The Queen officially reopened parliament on 11th May and with that she gave her 10 minute speech on what she envisions for the year ahead, including a new procurement bill.
In her speech, the Queen laid out that her priority was to deliver a national recovery from the pandemic. Not just in health but across many areas of life. “My government will level up opportunities across all parts of the united kingdom, supporting jobs, business and economic growth” she stated. Investing in and improving infrastructure and transforming connectivity by rail and bus were key parts of this plan. Great news for the construction industry!
The addition of the pledge to create legislation to support a lifetime skills guarantee to enable “flexible access to high quality education and training throughout people’s lives” shows that adding social value to the leveling up plan is a key component. There was a reference to the “lost learning during the pandemic” that children have suffered. Thus making sure that moving forward there is an opportunity for those children to now maximise their potential.
Amongst the 30 laws outlined for ministers to pass this year, was a reform in the government procurement process from the private sector.
Now that the UK has left the EU there is an opportunity to do things differently. This new procurement bill which government hopes to have in action later this year is one way of asserting our individuality.
The Queen alluded to laws that would simplify procurement in the public sector. Together with the promise of more homes than ever to be built this year, it seems there is an opportunity for those in the construction sector to take note of the changing regulations around public procurement. No doubt we will hear more now that responses from the government’s green paper “Transforming Public Procurement’ are in.
How do these goals affect you? Do your social value plans include a greater emphasis on the education of the young? Prioritising the early years is now on the agenda, not just training school leavers. Have you considered how young people may grow up during the life cycle of your project?
Are you across the changes in public procurement that have both occurred and are still to be enacted?
Net zero greenhouse gas emissions and racial and ethnic disparities also featured in the speech. Key points highlighted in the Social Value Model which so recently came into play.
Here at Thrive we are able to help you with your Social Value strategy and make sure you are hitting the goals driven by government.
If you would like to know more, get in touch with us at uk@thrive-platform.com
