Nottinghamshire County Council reveals it has £135m of contracts with more than 200 local businesses

The council currently has contracts with 273 suppliers based in Nottinghamshire worth £135 million.

Services provided by local suppliers for the council include catering, plumbing, and gardening.

Suppliers in Nottinghamshire make up 57 per cent of the council’s total procurement contracts, with 39 per cent from a local small or medium-sized business.

And the council’s cabinet has now approved a new sustainable procurement policy to build on the work of its procurement strategy.

Coun Richard Jackson (Con), cabinet member for finance, said: “it is great news we’ve been able to reach out to hundreds of quality local businesses to provide a range of services and tasks for our council.

“We always expect value for money, and the excellent services provided are a credit to the entrepreneurial spirit in our county.

“I’m especially pleased we have been able to engage so many local small businesses after a pandemic which caused countless challenges for our sole traders and entrepreneurs.”

“Our new sustainable procurement policy is crucial to our already existing procurement strategy.

“When considering who will work for us in future, we’ll measure the environmental, social and economic impact of the procured goods and services.

“It will help build on the work we are doing with local businesses, for example, how we can use our procurement choices to get more young people out of work into a job.

“Of course, we will continue to spend taxpayers’ money wisely and support local communities through this new and exciting policy.”