procurement and Commerical Directorate: privacy notice