Concept

Government procurement in the United Kingdom

Overview

Government procurement in the United Kingdom is the purchase of goods, works (construction) or services by government agencies at the national and local levels. In 2023-24, £341 billion was spent on procurement from the private sector, 32% of public spending.

The Procurement Act 2023, which received royal assent on 26 October 2023, took effect from 24 February 2025 and governs the conduct of government procurement. Before the United Kingdom joined the European Communities in 1973 there was no significant legislation governing public procurement. In the intervening period, government procurement was subject to European Union procurement legislation.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Related ideas

• Gross domestic product
• National Health Service
• Medicine
• Labour Party (UK)
• State-owned enterprise
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Sustainable development
• Cabinet Office
• Value (ethics)
• Decentralization
• Wales
• Art
• Israel

Place in the tradition

Part of Value (ethics).

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