eBook: Procurement Fundamentals

Expert procurement support for the Scottish public sector

Scotland does procurement differently. While the rest of the UK moved to the Procurement Act 2023, Scotland deliberately kept its own legislative framework, and that isn’t just a technical distinction. It reflects a genuine set of priorities around fairness, community benefit and making sure public money works harder for the people it serves.

With £16.6 billion spent annually through Scottish public sector procurement, and £8.9 billion of that directed within Scotland itself, the decisions procurement professionals make every day have a real impact on local businesses, communities and the wider Scottish economy. This free eBook gives you a clear, practical introduction to how procurement works in Scotland, whether you’re new to the profession, moving into a procurement role from elsewhere, or just want a firmer grasp of the rules and responsibilities that come with the job.

In this guide you will learn:

The guide covers everything from the core principles right through to the Scottish-specific legislation and frameworks you’ll be working within. Here’s what’s inside:

• Procurement vs purchasing. You’ll get a clear explanation of what procurement actually is and why it isn’t the same thing as day-to-day purchasing, and why that distinction matters for how your organisation plans and delivers its spending.
• The full procurement cycle. The guide walks through all 13 stages of the CIPS Procurement and Supply Cycle, so you can see how identifying a need, selecting suppliers, awarding contracts and managing performance all fit together in practice.
• Scotland’s regulatory landscape. You’ll get a solid grounding in the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland 2023 to 2028, including how Scotland’s framework differs from what now applies in England and Wales, and what that means for your organisation day-to-day.
• Frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing Systems. The guide explains how both work under Scottish rules, what the differences are between them, and how to use pre-qualified suppliers without running a full tender process every time you need to buy something.
• Skills for procurement professionals. You’ll find a breakdown of the 10 core skills every procurement professional needs, from negotiation and analytical thinking through to ethical sourcing and strategic planning, with a practical way to think about your own development.
• Social value as a legal duty. Under the Procurement Reform Act (Scotland) 2014, public bodies have to consider community benefit, SME participation and wider social and environmental impact before a regulated procurement begins. The guide covers what that looks like in practice, not just in theory.

Start building your procurement knowledge!

Scottish public sector procurement isn’t just about buying goods and services at the right price. It’s a strategic function with a legal framework, national policy ambitions and a responsibility to deliver genuine value for communities across Scotland. This guide gives you the foundations to do that with confidence.

Download your free copy today!