Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the issuing of a contract to the value of £7 billion for Everything Net Zero by East of England Broadband Network to the Place Group with Government requirements on public procurement; and if he will make a statement.

‘Everything Net Zero’ is a framework, not a contract, which has been put together by the East of England Broadband Network, a regional consortium of local authorities and schools. It has not been put together by central government buyers. The framework is designed to help organisations, such as schools and local councils, find companies with whom they can work on sustainability projects, such as the installation of solar panels on schools.

The quoted £70 billion contract value is an estimate by the East of England Broadband Network of the highest possible maximum turnover the framework could generate over its lifetime. This is not money which has been awarded.