Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Paragraph: 54
SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities.
Conclusion
SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities. There has been some progress since Defra’s 2014 Plan, but it has been slow. The pilot run by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) using the Dynamic Purchasing System showed promising results, including, crucially, that local sourcing can be more cost-effective. We are satisfied that plans had been made to scale up this pilot in the south west of England, with a view to national rollout in the longer term.
Paragraph Reference:
54
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
We welcome the Committee’s endorsement of the Future Food Framework (FFF) and look forward to progressing the pilot. The FFF supports the Government’s commitments on engaging with SMEs and enabling the public sector to buy more local food, and it is therefore an approach that we want to see succeed. Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has conducted a review of the project plan and continues to work on tactical solutions and a longer-term strategy that may positively impact the timelines. Key procurement activities have taken place from late 2020, and current timelines for delivery of the food commercial agreements indicate a fully live capability by the end of 2022. Whilst the final go live date has been delayed slightly beyond the June 2022 date noted during the EFRA hearings, the pilot is an exciting development and we are committed to progressing the platform as quickly as is feasible. Additional CCS resource has been brought onboard in May this year, and we hope this will expedite delivery of the commercial agreements. We will provide a written update to the Committee on the progress of the pilot by the end of December 2021.