Thank you for contacting me about Government procurement.
I can assure you that the Government is committed to ensuring that there is greater transparency in government procurement. All new contracts and tender documents for contracts worth over £12,000 are published online on the Contracts Finder website. Items of government spending over £30,000 are also published online and are accessible at the following address: https://data.gov.uk
I can also assure you that the contracts given to companies throughout the pandemic have been awarded fairly and in full compliance with the law. Regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 allows contracts to be awarded directly without prior notification. Information on contracts awarded during the coronavirus outbreak is being published on the Contracts Finder website as time allows and in line with government transparency guidelines.
My Ministerial colleagues are committed to creating a public procurement system that is simpler, more open and competitive, that will work for British business and make it easier for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises to win public sector contracts. The Procurement Bill, which will deliver this, is currently at Report Stage in the House of Commons and will replace the current bureaucratic and process-driven EU regime for public procurement.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.