21 January 2008
Read the latest press release about this important new facility by John Swinney Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.
The Scottish Government has introduced a new service to give advice on procurement issues for suppliers to the public sector in Scotland.
The Single Point of Enquiry will provide advice on procurement issues and will work with the Scottish public sector to address supplier concerns and improve public procurement practice.
Public sector procurement is worth around £8 billion a year in Scotland. Suppliers can approach the single point of enquiry on a confidential basis at spoeprocurement@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or visit the Scottish Goverment website for more information.
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said: I am determined that procurement reform will deliver results, and this is a positive and welcome step. It will give suppliers, and their business organisations, a new channel to seek advice or register their concerns regarding public procurement practices. This will undoubtedly lead to improvements and better standards in procurement across the public sector.
The new service offers an informal honest broker channel to improve the interface between suppliers and buyers.
Welcoming the new service, CBI Scotlands Director, Iain McMillan, said: This one-stop-shop is a welcome move to strengthen public procurement and the voice of business within it, raising standards across the public sector and ensuring that best practices become common practice throughout.
This ought to benefit public procurers, private sector suppliers, and taxpayers alike.
The size and scope of Scotlands public sector highlights how public procurement is not just an issue about value for money and efficiency in public services, but that it goes right to the heart of the debate about growing our economy.