intelligent

relied on direct awards to ensure that vital supplies , such as life-saving PPE , were bought quickly and to high standards .

The new rules will bring more competition into this process , by encouraging more competitive buying in a quick time frame .

The normal tendering process takes a minimum of 30 days , which is not practical in most emergency circumstances . The bill will allow faster competition processes for emergency buying , reducing the reliance on direct awards while retaining and improving the government ’ s ability to act at pace in situations similar to the COVID pandemic . Clearer requirements on the identification and management of conflicts of interest for those involved in and responsible for procurement are also part of the bill .

Supplier exclusion

“ So , I am delighted that government is strengthening the support for this sector in its proposed reforms . In particular , placing a specific requirement on public sector buyers to ensure a level playing field for small- and medium-sized suppliers by addressing the procurement barriers that these businesses often face in competing for public sector contract opportunities .”

Emergency procurement and transparency

The bill will put in place a new exclusions framework that will make it easier for government to exclude suppliers who have underperformed on other contracts . It will also create a new ‘ debarment register ’, accessible to all public sector organisations , which will list companies who should be excluded from contracts . The bill will also strengthen the government ’ s ability to exclude suppliers from bidding for work if there ’ s evidence of modern slavery in their supply chain , both in the UK or overseas .

The bill shall now be committed to a Public Bill Committee . �

SMES ARE VITAL FOR GROWTH IN OUR ECONOMY AND VIBRANT LOCAL COMMUNITIES .

The bill will make procurement more transparent and effective during times of emergency , for example , a health pandemic , where government needs to act quickly to buy vital goods and services at speed .

During the COVID pandemic , the UK , along with many other countries internationally ,