12 May 2021 
Ashley Shelbrooke, HEPA and Project Specialist
Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech will have a big impact on higher education; amongst all of the headline announcements perhaps the most interesting for HEPA members is that a new Procurement Bill will be introduced in the next session of Parliament.
This Bill follows on from the transforming public procurement green paper, and is expected to be introduced from September 2021.
The Queen’s Speech is available to read here; public procurement reform is covered in section 4.12:
From 1 January 2021, changes to EU procurement law no longer apply to the UK. So far, the Government has maintained the status quo as far as possible, but leaving the EU presents an opportunity for substantial reform. On 15 December 2020, the Government published a green paper on transforming public procurement. A consultation on proposals closed on 10 March 2021.
Minister of State Lord Agnew has said that the Government will quickly analyse the consultation responses and he is hoping to bring a bill forward from September 2021, depending on when parliamentary time allows.
The proposals in the green paper were aimed at simplifying public procurement, making procurement easier for smaller businesses and streamlining current procedures.
