Making Procurement Work for All

Public sector organisations around the UK are asking how they can use their powers of procurement to drive better work in their area. There are opportunities to promote good work by linking the awarding of contracts to suppliers who demonstrate good work practices - like paying the living wage, offering fair contracts, and providing opportunities for training. However, there are a range of practical, technical, legal and behavioural barriers to overcome for the power of good work procurement to be fully realised. This new research, carried out for the Trust by Durham University, explores these barriers and how they can be overcome in consultation with senior procurement stakeholders in the North East of England, with the aim of developing a good work procurement strategy in the region.