UK Overhauls £90 Billion Contracts, Doubling Job-Creation Weighting to 20%
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Contracts, Doubling Job-Creation Weighting to 20%
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 5
Summary
Contracts worth £5 million or more will now give 20% weighting to job creation—up from 10% for broader social value—as the government rewrites procurement rules to steer more public spending into employment.
The £90 billion overhaul shifts bidding criteria away from green, equality and other social targets toward local hiring, training and 45-day work placements for young people, with extra credit for jobs above the minimum wage.
Ministers said the changes are aimed at tackling youth unemployment and local skills shortages, with more than 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds currently not in education, employment or training.
British and international bidders will both face the new rules, while Greenpeace warned that helping young people into work should not come at the expense of environmental targets.