Impact of new public procurement statement on VCSEs

The UK Government’s new National Procurement Policy Statement came into effect in February 2025, and sets out ‘strategic priorities for public procurement and how contracting authorities can support their delivery’. 

 

The new statement encourages contracting authorities to prioritise working flexibly with local organisations and Lloyds Bank Foundation responded to say that ‘it is guidance that relevant contracting authorities should follow’. 

 

They added that: ‘this is good news for small charities because the statement encourages contracting authorities to maximise procurement spend with small and medium sized enterprises and VCSEs. That means local authorities should be looking for ways to make contracts more accessible to small and local organisations’. 

 

Read more on the Lloyds Bank Foundation response here.