Question reference: S6W-01949
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 29 July 2021
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Current status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 August 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is beneficial to specify in the tendering process for public procurement contracts or agreements the community benefits that will be expected to be delivered.
Answer
We believe that including relevant and proportionate community benefit requirements in public contracts is beneficial and encourages suppliers to deliver wider social benefits.
While there is room for innovation in the delivery of community benefits, our policy, as stated in the statutory guidance underpinning the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, is that requirements should be robust, relevant and proportionate so that they can be judged on objective and measurable outcomes.
In our recent policy note on measuring social impact in public procurement, we encourage public bodies to engage with communities to understand local priorities so that they can achieve targeted social outcomes through their procurement.