Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the (a) accessibility of the tendering processes for Government and local authority contracts for smaller charities and (b) ability of smaller charities to successfully compete for those contracts.

My Department and all local authorities are required to tender for contracts in ways which comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This includes a duty of fairness and equal treatment of all types of organisations, which includes small charitable organisations. Local authorities are separate contracting authorities under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and as such free to set their own local policies and procedures.

Wherever practical, the Department takes steps to make interested parties aware of our need in advance through advertising on Contracts Finder, the UK Government tendering system, and pre-tender market engagement activities. We will ensure that any limitations on those that can tender are proportionate to the specific tender, including any financial stability assessment.

Contract award criteria will be specific to the tender to make sure that the best blend of quality and price are obtained. These are designed to make sure any type of organisation is able to demonstrate their capability to deliver our requirements.

My department and the Government as a whole is committed to creating diversity of supply for its contracts, recognising the skills and expertise to deliver can come from different organisation types.