Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve Government procurement (a) speed, (b) efficiency and (c) capacity.

The Procurement Bill, currently being considered in the House of Lords, aims to make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including SMEs and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts.

The new rules focus more on delivering outcomes and will provide clearer rules overall and more flexibility for officials to use their commercial skills to achieve the desired outcomes.

In addition, the Commercial Playbooks include key policy reforms which help government and industry work better together to deliver quality public services and value for money.