RECURVE × BLOOM · FLAGSHIP REPORT 2026
The State of Procurement 2026
Britain spends £434 billion a year on procurement. The Report finds most of it running in Safe Mode — strategic ambition constrained by operational pressure. Here is the evidence: the diagnosis, the three gaps behind it, and what changes it.
SRC: THE STATE OF PROCUREMENT 2026
Recurve × Bloom · 48 pages · PDF
Get your copy
Your name and email, and the Report is yours. We'll send it straight through — no follow-up unless you want one.
Prefer a conversation? Book 30 minutes, no deck.
£434bn
Spent by the UK public sector on goods and services every year — the state's most powerful, most neglected lever.
SRC: House of Commons Library
64%
Of procurement teams are just keeping up, leaving only 36% with room to think strategically.
SRC: The State of Procurement 2026
~20%
SME share of public spend. Flat for six years and lowest in central government and the NHS.
SRC: Tussell
Not an ambition problem. An operating-model one.
Buyers don't lack intent — 84% say social outcomes matter. Under operational pressure, continuity and savings dominate and the strategic objective is quietly deprioritised. The Report shows why, and what has to change so the better route also feels like the safe one.
The diagnosis: Safe Mode
Public procurement isn't broken; it's running in Safe Mode — booting with minimal function to avoid a crash. 64% of teams are transactional; only 36% have room to think. A diagnosis of the system, not the people.
Conflicting priorities
Social value and other strategic ambitions rarely survive contact with a real budget conversation, with price weightings as high as 80% overriding everything else at point of award.
Risk and resilience
With business continuity the top priority, ovstretched teams and legal challenge an ever-present threat, bundling requirements into single large contracts is common but creates new risks in turn.
FROM OUR PARTNER
“Public procurement must move beyond process and become a driver of real outcomes. With £434bn in annual spend, the opportunity is clear: smarter, more strategic procurement can unlock innovation, empower SMEs, and deliver lasting economic and social value."
Adam Jacobs · Founder & Executive Director, Bloom
The Report is where the Alliance begins.
The Alliance for Purposeful Procurement turns each finding into a line of work. We're establishing it now — founding members shape the agenda before it sets. Read the Report first; the invitation follows.
WHO WROTE IT
Independent research, credibly authored.
LEAD AUTHOR
Sam Markey, Recurve
Founder of Recurve and lead author of The State of Procurement Report. Lead author of the World Economic Forum's model policy for innovation-friendly procurement, developed with the Centre for Urban Transformation, and Senior Associate for Place-Based Impact Investing at the Impact Investing Institute.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Bloom Procurement Services
The Report is published Recurve × Bloom. Recurve provides the research architecture and editorial independence; the analysis is grounded in named examples and sourced figures, not vendor claims.