UK government nearly doubles amount of British steel bought

The proportion of steel procured within the UK by the government has nearly doubled since last year, the latest documents show.

The public steel procurement documents include information on how much steel has been procured by government departments and arm’s-length bodies, how they have complied with guidance, as well as a pipeline of future steel requirements for national infrastructure projects.

This year’s documents show all government departments complied with steel procurement guidance, where applicable.

The reported proportion of steel procured within the UK for public projects is 77%, up from 40% last year. The value of contracts placed with UK suppliers has also increased by 20% - from £67 million to £81 million.

There is an estimated steel requirement of nearly five million tonnes associated with central government infrastructure plans over the next decade.

Wide-ranging action to support the steel industry includes more than £480 million relief for electricity costs since 2013 and providing guidance to ensure British steel makers have the best chance of competing for and winning public sector projects.

Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy www.gov.uk/beis