Public Procurement and Property

Updated guidance to support the use of Community Benefits in Procurement

July 30, 2026 by Scottish Procurement No Comments | Category Procurement news, Scottish Procurement

Scotland has a long history of using public procurement to achieve jobs, skills and training. To reflect this, with the help of colleagues from across the public sector, we have undertaken a major update of our Community Benefits in Procurement Guidance to ensure that organisations are supported to keep achieving these benefits.

What the guidance includes:

• clear practical guidance aligned to the Procurement Journey
• an improved, easy-to-navigate structure
• new flowcharts to support decision-making
• example wording and key performance indicators for procurement documents

What people are saying

We’re already receiving positive feedback:

“The updated guidance is welcomed. It brings greater clarity, consistency, and practicality to embedding Community Benefits in procurement. By aligning policy intent with practical application, it will help us and other contracting authorities create opportunities relevant to priorities including employment, supporting Fair Work, climate action and delivering tangible outcomes for communities across Scotland.” – Margaret Riddell – Senior Procurement and Commercial Manager, Social Security Scotland

“We welcome the publication of this refreshed guidance, which provides public bodies with clearer direction, new decision-making flowcharts, and example wording to support the consistent and proportionate use of community benefits in procurement. This will help maximise the wider social, economic and environmental value delivered through public contracts, creating opportunities for people and communities across Scotland.” –  Julie Gordon, Senior Portfolio Manager, Scottish Government Procurement Services Division

Stakeholder feedback summary

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the draft Community Benefits guidance and provided feedback. It has made a significant contribution to ensuring the updated guidance is practical and relevant. Key themes and actions are summarised below.

‘You said, we did’

Guidance reflects current procurement policy and practice

• content has been updated throughout to align with the latest legislation, policy developments and evolving procurement practices

Clearer guidance on requirements and expectations

• wording has been simplified and expanded to improve clarity and consistency – a new procurement flowchart helps buyers easily identify when and how Community Benefits should be considered and applied

More practical examples to support implementation

• additional and refreshed examples, case studies and practical guidance have been added to illustrate good practice and to demonstrate the relevance of community benefits across services, digital and technology contracts and all sectors

Improved structure and easier navigation

• the document structure, headings and signposting have been reviewed and refined to make the guidance more intuitive, accessible and user-friendly

Stronger guidance on monitoring and reporting outcomes

• sections on measurement, monitoring and reporting Community Benefits have been enhanced to support effective management throughout the contract lifecycle

More consistent terminology and clearer definitions

• terminology has been standardised and definitions updated where needed, supported by a new glossary of terms for quick reference

Streamlined content for better readability

• content has been refined to remove unnecessary detail, improving flow while retaining essential information – cross-references to the Procurement Journey have been strengthened to reduce duplication

Ongoing support         

The Sustainable Procurement Tools platform continues to evolve, with regular updates and new resources being added such as the updated Climate Change Adaptation Guidance, or the refreshed Circular Procurement and Supply eLearning.

We welcome feedback from users to ensure the tools remain practical, relevant, and impactful. Queries or feedback can be emailed to: scottishprocurement@gov.scot

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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