Procurement Supply Group minutes: May 2025

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government

• Nick Ford (NF), Meeting Chair, Director, Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate (SPPD)
• Nikki Archer (NA), Deputy Director, Head of Procurement and Commercial Policy and Strategy
• Calum Elliot (CE), Deputy Director, National Collaborative Procurement and Innovation
• Denis McFadden (DM), Deputy Director, Procurement Services Division
• Rachael Hughes (RH), Communications and Strategic Engagement Team Leader
• Lynsey Boyle (LB), Strategic Engagement Manager
• Ruari Watt (RW), Secretariat, Strategic Engagement Officer
• Lisa Goldie (LG), Presenter, Head of Construction Procurement Policy
• Colin Bell (CB), Presenter, Senior Procurement Manager
• Nicola Fobister (NFR), Presenter, Head of eCommerce and Procurement Best Practice
• Elizabeth Robertson (ER), Presenter, Head of Services Trade Policy
• Alasdair Hamilton (AH), Presenter, Procurement Policy Portfolio Manager

Partner organisations 

• James Finnie (JF), Community Enterprise in Scotland
• Gillian Cameron (GC), Supplier Development Programme
• Peter Campbell (PC), Business Services Association
• Stuart Parker (SP), Morgan Sindall
• Karen Meechan (KM), Scotland IS
• Jamie Lawson for Janice Nicol (JL), Social Enterprise Scotland
• Peter Hourston for Gareth Williams (PH), Prosper
• Kevin Stewart for Jonathan Guthrie (KS), Robertson Group
• Dr Sophie Brett (SB), Prosper

Items and actions

Welcome

NF (chair) welcomed the group and shared and summarised two reports that have been published since the last Procurement Supply Group (PSG) meeting in February 2025:

• the Scottish Government annual procurement report (2022-2023) published April 2025 which highlights how procurement impacts economic growth and effects the public service reform objectives
• a set of key performance indicators that will help us measure progress against the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland’s vision

Construction Procurement Policy Unit

LG outlined her presentation highlighting key areas including the client guide, frameworks and construction accord.

• procurement in the construction sector is complex, but we provide a client guide to construction projects. The client guide serves as a manual to improve consistency and support the process. These guides are currently being reviewed to enhance accessibility and user-friendliness, with feedback being gathered this year
• SP raised the need for a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the client guide, which is planned once an accessible platform is ready
• CB highlighted challenges in sharing information with local authorities, emphasising the importance of effective communication
• collaboration has been key to shaping terms and conditions, with mini competitions prioritising quality over price to promote best business practices and prevent undercutting. The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) currently includes 27 suppliers, 20 of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• work is underway on a new delivery model for social infrastructure projects, such as schools and health centres, aimed at supporting community wellbeing. Engagement with Scottish Government portfolio leads is ongoing to align opportunities before broader consultation
• work so far has defined the model’s goals, success criteria, relevant public bodies, and types of work involved. The Scottish Construction Leadership Forum has led the development of the Construction Accord, which promotes key principles such as fair work, net zero, diversity, and inclusion
• priority areas include reforming procurement practices, improving supply chain management, and boosting adoption of modern construction methods and digital technologies, especially among SMEs. To achieve this, the Accord has established collaborative working groups
• additionally, the graduate pricing mechanism—a new approach for scoring prices in construction procurement—is being promoted through subgroups, as outlined in Construction Policy Note (CPN) 3/2024

Actions:

• LG to explore opportunities such as hosting a webinar to promote the client guide and tools available
• LB to meet with LG to explore additional presentation for the Heads of Procurement
• LB to consider ways to promote the client guide via Scottish Government channels X, LinkedIn and Blogs

eProcurement - systems roadmap - PCS/PCS-T

• NFR (presenter) gave an update and progress report on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and Public Contracts Scotland Tender (PCS-T) with the aim to provide both on one platform

• both current systems have been adapted over time to meet our needs, with healthy usage and potential for growth through a new platform. The upgrade aims to ensure legal compliance, reduce duplication, and improve accuracy

• extensive market research showed no provider offers a system identical to PCS. Demos with suppliers have been useful, though configuration will be required regardless of choice. Ongoing supplier engagement will support continuous improvement

• JF emphasised the importance of data transparency and invited PSG members to provide feedback. NFR acknowledged existing data gaps and committed to exploring improvements

Actions:

• NFR to share opportunities to contribute to upcoming focus sessions via Strategic Engagement colleagues

Trade policy overview

• ER outlined four connected strategies, focusing on the Vision for Trade and Trading Nation. The Vision for Trade is built on five principles: inclusive growth, wellbeing, sustainability, net zero, and good governance

• the 2019 Trading Nation strategy guides targeted, adaptable trade support and is regularly reviewed. Efforts are underway to expand the Global Scots network from 600 to 2000 members
• service trade measurement is challenging; data from 2021 shows the EU as the largest export market, with the USA as the top individual country. While tariff barriers are well-known, many trade barriers are non-tariff barriers especially for trade in services
• the Digital Market Access Service tracks over 2000 trade barriers, which often take years to resolve. The Scottish Services Trade Forum offers a platform to raise such issues
• AH discussed Free Trade Agreement components, noting complexities in market access schedules and rules of engagement due to differing government structures. Our procurement agreements provide broad global exposure, though terms vary by reciprocity
• while spend data is available, SG would always welcome more insight and intelligence from Scottish suppliers on how they aim to trade internationally, and their experience of so doing in relation to public contracts

Any other business 

• no other business was raised
• the next meeting will take place on the 26 August 2025