Projects: raising skills through public procurement

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New guidance issued

2009

The Government has a key part to play in ensuring the development of skills and unlocking the talents of the workforce.

Public procurement – worth around £175 billion a year – provides a chance to drive investment in skills and training and ensure that public authorities can maximise value for money through a highly skilled workforce delivering key public services.

Through a Joint Statement the Government has already committed to address the basic literacy and numeracy skills needs of service providers' employees. The Government has also said that whenever departments or agencies let construction contracts, they will look to include a requirement that the successful contractor has apprentices as a proportion of the workforce.

The Government also signalled its intention to develop similar commitments in other key sectors and Asset Skills has been working with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) on taking this forward in the sectors we represent.

In order to help public procurers make a reality of these commitments, DIUS and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) published new guidance on 17 April 2009 on how to embed skills and training in procurements.

The guidance document, 'Promoting skills through public procurement' can be accessed through a new government "toolkit" by clicking here.

Information on the Train to Gain service and Apprenticeships programme is also provided to help suppliers understand what skills and training support is available.

We will be developing further support over the coming weeks and months, so please look out for further additions including detailed case studies and examples. If you have any queries relating to DIUS' work on embedding skills in public procurement, please email publicprocurement@dius.gsi.gov.uk 

For advice and guidance on procurement policy and the EU procurement rules, please contact the OGC Service Desk on 0845 0004999 or email servicedesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk