Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the transparency data entitled Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, for what reason the UK Export Finance contract for Media Buying Services with Optimum Media Buying Limited requires the supplier to ensure 33% multicultural representation by year 2 in the media advertising; and what the definition used is for multicultural representation.

The contract in question was called off in 2022 from the Crown Services Framework, RM6123 Media Services, which requires suppliers to consider social value policy themes, and to support contracting authorities to deliver priorities relating to delivering a diverse supply chain. That is why a KPI for social value (specifically, promoting diversity, inclusion & social mobility in attraction recruitment) was set at ‘33% multicultural representation by year 2 (media industry avg. 18.7%).

UK Export Finance is currently reprocuring the contract under updated legislation, with revised key performance indicators.

For the purposes of this key performance indicator, the supplier uses self-identification of participants across a range of ethnicities.