Executive Summary

Procurement and commercial capability are key to the successful delivery of Transport Scotland’s business. Transport Scotland’s financial resources are part of the Scottish budget, which is currently set on an annual basis to support the delivery of the National Transport Strategy (NTS2) and the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). Transport Scotland uses its financial resources to create a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, which in turn will help to deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Following the decommissioning of the Public Procurement Priorities, the Scottish Government released the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland in April 2023. The Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland builds on the foundations established by the Public Procurement Priorities, establishing clear strategic objectives that all public bodies can align with and implement effectively.

Transport Scotland’s Corporate Procurement Strategy supports the Scottish Government’s goals for procurement and has been updated to align with the four key objectives which are:

• good for businesses and their employees
• good for places and communities
• good for society
• open and connected

This Corporate Procurement Strategy sets out the strategic direction of Transport Scotland’s procurement activity for 2024-2025. It takes account of legal obligations and ensures the best use of public money, whilst protecting the climate and improving lives, all in the context of the Scottish Government’s Net Zero emissions commitments.

The Scottish Government launched a new Dynamic Purchasing System for supported businesses in September 2023. This helps public bodies to procure goods and services from businesses employing disabled or disadvantaged individuals, which is an initiative that Transport Scotland intends to support in the coming year.

Annex A of this document outlines the initiatives Transport Scotland will undertake in 2024-2025 to ensure its compliance with legislative requirements. Our processes, along with the practical actions we commit to, will ensure that Transport Scotland remains at the forefront of best procurement practice. This Corporate Procurement Strategy is aligned with the Scottish Government’s updated Fair Work First implementation, which is designed to support the public bodies to implement Fair Work First in line with the Sustainable Procurement Tools.

Transport Scotland publishes an Annual Procurement Report on the performance of its regulated procurements, with the most recent published in February 2024.