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New Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN) - Coronavirus (COVID-19): recovery and transition from COVID-19

The Scottish Government has issued a new Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN) regarding recovery and transition from Coronavirus (COVID-19). This policy note is supplementary to and extends SPPN 5/2020 – supplier relief and comes into effect on 1 July 2020. The SPPN sets out guidance for public bodies on reviewing contract portfolios and implementing transition plans as soon as possible with a view to restarting contracts, where possible to do so, in line with the opening up of markets and the Scottish Government’s Routemap through and out of lockdown.

Key points

  • As markets begin to open and it becomes safe to return to workplaces, public bodies and suppliers can now plan their transition to restart contracts.
  • Supplier relief and supporting a transition to restart will continue to be important aspects of our wider economic response package.
  • This SPPN is supplementary to the guidance contained in SPPN 5/2020 and its associated FAQ document, which has been extended beyond its initial expiry date of 30 June 2020.
  • This SPPN, like SPPN 5/2020, applies to goods, services and works contracts.

Other points of note

Public bodies should take steps now to review their contract portfolio (see annex A), taking into account strategic and reprioritisation needs. This should be done by working in partnership with suppliers to consider whether relief measures already in place remain sustainable and are reflective of any transitional support that may be needed in preparation for restarting the contract in full. Supplier relief measures may still continue to be appropriate and should be balanced, on a contract by contract basis, against other support arrangements that are available.

SPPN 8/2020 can be read in full on the Scottish Government website.

SDP Scotland

The Supplier Development Programme has issued previous communications regarding SPPN 5/2020 which can be viewed on the SDP Scotland website.

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