Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps her Department is taking to monitor public sector compliance with strategic supply chain criteria under the Procurement Act.

Contracting authorities must have regard to the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which was published in February 2025. This sets out the strategic priorities for public procurement and how contracting authorities can support their delivery. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-procurement-policy-statement.

The NPPS includes a priority that “Contracting authorities should drive economic growth and strengthen supply chains by giving SMEs and VCSEs a fair chance at public contracts, creating high quality jobs and championing innovation.”

In March 2026, Government departments published 3-year direct spending targets for small and medium-sized enterprises, projected to deliver over £7.4 billion a year to small businesses by 2028. Departments are required to publish progress against targets annually.