Public sector procurement must help the government achieve social goals such as equality, a minister has told civil servants.

Treasury minister Angela Eagle told officials about the importance of government’s £175bn-a-year spending in making policies a success when she appeared at a conference on Wednesday.

She used the Equality Bill conference, organised by civilservicenetwork.com’s sister company Westminster Explained, to launch new advice on how procurement can support the government’s commitment to ‘equality of opportunity’.

Eagle explained: “Procurement really can have a positive impact on people’s lives and it is vital that we continue the work in developing a fairer and more socially inclusive society.

“It’s not just possible but essential that we not only achieve better value for money through public procurement, but that we also use it to achieve a fairer society and greater equality of opportunity for all.”

The OGC, which produced the pamphlet along with earlier ones on the environment and social issues, was working to make that goal a reality, she added.

The advice covers the current public sector equality duties, what they mean for public sector procurement and how equality issues can be tackled within procurement rules.