Chamber and committees

Thank you.

We will come to Graeme Cook and Gillian Cameron next to reflect on the 2014 act. During last week’s evidence session, the witnesses suggested that there was a drive to increase use of national frameworks. Do you have any comments on that or on what the reasons might be for promoting and increasing use of national frameworks?

Does Scotland Excel share that view of national frameworks?

I will move on to other questions, because I know that members will pick up on issues that are relevant to that.

I would like to make some progress. Before I let in other members, I have a quick question for Gillian Cameron. In your briefing for the committee, you commented that the financial support that you receive from the Scottish Government has fallen in real terms since 2008. Will you expand on that? Has that meant that what you can offer is constrained, or have you managed to work within the budget? We recognise that there is pressure on Scottish budgets in all areas—you are not the only organisation that is facing that financial picture.

Our next item of business is consideration of Scottish statutory instrument 2024/48, which is a negative instrument. That being the case, members are invited simply to note the instrument. Are members content to do so?

Members indicated agreement.

We now move into private session for the remaining items on the agenda.

Good morning, and welcome to the eighth meeting in 2024 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Our first item of business is the committee’s third evidence session as part of our post-legislative scrutiny of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

We will hear from two panels. I welcome our first panel, which comprises Craig Fergusson, who is head of finance for transactions at South Lanarkshire Council; Melanie Mackenzie, who is strategic commercial manager for Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council; and Lynette Robertson, who is head of commercial and procurement services at the City of Edinburgh Council.

As always, I ask members and witnesses to keep their questions and answers as concise as possible. That would be helpful. If you agree with another witness, it is enough just to say that you agree with them, and we can then move on to the next question.

I have a fairly straightforward opening question. We are undertaking post-legislative scrutiny, so we are interested in the changes in your local authorities since 2014. What are the key changes? I also ask you to briefly outline the challenges. Other members will pick up on those issues in more detail.

Other members will ask more questions about local procurement, but, Lynette, without going into detail of the work that you have done, has the City of Edinburgh Council managed to increase the amount of local procurement?

Thank you.