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In July 2022, the Institute for the Future of Work drafted amendments, based on the Good Work Charter Framework, to the Procurement Bill for All Party Parliamentary Group co-chair Lord Jim Knight to table, which would introduce good work standards, impact assessments and goals to the Bill.
At the time, Baroness Scott, for the government, proposed the national procurement policy statement as the appropriate vehicle to promote good work as part of procurement. The Labour Party (then in opposition), picked up on them, with the Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work Angela Rayner subsequently developing commitments to promote good work through procurement.
This February the new government released its National Procurement Policy Statement, which includes, alongside other relevant guidance, specific requirements for contracting authorities to “ensure their suppliers are committed to providing high quality jobs, safe and healthy working conditions, fair pay, opportunity and progression for workers”, recognising the role of procurement in promoting and ensuring good work across the country.
In response to the guidance, APPG on the Future of Work co-chair, Lord Jim Knight, said "Procurement is an important mechanism is helping to ensure the promotion of good work standards, and it's great to see this come to fruition as part of the Government's National Procurement Policy Statement, following initial amendments put forward using the Good Work Charter framework. This is particularly timely as additional devolved powers begin to come into play, and a regional focus on good work becomes more important than ever."
The IFOW is pleased to see this progress on a key policy area, and welcomes the Governments continued commitment to ‘good work’ as an overarching policy area. We look forward to continuing to work with Government to ensure that the principle of good work remains embedded in policy-making as an overarching and cross-cutting lens through which many areas of policy should be viewed.
