# Scottish Government faces questions over £294m in APS contracts

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/snp-ministers-urged-to-explain-300m-bill-for-work-civil-servants-could-do-themselves/
- Published: 2026-10-31T19:36:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T19:47:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16255137/SNP-ministers-urged-explain-300m-bill-work-civil-servants-themselves.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- APS Group has received £294 million in Scottish Government contracts since 2014.
- Its latest deal is £2.7 million for schoolbags, awarded without a tender.
- The government says outsourcing the project is efficient and cost-effective.

## Summary

The Scottish Government is facing calls to explain why it has awarded nearly £300 million in contracts to a private firm for work critics say civil servants could largely handle. The latest is a £2.7 million contract for schoolbags for Primary One pupils, awarded without a tender, renewing scrutiny of procurement and value for money.

Manchester-based APS Group has received £294 million in Scottish Government contracts since 2014, including almost £100 million for the Baby Box scheme, which it has run since 2017 and delivers to more than 40,000 families a year. It has also received nearly £200 million for printing and related work. The government says using a trusted supplier was the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver the bags in time for the next school year; APS will assemble them in Scotland, using items sourced from the UK and abroad.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.