Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Existing procurement data is incomplete, hindering effective analysis and comparison by government.
Recommendation
We asked the CCS why the existing procurement information does not seem to be used effectively to improve procurement or analyse competition in the marketplace.14 CCS told us that there is some information in the databases, but the information is not necessarily as full as it should be. The CCS commented that using the current data to compare and contrast is not necessarily the right thing to do. The CCS said that going forward, more information will be available to it.15 The GCF told us that government uses the data to track key performance indicators, in terms of whether these contracts are delivering and looks at the number of government vendors that collapse.16
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation, stating that new legal requirements under the Procurement Act will mandate data upload to a central digital platform by Spring 2025, with secondary legislation laid in Spring 2024 and supporting guidance to follow, which will enable better use of procurement data.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2025 1.2 Much of the requested data will now be required as standard as part of the Procurement Act. Contracting authorities will have clear legal requirements to upload information on procurements to the central digital platform within certain timescales, this includes publishing contract award notices for above threshold contracts (those generally above £213,000), contract details for contracts over £5 million, Key Performance Indicators for contracts over £5 million. This list is not exhaustive and will be achieved via the submission of notices within the system - simply put, if a contract authority does not upload a particular notice, it will be in breach of statutory requirements in a way that is not the case now. The requirements for notices will be set out via secondary legislation, expected to be laid in Spring 2024. The Cabinet Office will publish a range of guidance notes and provide learning and development materials setting out these requirements.