The effectiveness of the post-Brexit UK legal framework in enabling meaningful social value delivery through public procurement

在英国，每年有超过3000亿英镑（占GDP的15%）用于采购，以满足医疗、教育和国防等重要公共服务的需求。有效的采购做法在确保纳税人的钱物有所值方面的重要性怎么强调都不为过，因为执行不力会造成重大的财政、法律和声誉影响。脱欧后，英国正在彻底改革采购立法，以确保政府合同不仅提供最低价格，而且提供“社会价值”，这是政治议程上的重中之重。目前的英国采购法规主要是欧盟指令的产物，因此主要侧重于推动竞争，以确保在欧盟内部市场中不存在基于国籍的歧视。实际上，非歧视、透明和程序公平的原则使采购成为最“高度立法和监管的政府领域”之一（Lloyd & McCue, 2004）。与国际法律框架相反，在国家一级，人们往往认为减少费用是采购的主要期望产出。例如，政府的一个关键优先事项是实现白厅支出的效率（英国财政部，2022年）。有人认为，竞争性招标会导致“更大的节约和最大限度的运营效率”（Crown Commercial Service, 2022），但国家审计署（National Audit Office）认为，这种方法导致了“对抗性”的供应商关系，这可能会对物有所值产生负面影响。因此，公共采购需要在履行法律义务和实现物有所值之间取得微妙的平衡。政府采购的另一项要求是推动社会经济目标。在“脱欧”之后，英国提出了“转型公共采购”法案，该法案将取代现行规则，并要求新的国家采购政策声明致力于实现社会价值成果。政府亦正推行一项重大政策，从追求最低价格，转向更广泛的公共价值或“社会价值”概念，即政府合约在取得货物或服务之外，可达致一系列目标，例如支持可持续发展或增加就业。这是通过在投标中包括对社会价值结果的要求来实现的。测试供应商提供社会成果的能力，以及传统的价格和质量指标，会刺激市场投资于社会价值产品。然而，虽然很明显，政府有责任为公民增加“价值”，定义这个价值是什么，如何实现它，以及如何平衡它与低成本交付的压力仍然是一个挑战。由于公共机构设定了自己的社会价值优先事项，因此没有统一的方法，这在方法和结果上造成了不一致。就社会价值交付的定量测量而言，这一领域的知识存在很大差距，因此该项目将是第一个对监管在交付社会价值方面的有效性进行实证评估的项目。在此过程中，它将确定最佳做法和改革。在实际社会价值交付方面的表现仍然难以衡量。缺乏一致的社会价值度量方法（即测量什么和如何测量）对进行系统研究提出了特别的挑战。本研究将通过探讨以下三个关键领域来填补一个重要的空白：1)采购从业者对实施社会价值的信心；2)符合社会价值政策体系；3)对监管框架在传递社会价值方面的成功进行客观评估。随着即将到来的采购制度和“生活成本”危机，有效利用公共资金至关重要。提出改革监管框架的建议可能有助于改变这一领域的做法。

In the UK, over £300 billion or 15% of GDP per annum is spent via procurement to discharge vital public services such as health, education and defence. The importance of effective procurement practice cannot be overstated in ensuring value for money for taxpayers with significant financial, legal and reputational repercussions for poor execution. Post-Brexit, the UK is radically reforming procurement legislation to ensure government contracts deliver not only the lowest price but also "social value," which is high on the political agenda. Current UK procurement regulations are largely the product of EU Directives and so focus principally on driving competition to ensure non-discrimination on grounds of nationality within the EU internal market. Practically, the principles of non-discrimination, transparency and procedural fairness have contributed to procurement being one of the most "highly legislated and regulated fields of government" (Lloyd & McCue, 2004). In contrast with the international legal framework, cost reduction is often perceived as the main desired output of procurement on a national level. For example, a key priority for Government is achieving efficiencies across Whitehall spend (HM Treasury, 2022). It has been argued that competitive tendering results in "greater savings and maximises operating efficiency," (Crown Commercial Service, 2022) but the National Audit Office suggests this approach has led to "adversarial" supplier relationships which could negatively impact value for money. Public procurement is therefore delicately balancing meeting legal obligations and maximising value for money.Another requirement of public procurement is driving socio-economic objectives. Following "Brexit" the UK has proposed the 'Transforming Public Procurement' bill which will replace current rules and mandates a new National Procurement Policy Statement committed to achieving social value outcomes. The Government is also on a major policy drive away from attaining lowest price towards a broader conception of public value or "social value" i.e. for government contracts to achieve a range of objectives beyond obtaining the goods or services themselves e.g. supporting sustainable development or increasing employment. This is achieved by including requirements for social value outcomes in tenders. Testing the supplier's capability to deliver social outcomes as well as the traditional price and quality metrics spurs the market to invest in social value offerings. However, while it is clear that Government has a responsibility to add 'value' to citizens, defining what this value is, how to achieve it and how to balance it against the pressures of delivering at low cost remains a challenge. There is no uniform approach as public bodies set their own social value priorities which creates inconsistency in method and in outcomes.There is a substantial gap in knowledge in this field in terms of the quantitative measurement of social value delivery and therefore this project will be the first to empirically assess the effectiveness of regulation in delivering social value. In doing so, it will identify best practice and reform.Performance in terms of actual social value delivery remains difficult to measure. The lack of a consistent approach to social value metrics (i.e. what to measure and how) has presented particular challenges for undertaking systematic research.This research will fill an important gap by exploring three critical areas:1) The confidence of procurement practitioners in implementing social value;2) Compliance with the social value policy regime; and3) An objective assessment of the success of the regulatory framework in delivering social value.With an incoming procurement regime and a 'cost of living' crisis, the efficient use of public funds is vital. Making recommendations for reform of the regulatory framework could help transform practice in this area.