Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase opportunities for small businesses across the UK to bid for Government contracts.

The UK spends a huge sum on public procurement each year. Now that we have left the EU transition period, we aim to make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for SMEs and social enterprises to bid for government contracts, building on work that my Rt Hon Friend pursued at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy including to support SMEs in our wider economy.

Further details of our approach are set out in our Procurement Green Paper.

We have already introduced a policy which will allow below threshold contracts to be reserved for smaller UK suppliers.

In addition, our new approach to social value will secure wider public benefit, by allowing us to contract with firms that deliver more apprenticeships, local growth opportunities and environmental benefits.