Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on considering political neutrality when awarding government contracts.

The Procurement Act 2023 requires contracting authorities to act, and to be seen to act, with integrity, and has introduced new requirements to identify and review any potential conflicts of interest in relation to a procurement.

Contracting Authorities must now prepare a conflict of interest assessment at key points in the procurement, including details of any actual or potential conflicts of interest and any steps they have taken to mitigate them.