Government has not demonstrated that it has consistently used its purchasing power to support local and national policies and objectives, or to drive healthy and competitive markets, including buying from SMEs. Government could not provide evidence that it is consistently using its purchasing power to create new businesses, new jobs, and new skills, to tackle climate change and reduce waste, and to improve supplier diversity, innovation, and resilience. The way that social value requirements are implemented can leave smaller businesses, as well as larger companies unable to meet them constraining their ability to bid on public contracts. Public authorities are not yet approaching this consistently to support SMEs to develop and build resilience to a level where they can bid on public contracts. Crown Representatives have helped government to understand its markets, but further work is needed to support SMEs. Recommendation 4: The Cabinet Office should set out, as part of its Treasury Minute response, details explaining how it will revise its Sourcing Playbook and support government buyers towards achieving a consistent approach to balance achieving economic, social, and environmental wellbeing with unnecessarily imposing artificial constraints that create barriers to entry for SMEs.