Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Procurement

Thursday 8 December 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Procurement Bill aims to enact principles set out in the "Transforming public procurement" Green Paper.
  • The Bill provides an opportunity to rewrite procurement rules in the country, which was not possible while in the European Union.
  • The Procurement Bill moves the procurement paradigm from "most economically advantageous" to "most advantageous" tender, allowing consideration of transparency and social responsibility.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Richard Burgon Lab Leeds East
Business Compliance
Context

The questioner raises concerns about the Government's progress on enshrining public good, value for money, transparency, integrity, fair treatment of suppliers and non-discrimination as principles in law.

Question

What progress have the Government made on enshrining in law the public good, value for money, transparency, integrity, fair treatment of suppliers and non-discrimination as principles of public procurement?

Answer from Alex Burghart

The Procurement Bill, which will be debated on Third Reading in the other place on 13 December, enacts the principles set out in the “Transforming public procurement” Green Paper. Through the combination of objectives set out in clause 12 and specific rules, we will provide clarity to contracting authorities and suppliers about how they should implement the principles.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not specify which aspects of the requested principles are being enshrined or provide details on the implementation process.

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Q2 Richard Burgon Lab Leeds East
Taxation
Context

The questioner criticises the Government for awarding billions of pounds in covid contracts through so-called VIP lanes, leading to unusable equipment. He asks for a clawback clause to prevent future misuse.

Question

Billions of pounds in covid contracts were handed to those with links to top Tories through the so-called VIP lanes, and much of it was for equipment that was simply unusable, yet the Government's new Procurement Bill is so full of loopholes that all this could happen again. To help clamp down on this, will the Minister now back putting a new clawback clause in the Bill?

Answer from Alex Burghart

I very much look forward to debating that Bill when it comes to this place, including with the hon. Gentleman. I remind the House that the Bill gives this country the opportunity to rewrite procurement in this country, which we could not have done while we were in the European Union, making it more advantageous to our public services and our businesses, and better for the public.

Not addressed: The answer avoids addressing the specific request for a clawback clause by discussing broader benefits of the Procurement Bill.

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Q3 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
NHS
Context

The questioner highlights issues with procurement during the pandemic, including unusable personal protective equipment and financial losses to taxpayers. She asks why the Procurement Bill gives more power to Ministers for direct awards.

Question

We have seen in eye-watering detail this week the price the taxpayer pays when the Government lose control of procurement during a crisis and panic: billions spent on unusable personal protective equipment written off; millions spent on storing that PPE; and millions pocketed by greedy shell companies that failed to deliver. The Government have a responsibility to uphold basic standards and, especially in an emergency, to restore normal controls as soon as possible. Can the Minister explain why the Procurement Bill hands Ministers more power over direct awards than ever before?

Answer from Alex Burghart

The Bill sets out a new paradigm for public services to procure in this country. It will move us away from “most economically advantageous” tender to “most advantageous” tender. That means we will be able to take account of things such as transparency, social responsibility and fairness in a way that was not possible under EU legislation.

Not addressed: The answer does not address the specific question about increased ministerial powers for direct awards but discusses broader changes in procurement methodology.

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