Procurement Policy Note 03/21: The Sourcing and Consultancy Playbooks · first published 20 May 2021
PPN 03/21 introduces two guidance documents for central government buyers: an updated Sourcing Playbook (the third annual refresh of the original Outsourcing Playbook) and a brand-new Consultancy Playbook. The Sourcing Playbook tells departments how to approach service delivery and outsourcing decisions, and its use is enforced through Cabinet Office controls. The Consultancy Playbook gives specific guidance on how government should buy consultancy services, aiming for better outcomes, value for money, and knowledge transfer to civil servants. Both documents shape how contracting authorities and suppliers are expected to engage. Because we only have the GOV.UK summary and not the full document text, specific rules, weightings or thresholds cannot be confirmed — small businesses should read the full Playbooks directly on GOV.UK.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
For SMEs bidding for outsourced service contracts or offering consultancy to government, these Playbooks define the rules of engagement buyers must follow — understanding them helps you align your bids to what evaluators are trained to look for. The Consultancy Playbook's emphasis on knowledge transfer and improving civil service capability suggests consultancy bids should explicitly demonstrate how they will upskill client teams, not just deliver outputs. However, because only a summary was available for this brief, SMEs must read the full documents before drawing firm conclusions about scoring criteria or process requirements.
1. Download and read the full Sourcing Playbook from GOV.UK to understand the process stages, supplier engagement expectations, and any evaluation criteria your bid will be assessed against.
SMEs supplying outsourced services to central government — The Playbook 'outlines the government's expectations for how contracting authorities and suppliers should engage with each other' — knowing these expectations lets you structure bids and pre-market engagement accordingly.
2. Download and read the full Consultancy Playbook from GOV.UK, then ensure your proposals explicitly describe how you will transfer knowledge and skills to the client's civil servants — not just deliver a final output.
SMEs offering consultancy services to central government — The Consultancy Playbook explicitly targets 'improved civil service capability through the transfer of knowledge and skills' as a key objective, so bids that ignore this dimension are likely to score lower.
3. Check whether your existing contracts or frameworks reference the Sourcing Playbook, and flag to your account manager if you are unsure how the Cabinet Office assurance controls affect your current engagement.
All SME suppliers to central government — Compliance with the Sourcing Playbook 'is assured through Cabinet Office controls', meaning buyers are formally monitored on adherence — understanding this helps you anticipate process requirements during procurement.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The Sourcing Playbook is the third annual refresh of the Outsourcing Playbook and sets out how departments should approach service delivery; compliance is assured through Cabinet Office controls. (Central government contracting authorities)
“The Sourcing Playbook is the third annual refresh of the Outsourcing Playbook. It sets out how departments should approach service delivery and its application is assured through Cabinet Office controls.”
The Sourcing Playbook outlines government's expectations for how contracting authorities and suppliers should engage with each other. (Central government contracting authorities and their suppliers)
“It outlines the government's expectations for how contracting authorities and suppliers should engage with each other.”
The Consultancy Playbook provides specific guidance on sourcing consultancy services, aiming for better outcomes, value for money, and improved civil service capability through knowledge and skills transfer. (Central government contracting authorities procuring consultancy services)
“The Consultancy Playbook is being published alongside the Sourcing Playbook to provide specific guidance on sourcing consultancy services. This supports our agenda to commission and engage with consultants more effectively, achieving better outcomes, better value for money, and improved civil service capability through the transfer of knowledge and skills.”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
Source document © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0 via the GOV.UK Content API. enkii tracks every Procurement Policy Note and briefs changes the day they land — see all briefings.