BetterForUs

11 September 2025 – Welsh Government consultation

Welsh Government consultation: draft Workforce Code The Welsh Government is asking for views on a new Workforce Code for outsourced public services in Wales. The Code is required under the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023 and would replace the 2014 guidance. The draft Code sets out how staff should be treated when […]

11 September 2025- Public good procurement – time to be bold

Every year government spends over £341 billion on public procurement. That money doesn’t just buy services – it pays the wages of care workers, cleaners, housing staff and others who keep communities running. Because of its scale, procurement can either reinforce inequality – through low pay, insecure contracts and the dominance of large firms – […]

26 June 2025 – Government consults on further procurement changes

The Government has issued a further consultation on procurement and is promising changes in procurement law when time allows. Most of the proposed changes have been anticipated but there ae some interesting proposals including a relaxation of competition law in relation to services for vulnerable people. The key proposals are requiring large contracting authorities to […]

17 May 2025 – Authorities ignoring powerful procurement tool to address inequality

It is now nearly 3 months since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force. The jury is out whether the Act will bring about significant change and encourage new entrants into public procurement enabling a mixed economy and more social innovation as advocated by the current Minister, Georgina Gould. Research carried out by Aspire’s BetterforUs […]

24 February 2025 – Procurement Act comes into force

Today, the Procurement Act 2023 comes into force. Public procurement has a powerful role to play in building economies that work with and for people, rather than against them. The question is whether the Procurement Act 2023 will be – a game changer and make a difference to local communities – or a name changer […]

13 February 2025 – Social Value Procurement Note

Alongside the National Statement, the Cabinet Office has issued a further Public Procurement Note (PPN) on social value. Copies of the PPN are available here – other public authorities may introduce such requirements. All social value commitments will now need to be incorporated into contracts. The government has issued guidance on the Social Value Model […]

13 February 2025 – New Public Procurement Note

Alongside the National Statement, the Cabinet Office has issued a new Public Procurement Note (PPN) which requires all central government departments to set targets for SME spend and VCSE spend. Copies of the PPN are available here – other public authorities may introduce such requirements. Under the Procurement Act 2023 there are powers for authorities […]

13 February 2025 – New National Procurement Statement – initial media response

Aspire Community Works and its Better For Us campaign welcome the Government’s newly published National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) as a big step forwards to ensuring that public contracts deliver genuine public value by ensuring decent working conditions and building a more diverse market. From February 24th, all contracting authorities will be required to put […]

31 October 2024 – A budget that leaves no-one behind?

Leaving no-one behind If those of us who support a well-being approach to the economy were looking for some favourite buzz words in the budget, we were to be sorely disappointed – no mentions of inequality, social enterprise, equality, and only two specific mentions of poverty. Yet, this was a budget bigger than was to […]

29 October 2024 – Our response to the National Procurement Policy Survey

Imagine a world where every public pound spent on procurement works to benefit our communities, reduce inequality, and drive real social impact. That’s exactly the vision Aspire has shared in response to the UK government’s National Procurement Policy Survey. Our perspective? Public procurement isn’t just a government formality, it could be a powerful lever to […]

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