UNISON welcomes government guidance on procurement

UNISON today welcomed new Treasury guidance aimed at putting social issues at the heart of public procurement.

General secretary Dave Prentis urged members to read the document and work to ensure its standards are taken up by public authorities across the country.

"With public spending of £150bn a year, buying in should not mean selling out,": said Mr Prentis. "Our children need school dinners, but making sure that that meal is healthy should be written into the contract.

"Equally, ensuring contractors provide training and pay staff a decent living wage should be a standard clause in the contract." He added that for too long authorities had hidden behind excuses," like they would be breaking EU law if they put people before price.

So we welcome this recognition that social issues are central to the government's agenda and should not be subordinated to market forces." The new guidance, Buy and Make a Difference - how to address social issues in public procurement was launched at the TUC by treasury minister Angela Eagle.

Ms Eagle commented that with a third of public spending going on purchasing goods and services, "it is important that considering social outcomes and achieving value for money fit together.

"We shouldn't forget that the very principle of buying on a value-for-money basis isn't about buying the cheapest, it is about taking account of the whole-life cost and wider factors such as social considerations."

Among the issues that should be taken into consideration when buying in services, as outlined in the document, are the London living wage, recruitment and training, encouraging the participation of the voluntary community sector, and healthier school meals.

Ms Eagle told the TUC that she wanted to know of any councils or other public authoirites that were not applying social issues to procurement. If UNISON members learn of examples, they should contact [email protected].

The guidance itself can be downloaded from the Office of Government Commerce website at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Social_Issues_in_Public_Procurement.pdf

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