The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 is one of the most ambitious pieces of legislation in the UK. It requires every public body in Wales to think long-term, work preventatively, integrate decisions across boundaries, collaborate, and involve the people they serve. It is not a procurement statute - but procurement is the lever it most directly pulls.
If you procure for a Welsh public body, the WFG Act is shaping every part of your work, even when it is not explicitly named. Combined with Net Zero Wales (the 2030 public sector net zero target), the Wales Procurement Policy Statement and TOMS social value reporting, it builds a coherent picture of what Welsh procurement is for.
The seven well-being goals - and what they mean for procurement
- A prosperous Wales. Procurement should support skills development, fair work and a low-carbon economy. Apprenticeships, training hours, fair work compliance.
- A resilient Wales. Biodiversity, ecosystems, supply chain resilience. Procurement should consider environmental impact and supply chain continuity.
- A healthier Wales. Procurement decisions affecting food, care, housing and the built environment should support better physical and mental health.
- A more equal Wales. Equality of opportunity in supplier access, fair work, equity outcomes for service users.
- A Wales of cohesive communities. Local employment, foundational economy spend, community benefits delivered locally where contracts allow.
- A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Welsh-language commitments captured in supplier obligations where appropriate.
- A globally responsible Wales. Ethical supply chains, modern slavery prevention, fair trade, climate justice.
Net Zero Wales: the 2030 target
The Welsh public sector has a Net Zero target of 2030 - twenty years ahead of the UK-wide 2050 target. For most Welsh public bodies, supply chain emissions account for around 60% of the carbon footprint. Procurement is therefore the single largest decarbonisation lever available.
This means procurement teams in Wales need to:
- Capture supplier carbon baselines at award - Scope 1, 2 and ideally Scope 3 emissions.
- Score carbon impact alongside price and quality in evaluation, with a meaningful weighting.
- Track supplier emissions reduction against contractual commitments, not just baseline figures.
- Aggregate carbon data across the supplier base for annual Net Zero Wales reporting.
- Avoid procurement decisions that lock in high-carbon outcomes for 5–10 years (vehicle fleets, buildings, energy contracts).
TOMS in a Welsh context
The National TOMS framework (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) is the standard social value reporting framework in the UK. Welsh authorities have largely adopted TOMS, but apply it through the lens of the WFG Act and WPPS. In practice this means:
- TOMS measures are weighted toward Welsh foundational-economy outcomes (local hires in Wales, Welsh apprenticeships, Welsh SME spend).
- Carbon TOMS measures align with Net Zero Wales - not just generic UK-wide carbon outcomes.
- Welsh-language and culture TOMS measures matter where contractually relevant.
- Cohesive communities TOMS measures reward local delivery, not just generic charitable contribution.
The five ways of working - applied to procurement
The WFG Act requires public bodies to demonstrate the five ways of working in major decisions. Applied to procurement:
- Long-term. Total cost of ownership over contract life, not just bid price. Whole-life carbon. Long-term supplier relationships.
- Prevention. Procurement decisions that prevent problems - better-quality goods, longer service lives, durable infrastructure.
- Integration. Considering procurement decisions across boundaries - health, education, housing, environment - not in functional silos.
- Collaboration. Joint procurement with other Welsh public bodies. Shared frameworks. Aggregated demand for Welsh suppliers.
- Involvement. Engaging service users, communities and Welsh suppliers in procurement design. Pre-market engagement is increasingly important.
What good looks like in practice
A Welsh public body running procurement well against the WFG Act, Net Zero Wales and TOMS will:
- Have a standard evaluation template that scores carbon, social value (TOMS), fair work and Welsh SME inclusion alongside price and quality.
- Capture supplier carbon baselines and TOMS commitments at award, with quarterly delivery tracking through the contract lifecycle.
- Report aggregate carbon and social value data annually for Net Zero Wales, WPPS performance and Audit Wales scrutiny - sourced from live contract data, not retrospectively reconstructed spreadsheets.
- Run pre-market engagement on major procurements, particularly with Welsh suppliers and service-affected communities.
- Collaborate with neighbouring Welsh authorities on shared procurement opportunities where appropriate.
How eSourcingData supports this
eSourcingData was designed with the Welsh devolved policy framework as a primary use case. Carbon and TOMS commitments are captured at evaluation, locked at award, tracked through delivery, and aggregated automatically into annual Net Zero Wales and WPPS performance reports. The five ways of working are embedded in the workflow - long-term cost analysis, integrated cross-domain reporting, supplier collaboration tools, and pre-market engagement features. Welsh public bodies can pilot this on a free 90-day programme - real procurements, full WFG Act + WPPS + PA23 alignment, your data stays yours.