Public participation dynamic purchasing system (DPS): equality impact assessment

Background

The DPS will function to enable the engagement of a representative cross section of the Scottish population, but will have a specific focus on better enabling the participation of those furthest from decision-making and seldom heard in government policy and decision-making.

This encompasses individuals with certain protected characteristics, identities and/or experiences that impact their access to decision making power. This impacts a broad range of individuals, including people living with disabilities, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, from areas of high multiple deprivation, Gypsy/Travellers, migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, those who are care experienced, those who identify as members of the LGBTQI+ community, girls and young women.

It also refers to under-represented individuals who are less likely to be heard by professionals and decision-makers. These groups or individuals may need to be treated with particular sensitivity and may be marginalised or dispersed. Seldom Heard groups can include mobile populations, vulnerable groups, those receiving end of life care, carers, and those who are care experienced.

The establishment of the DPS follows a period of increasing public, stakeholder, media and parliamentary interest in, and scrutiny and criticism of, public participation being undertaken by Scottish Government. There is a clear indication from each of these interest groups that there could be improvement in the way Scottish Government involves people in its work and decisions that affect them.

In line with a commitment to improving Scottish Government’s engagement with the public, evidence from this scrutiny demonstrated a need for a more coordinated and consistent approach to public participation. This would help to avoid duplication, and to improve standards of practice to enhance the experience of participants and their influence. In particular, the experiences of marginalised groups who are often furthest from decision making were frequently noted.

Scottish Government’s Participation Handbook and the Scottish Approach to Service Design outline that people should be active and equal partners in a process; that the public have the assets, strengths and skills to bring a real-life understanding to complex issues, and have the potential to make outcomes more efficient, effective and responsive.

In addition, the Institutionalising Participative and Deliberative Democracy (IPDD) working group advised in their recommendations to the Scottish Government that a robust framework was needed in Scotland to meaningfully embed this approach. In the response to the IPDD working group, Scottish Government outlined that a procurement tool would be considered a key route to support the establishment of this framework. A procurement mechanism would also act as a tangible way to enact the IPDD principles, values and standards for good public participation.