Lowest cost isn’t enough anymore: Public Procurement in Wales is changing

What the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act means for cleaning, FM and consumables suppliers

From 1 April, public procurement in Wales enters a new phase.

Under the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act, Welsh public bodies are legally required to demonstrate how their procurement activity delivers social, environmental and economic value — a statutory duty, backed by mandatory annual reporting.

For cleaning, facilities management and consumables suppliers, the shift has immediate commercial implications. Procurement decisions will no longer be judged on price alone. They will be judged on outcomes — and on how easily those outcomes can be evidenced.

An overview

• From April, Welsh public bodies must report annually on the social value delivered through procurement

• Buyers are under pressure to evidence sustainability, fair work and local benefit

• Suppliers who make that reporting easier gain a clear advantage

• Impact-led cleaning, FM and consumables suppliers are better positioned to win — and retain — contracts

What changes in practice

At a high level, the Act introduces a statutory duty on public bodies to procure in a socially responsible way, with greater transparency around supplier selection and contract outcomes.

Public sector buyers in Wales must now be able to stand behind their supplier choices, publicly and repeatedly. Every contract feeds into an annual report. Every decision needs a defensible rationale.

That means procurement teams are increasingly asking:

• Does this supplier clearly support our well-being goals?

• Can we evidence the environmental and social outcomes they deliver?

• If challenged, can we justify this choice without caveats?

What buyers will now actively favour

In cleaning, FM and consumables, public sector buyers in Wales will increasingly favour suppliers who can demonstrate:

Genuine sustainability
Low-carbon products, reduced/no plastic, recycled materials and circular models directly support reporting requirements around environmental impact.

Fair work and workforce stability
Ethical employment practices and UK-based jobs align with the Act’s emphasis on fair work and local economic benefit.

Local supply chains
UK manufacturing and domestic sourcing help buyers evidence local economic contribution.

Simple, credible evidence
Not long narratives or marketing claims — just clear facts that can be confidently reported.

Why this creates a commercial advantage for suppliers

For suppliers who already build these principles into everyday operations, the Act creates a meaningful edge.

Impact-ready businesses are:

• Easier to select — buyers can justify decisions quickly

• Harder to replace — switching introduces reporting risk

• Less exposed to price-only comparisons — value is measured across outcomes

• Better aligned with Welsh Government direction

In other words, social value is a pathway to more resilient public sector relationships.

What “impact-ready” looks like

Under the new framework, the strongest suppliers are those whose products automatically deliver the outcomes public sector buyers are now required to evidence.

In practice, that means everyday consumables that are:

• Made in the UK, end-to-end

• Made from 100% recycled paper

• Packed plastic-free 

Those characteristics directly support environmental reporting, reduce supply chain risk and contribute to the local economy — without buyers needing to interpret claims or join the dots.

This is exactly how Serious Tissues operates.

Serious Tissues products are manufactured in the UK, from post-consumer use recycled paper, with zero plastic packaging in sight by default. The result is lower environmental impact and real UK employment — that's always been our way.

Because the impact is built into the product itself, buyers get something increasingly valuable: clear, defensible outcomes that are easy to report on.

That simplicity matters — especially when procurement teams are under pressure to evidence social value clearly, consistently and credibly.

What suppliers should do now

With April fast approaching, suppliers don’t need to reinvent their businesses — but they do need to be honest about readiness.

A few practical steps:

• Audit how your products and supply chain support social, environmental and economic value

• Strip your impact messaging back to what buyers actually need to evidence

• Align how you present information to public sector reporting requirements

• Work with partners who reduce procurement risk, not add to it

Those who act early will find themselves better placed as procurement expectations tighten.

From obligation to opportunity

The Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act raises the bar for public procurement in Wales.

For cleaning, FM and consumables suppliers, it rewards businesses that already operate responsibly — and makes it harder for lowest-cost-only models to compete.

Want to understand how impact-ready consumables can support your public sector customers — and strengthen your position in Wales?

Speak to Lee, our Wales-based Business Development Manager — he's always happy to talk through what this change means in practice and work with you to offer the most effective solution to these future changes. 

Lee McCarthy: lee@serioustissues.com