Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Hammond Excerpts

Thursday 2nd February 2023 Commons Chamber

The Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked—

[Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon) (Con)]

1. What steps his Department is taking to reform public procurement.

[Duncan Baker (North Norfolk) (Con)]

2. What recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential impact of the Procurement Bill on (a) economic growth and (b) innovation.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Alex Burghart)]

The Procurement Bill is being considered in Committee in the House of Commons. The Bill will create a new public procurement regime that will make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including small and medium-sized enterprises and social enterprises, to win public sector contracts. In developing the proposals for the new procurement regime, the Cabinet Office has worked with hundreds of organisations, and economic growth and innovation have been at the forefront of our minds.

[Stephen Hammond]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. He will know that UK major projects have had, at best, a mixed history of both procurement and contract management over a long period. How will this Bill embed external expertise in the procurement process and IT productivity systems in the contract management process?

[Alex Burghart]

My hon. Friend is right to raise that question. The Cabinet Office is producing comprehensive guidance and a programme of training for contracting authorities, with support for sharing best practice. This will complement efforts that the Cabinet Office is already making to support commercial best practice, including through the contract management capability programme and the provision of a suite of playbooks that provide advice on sourcing and contracting.