Christopher Brennan
Legal Director
Article
5
The existing public procurement regime is under reform. The reforms proposed in the Procurement Bill aim to, amongst other things, help mainstream innovation, improve the quality and efficiency of public services, and increase the number of small businesses (SMEs) as suppliers to government. The Procurement Bill is currently progressing through Parliament[1].
Before it was submitted for Report Stage in the House of Commons, the Government made several amendments to the Procurement Bill aimed at strengthening national security to the proposed Bill.
By:
In addition to these two new measures in the Procurement Bill, the Government has also committed to publishing a timeline for the removal of relevant surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to China's National Intelligence Law from sensitive central government sites. This builds on action taken last year to halt the installation of new equipment on the Government estate, and will provide the necessary reassurance that departments are removing surveillance equipment from sensitive sites.
If you are a supplier to government, the introduction of the new context-specific mandatory debarments on the grounds of national security may have significant implications for your organisation. It could not only impact your organisation's ability to win new work, but it could also affect your existing contracts. Consider:
For contracting authorities, consider:
The detail of how this will play out is not yet known, and more questions will undoubtedly arise once that clarity transpires and these measures are put into practice.
If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this article, or the Procurement Bill in more detail, contact our public procurement team.
For more insight you can also sign up to essential updates from our Public Sector team, and read all of our latest public procurement updates.
Footnote
[1] View the latest timetable and updates
[2] Commons Amendment 100, Regulation 34A(1) (National Security), Schedule 6
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