Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) transparency, (b) impartiality and (c) equality of the public procurement process for government contracts.

The Government has recently implemented the Procurement Act 2023 which has introduced significantly enhanced transparency throughout the commercial lifecycle. Alongside this, a new Central Digital Platform has been rolled out and captures this data in the public domain- from publishing tender notices to contractual key performance indicators. Other measures introduced include requiring conflicts of interest assessments to ensure impartiality and equal treatment obligations that require suppliers participating in the procurement to be treated the same. A new Procurement Review Unit will additionally provide oversight for the regime and ensure it is functioning well. The Government is considering new legislation and has launched a consultation that is currently seeking views.