Question reference: S6W-11316
- Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 5 October 2022
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Current status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 October 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to introduce a statutory obligation on Scottish public sector bodies to procure, where possible, from Scottish manufacturers and suppliers.
Answer
The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 places a Sustainable Procurement Duty on public bodies to consider how procurement processes can improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of their area, and facilitate the involvement of SMEs, third sector bodies and supported businesses. This might, for example, mean designing a tender in such a way as to ensure that there are no unnecessary barriers to local firms bidding.
The World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement, and other international agreements, require bidders from other countries party to those agreements to be afforded equal treatment in covered procurement exercises. It would not therefore be possible to oblige public bodies to procure from Scottish manufacturers and suppliers.