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- UK Exports to China Jump £4B in One Month
UK Exports to China Jump £4B in One Month
The UK’s £4.7B export spike to China signals new priorities—time to rethink your support strategy.
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In just one month, UK exports to China soared from £653M to £4.7B. That’s not a small bump, it’s a massive signal for public sector teams supporting UK trade. With China now making up 12% of total exports, it’s time to reassess: Are your services aligned with this fast-moving opportunity?
💡 Good to Know
CCS Webinar: Unlock AI opportunities for SMEs in public sector procurement!
Net Zero Scotland Conference: Accelerate decarbonization with public-private partnerships!
Tech Seminar: AI's game-changing tools for financial pros!
🔍 Today’s Focus:
Good to Know: AI Copilot streamlines councils, CCS AI tackles sector issues, Renewable Energy event connects green pros.
Daily Spend Watch: Spotlight on Construction – £4.35B in awards, led by Monmouthshire and Procurement for Housing.
International View: Europe’s top procurement spenders—Spain, Switzerland, Italy dominate.
Opportunity Picks: £4.3M Digital Front Door Platform, Lancashire seeks inclusive digital transformation.
News: £121M for quantum fraud detection, £20M for museum renewal, £42.8M for West London job seekers.
Technology: ALTAR inspires with adaptive design AI, MindPal deploys workflow agents, Outerspan manages email bots.
Let’s dive into the details 👇
DAILY SPEND WATCH
Sector Spotlight: Construction(11-14th of April)
📈 Market Insights
UK public construction procurement remains robust, with 176 construction contracts out of 193 total awarded contracts during 11- 14th April 2025, worth £4.35 billion. Monmouthshire County Council (£2.61B), Procurement for Housing (£1B), and Network Rail (£372M) lead spending. Top awards include a £2.61B social care contract and £1B in retrofit framework agreements. Maintenance, repair, and school projects dominate by volume, while sustainable building commands premium values. Framework agreements represent 34% of the total value, with consortiums increasingly winning major contracts. Key trends include massive investment in energy efficiency retrofits, continued infrastructure spending, and significant healthcare development. For suppliers, success hinges on framework participation, sustainability credentials, and specialization in maintenance or education projects.
INTERNATIONAL VIEW
European Public Procurement: Spending Analysis(11- 14th of April)
Spain emerges as the dominant player in European public procurement with £34.01M in spending, representing a substantial portion of the analyzed transactions. Switzerland follows with £14.12M, while Italy (£4.56M), Austria (£4.45M), and Greece (£1.73M) complete the top five spending nations. This concentrated spending pattern indicates that Western European countries are currently leading in public procurement investments.
Business Services lead European government spending at £22.84M, demonstrating strong public sector investment in professional and management services. Infrastructure development remains a key priority, with Electrical Equipment (£10.60M) and Construction Work (£10.58M) ranking second and third, respectively. Transport & Vehicles (£2.82M) and Healthcare & Medical equipment (£2.49M) round out the top five categories, while Defense & Security Equipment shows significant activity with £0.87M in procurement.
The European public procurement landscape is dominated by smaller contracts, with 51.7% of all contracts valued below £100,000. Medium-sized contracts (£100K-£1M) constitute 34.5% of procurement activity, while large contracts (£1M-£10M) represent 10.3%. Very large contracts exceeding £10M are relatively rare at just 3.4% of the total, suggesting that public entities are favoring smaller, more distributed procurement approaches.
OPPORTUNITY PICKS
Overview: £4.3M platform to transform resident-council interactions through digital channels with a potential 10-year contract term.
💡 Winning Strategies
Create a "Digital Inclusion Acceleration" component within your bid. This approach would directly address Lancashire's requirements for inclusive digital services while acknowledging the diverse population's needs. By developing specific pathways for traditionally underserved groups (elderly, disabled, non-English speakers, digitally excluded), your proposal could stand apart from competitors focusing primarily on technical capabilities. This strategy aligns perfectly with the Council's stated ambitions while demonstrating a genuine understanding of the public service ethos that underpins the project.
NEWS
The UK is investing £121M to expand quantum tech for fraud detection, anti-money laundering, and economic growth. HSBC and NQCC are using quantum computing to analyze complex data and spot fraud patterns faster. The funding also supports research hubs, apprenticeships, and next-gen quantum careers.
England’s regional museums can now apply for a share of a new £20M Museum Renewal Fund to improve access, upgrade services, and strengthen community ties. Open to museums with local authority links, the fund supports education, tech, revenue growth, and jobs, ensuring that vital heritage sites stay open and thrive.
West London is first to launch DWP’s 5-year ‘Connect to Work’ programme, helping 3,500+ disabled people and those with health conditions annually into jobs. With £42.8M funding, the programme offers tailored support, skills training, and employer engagement, part of a wider £1B plan to raise employment and tackle inactivity.
TECHNOLOGY
🎨 ALTAR transforms collected inspiration into creative outputs through AI that adapts to your style. The platform combines design tools, analysis, and research in one workspace to help you capture ideas and turn them into reality.
🤖 MindPal enables businesses to build and deploy collaborative AI agents that automate complex workflows. The platform trains agents on your data, connects to existing tools, and lets multiple agents work together to handle tasks at scale.
📧 Outerspan enables the quick deployment of AI agents with managed email identities through an API or dashboard. The platform provides complete email infrastructure for agents to handle support, lead qualification, and team check-ins without complex setup.
TIP OF THE DAY
Integrate Climate Goals into Procurement
Align procurement decisions with climate priorities by evaluating suppliers based on their environmental impact and sustainability practices.
Example: Require vendors to demonstrate how their solutions reduce waste or carbon emissions as part of the bidding process.
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