Public Procurement and Property

SPPN 3/2026: Grounds for exclusion relating to human rights and grave professional misconduct

February 5, 2026 by Scottish Procurement No Comments | Category Procurement news, Scottish Procurement

We have published a new Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN) providing guidance for public bodies on the options available for dealing with bidders that may be involved in activities which constitute grave professional misconduct.

Grave professional misconduct can include: the exploitation of assets in illegal settlements; not respecting human rights; and acting in a manner through action, inaction or through business relationships, which may have an adverse impact on, or infringement of, human rights.

A company’s exploitation of assets in illegal settlements (irrespective of where that company is registered) would likely be regarded as constituting “grave professional misconduct” for the purposes of procurement law.

This policy note forms a part of the wider guidance available to public bodies on such matters, including SPPN 3/2020: Reducing the risk of human trafficking and exploitation in the performance of public contracts, SPPN 1/2022: Russian and Belarusian companies, statutory guidance and our Sustainable Procurement Tools.

For further information on public procurement in Scotland please visit www.gov.scot/procurement

Please email enquiries to scottishprocurement@gov.scot

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Tags: SPPN

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