The UK Government’s Green Paper For Transforming Public Procurement

The UK Government has found itself under intense criticism and scrutiny for the way it has handled PPE and medical equipment procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic and a new Green Paper is seeking to completely overhaul the processes which underly public procurement.

Many times, during the pandemic there have been reports accusing the UK government of awarding contracts, without tender, for vital equipment to companies which appear to have had no experience in producing such products and have failed to meet deadlines and quality specifications. This has apparently lead to millions of pounds of public money being wasted and accusations of cronyism and corruption being levelled at the highest levels of government.

A new Green Paper released by the government seeks to address these accusations and lay out a new and more transparent way of handling public procurement in the future. The UK government states that its goal is to speed up and simplify the procurement process, while creating opportunities for small businesses, charities, and social enterprises, and value for money for the UK taxpayer.

The Unite Union, while largely welcoming the broad strokes of the Green Paper, has criticised the vague terminology used, among many other elements of the proposal.