Procurement Act 2023

32 Reserving contracts to supported employment providers

(1) A competitive flexible procedure may provide for suppliers that are not supported employment providers to be excluded from participating in, or progressing as part of, the procedure.

(2) Subsection (3) applies in relation to the award of a public contract under section 19 if the competitive flexible procedure provides for suppliers to be excluded as set out in subsection (1).

(3) In assessing tenders under section 19, a contracting authority must disregard any tender from a supplier that is not a supported employment provider.

(4) A “supported employment provider” means an organisation that operates wholly or partly for the purpose of providing employment, or employment-related support, to disabled or disadvantaged individuals where—

(a) disabled or disadvantaged individuals represent at least 30 per cent of the workforce of the organisation,

(b) if a particular part of the organisation is to perform the contract, disabled or disadvantaged individuals represent at least 30 per cent of the workforce of that part of the organisation, or

(c) if more than one organisation is to perform the contract, disabled or disadvantaged individuals represent at least 30 per cent of the combined workforce of—

(i) those organisations,

(ii) where a particular part of each organisation is to perform the contract, those parts, or

(iii) where a combination of organisations and parts is to perform the contract, those organisations and parts.