Procurement Monthly: July 2026

Welcome to Procurement Monthly: your public sector procurement roundup, drawn from the notices in our tender search. More than half of G-Cloud 14 suppliers won nothing at all, which should change how you approach G-Cloud 15. Alongside it, a new government reshaped digital and AI buying, two policy notes moved closer to enforcement, and Parliament started questioning Fujitsu's framework placements. Here's what each means for you.

More than half of G-Cloud 14 suppliers won nothing

We pulled the G-Cloud 14 numbers this month, and 2,126 of the 3,831 suppliers we can trace, 55.5%, show no sign of ever winning a single call-off. Our spend and award data both point to the same figure. And because 3,831 is only the part of the framework we can trace, the true share is likely higher.

A framework place gets you into the room, but winning from there takes a plan, and over half of G-Cloud 14 suppliers never built one. If you're prepping your G-Cloud 15 strategy, being on the framework is a given. The real question is what you do once you are. Don't be one of the 2,126. 

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A new government redrew who owns digital and AI buying

On 21 July, the new government under Andy Burnham abolished DSIT and split its work across three homes. Technology and science policy went to the renamed Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) under Jonathan Reynolds. Digital transformation and the Government Digital Service moved back to DCMS, which is being renamed to bring digital under its roof. AI strategy shifted into the Cabinet Office, and the AI minister now attends Cabinet. For suppliers, the practical effect is that the buyer relationships and account maps you built around DSIT need redrawing.

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The Autumn Budget lands on 28 October, earlier than usual

Chancellor John Healey confirmed his first Budget for Wednesday 28 October, the earliest autumn Budget since 2021. He framed it around fiscal discipline and moving money and power out of Westminster into every part of the country, which points to more funding flowing through mayors and local bodies. An earlier date means departmental spending signals arrive sooner, so the pipeline shifts that usually follow a Budget could reach the market before year end. It's worth planning your Q4 around.

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PPN 024 makes departments test insourcing before they tender

Published on 17 June, PPN 024 introduces a mandatory Public Interest Test for central government service contracts worth £1m or more, applied before anything goes to market. Departments spending £100m or more a year on contracts also have to publish a five-year insourcing strategy. It covers central departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, with compliance from 1 April 2027. The direction is away from default outsourcing, so some opportunities will be weighed for in-house delivery before suppliers ever see them.

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PPN 022 adds steel-origin transparency from October

From 1 October, in-scope departments buying steel must state on the contract details notice whether it's UK-produced, non-UK or mixed. This update to PPN 022 applies to contracts worth £10m or more, or those needing more than 500 tonnes of steel, and choosing non-UK steel needs a published rationale. If you supply into construction or infrastructure, expect steel origin to become a scored part of the conversation.

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The compliance watchdog spelled out how it investigates

The Cabinet Office published a new investigation process guide for the Procurement Compliance Service, the body that polices systemic breaches of the Procurement Act 2023. The PCS goes after institutional failures across multiple authorities, or repeated failures by one authority, rather than one-off bid complaints, and it can publish its findings on gov.uk. It now sits directly within the Cabinet Office, following the wind-up of the Procurement Review Unit in April. For suppliers, it signals that buyer-side compliance is under real scrutiny, which tends to mean cleaner processes and clearer audit trails on the tenders you bid for. 

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Parliament is questioning Fujitsu's place on the big frameworks

The Business and Trade Committee has pressed the government over Fujitsu's inclusion on major procurement frameworks, including Digital Outcomes and Specialists 7 (DOS 7) and SSEN's £984m digital framework, despite the moratorium Fujitsu set itself on bidding for new government customers after the Post Office Horizon scandal. Committee chair Liam Byrne asked how a framework place squares with that pledge, and whether Fujitsu will use these routes to reach new public sector buyers. A framework place isn't a contract, as the committee acknowledged, but it does open the door to compete. The wider question for every supplier is how far past conduct now shapes framework access. 

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Skynet becomes an early test of "back British industry" procurement

Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham is urging the Burnham government to award the Ministry of Defence's £2.4bn Skynet 6 Wideband Satellite System to Airbus rather than Lockheed Martin, framing it as a test of the pledge to use public procurement to back British industry. Airbus designs and builds satellites in Stevenage and Portsmouth, and the union puts around 600 jobs at stake. As the UK's largest space procurement, how this award is decided will signal how much weight sovereignty and domestic jobs now carry in big-ticket defence buying. 

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On the blog: the first AI contracts are hitting renewal

We dug into the first wave of public sector AI and automation contracts coming up for renewal, and there's £85.9m across 87 contracts expiring between now and June 2028. The newest generative AI deals from the 2023 buying wave are reaching the end of their first term right now, and renewal is the moment an incumbent's grip loosens. If AI is your market, the expiry dates are where to start.

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FAQ

How many G-Cloud 14 suppliers won no work?

A Stotles analysis found that 2,126 of the 3,831 G-Cloud 14 suppliers it could trace, 55.5%, show no evidence of winning a single call-off. Because 3,831 is only the enumerable count rather than the full framework, the true share of suppliers that won nothing is likely higher.

When is the 2026 Autumn Budget?

The 2026 Autumn Budget takes place on Wednesday 28 October. It is Chancellor John Healey's first Budget and the earliest autumn Budget since 2021, framed around fiscal discipline and shifting more funding towards mayors and local government.

What happened to DSIT?

On 21 July 2026, the government abolished the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Its technology and science work moved to the renamed Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, digital transformation and the Government Digital Service returned to DCMS, and AI strategy moved into the Cabinet Office.