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Scottish Government Publish Annual Report on Procurement Activity in Scotland

The Scottish Government has published the sixth annual report on procurement activity in Scotland for the 2022 to 2023 financial year, highlighting SDP as a key tool in preparing suppliers to bid for and win public sector contracts. 

This report, published in line with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, shows how Scottish public bodies used their spending power to generate a range of positive economic, social and environmental benefits for individuals and organisations across Scotland. 

Key highlights from the report include:

• In 2022 to 2023, known procurement spend by Scottish public bodies was £16.6 billion, of which £8.9 billion was spent in Scotland.
• £3.3 billion of known spend in Scotland was with suppliers based within the local authority area of the purchasing body.
• The spend supported around £13.7 billion of economic activity, 120,000 full-time equivalent jobs and contributed around £7.5 billion to Scottish GDP.
• According to Public Contracts Scotland data, 18,079 suppliers were awarded contracts in 2022 to 2023.
• Scottish-based suppliers received 72% of these contracts and small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) received 77% of these contracts.
• Third sector organisations received an estimated £1.2 billion of spend in Scotland during the reporting year.

Support from the Supplier Development Programme (SDP)

The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) was recognised in the report as a key contributor to the ‘Good for Business and Their Employees’ and the ‘Open and Connected’ Sustainable Procurement Duty outcomes.

SDP supports the Scottish Government’s Procurement Strategy by helping get Scottish-based SMEs and third sector organisations get ‘tender ready’ for opportunities and to ensure public sector procurement is open and connected to all.

During the 2022 to 2023 reporting period, SDP hosted a wide range of FREE tender training and Meet the Buyer events, which supported 2,308 individuals from 1,276 unique businesses.

Keep an eye on the SDP Event Calendar for upcoming training and events to make the most of SDP’s free support to improve your chances of winning a share of the £16.6 billion public procurement spend.