Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide guidance to NHS bodies to encourage more local procurement to support the local economy.

The Social Value Model supports the Government’s ambition to consider broader economic, social, and environmental benefits, not just cost, in procurement. All tenders are required to apply a minimum of 10% weighting to the quality assessment of a supplier’s bid, and this extends to all National Health Service procurements. NHS England has published the NHS Social Value Playbook, a copy of which is attached, to support the consistent and proportionate application of social value to help NHS organisations and suppliers design social value commitments that:

• enable and deliver United Kingdom economic growth, jobs, skills pathways, and workforce wellbeing;
• tackle health inequalities; and
• support the three strategic shifts in the 10‑Year Health Plan.

NHS England is also committed to improving engagement with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and helping to make it easier for them to do business with the NHS. In February 2026, the Department and NHS England published new guidance for NHS bodies, Doing Business with the health sector: a guide for buyers and small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), a copy of which is attached. Co-developed with SMEs through the SME Advisory Group, this provides practical guidance and real-world examples to help the health system engage SMEs more effectively, while enabling SMEs to better navigate and access opportunities within the health sector.

NHS England has committed to meeting SME spend targets as set out in its SME Action Plan, published in March 2026.