Government Procurement Contracts Account for About £90Bn of Taxpayers' Money Each Year

Ministers will scrap the requirement for companies to prove their green and progressive values before winning government contracts, instead asking firms to show they will help young people back into work. Public sector buyers will double the consideration given to job creation over social and environmental wellbeing, as part of a push to cut the number of Neets in the UK and boost regional growth. Government procurement contracts account for about £90bn of taxpayers' money each year.

Louise Haigh, the first secretary of state, said the move would help small businesses locked out of contracts by requirements big firms know how to get around. "Every pound of taxpayer money should be spent in a way that benefits local communities – creating good jobs and giving young people the skills they need for the future, said Haigh. "For too long, securing government contracts has been a tick-box exercise that fails to deliver the positive change that people feel in their pocket and see in the places they live.