Dundee City Council directed £134.2 million of its 2025/26 procurement expenditure to suppliers based in Dundee, according to its latest annual procurement and community-benefits report.
The council says local small and medium-sized businesses have consistently received approximately 18 to 21 per cent of its total procurement expenditure over recent years. The new report also records that a major council construction programme used 85 per cent local labour.
Projects within that programme included Greenfield Academy and Drumgeith Community Campus, the Bell Street Hub, new office accommodation at James Thomson House on the Waterfront and housing at Blackness Road.
Public procurement has become an increasingly important part of local economic policy because councils can attach employment, training and community requirements to contracts that would otherwise be assessed principally as purchases of works or services. Dundee’s programme also includes “community wishes”, through which organisations can seek contractor time, expertise, materials or sponsorship.
The £134.2 million local-spend figure is consequently worth following from year to year rather than treating it as an isolated annual announcement. A fall or rise can reflect changes in the size of the council’s capital programme as well as the capacity of Dundee companies to compete for contracts.
The annual report was presented to the City Governance Committee on 21 September, placing the latest figure on the council’s formal performance record.
