Public procurement as a policy tool: the territorial dimension

Abstract

We analysed 90,000 contracts involving UK local authorities between 2015 and 2019 to examine patterns and potential drivers of regional sourcing. We found councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are much more likely to select suppliers based within their regions compared with their counterparts in England. We found no discernible trend of English councils increasingly preferring regional suppliers, and no correlation between party-political control and regional sourcing. We suggest contrasting institutional and political contexts determine these territorial differences and present a framework to explain supplier selection in these terms, incorporating a territorial dimension alongside more traditional left–right ideological factors.