Chamber and committees

I would like us to make progress, so it would be helpful if members and witnesses could keep their questions and answers as concise as possible. I also want to draw us back to the 2014 act, which is what we are scrutinising this morning.

Thank you. I will go to Kevin Stewart.

Yes, there will be opportunities for you to do that in response to other questions.

In your submission, you said that it is important to distinguish between commissioning and procurement. You spoke about both in your answer. Does the 2014 act recognise the role of commissioning enough? Is there enough co-operation between procurement and commissioning for the third sector?

Our next item of business is the committee’s second evidence session as part of its post-legislative scrutiny of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. The committee will hear from two panels this morning. I am pleased to be joined, first, by Pauline Gordon, who is partnership manager at the TSI Scotland Network; David Livey, who is policy and public affairs manager at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations; and Duncan Thorp, who is policy and public affairs manager at Social Enterprise Scotland.

Members and witnesses should keep their questions and answers as concise as possible, so that we get through as much as possible.

I will ask the opening question. What benefits have you seen since the 2014 act was implemented, and what key challenges remain?

I thank the witnesses who submitted written submissions. David Livey, in the paper that the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations provided, you said:

“The ideals of community wealth building, sustainable procurement, and a wellbeing economy risk being reduced to mere rhetoric without a procurement system centred on outcomes and impact.”

Is the 2014 act delivering in that regard? What are the key challenges that are making that difficult?

I will ask Pauline Gordon a similar question. What have been the key changes since 2014, and what are the biggest challenges that remain?

I will ask Duncan Thorp the same question. What big changes did the 2014 act introduce? What has been positive about it? What things still need to be tackled?

Brian Whittle has a final supplementary.

In a few weeks’ time, we will take evidence from Scotland Excel. I do not know whether you want to comment on whether that model is helpful for social enterprises, how difficult or otherwise it is to be part of Scotland Excel and what it means if you are not part of it.

Has the introduction of the policies that they now have been enough of a driver, notwithstanding the difficulties that exist in measuring the data? Has the expectation to produce a policy helped to drive the increase in the number of fair trade policies?

Lindsey Millen, what are the key changes since the 2014 act? What has been positive about it, and where are the bigger challenges?