Government Commercial Agency Trading Fund (HTML)
Published 1 July 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
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Presented to the House of Commons pursuant to section 4(1)(b) of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973
ISBN 978-1-5286-6600-8
E03626429 06/26
Government Commercial Agency Trading Fund
1. Section 4(1) of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973 provides that a Trading Fund established under the Act shall be under the control and management of the responsible Minister, and in the discharge of the Minister’s functions in relation to that fund it shall be the Minister’s duty:
a. To manage the funded operations so that the revenue of the fund:
i. consists principally of receipts in respect of goods and services provided in the course of the funded operations; and
ii. is not less than sufficient, taking one year with another, to meet outgoings which are properly chargeable to income and expenditure account; and
b. To achieve such further financial objectives as the Treasury may from time to time, by Minute laid before the House of Commons, indicate as having been determined by the responsible Minister (with Treasury concurrence) to be desirable of achievement.
2. OGCbuying.solutions Trading Fund was established as the Buying Agency Trading Fund with effect from 1 April 1991. The name of the Buying Agency Trading Fund was amended to OGCbuying.solutions Trading Fund with effect from 3 April 2001 by the OGCbuying. solutions Trading Fund Order 1991 (S.I. 2001. No 922). The Buying Agency Trading Fund (Amendment) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/647) then changed OGCbuying.solutions Trading Fund to the Buying Solutions Trading Fund from 6 April 2009, which was subsequently changed to the Government Procurement Service Trading Fund by the Buying Agency Trading Fund (Amendment) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/2208) from 1 October 2011. The Government Procurement Service Trading Fund has since changed to the Crown Commercial Service Trading Fund by the Buying Agency Trading Fund (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/561) from 1 April 2014. The Crown Commercial Service Trading Fund has since changed to the Government Commercial Agency Trading Fund by the Buying Agency Trading Fund (Amendment) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/225) from 1 April 2026.
3. The Minister for the Cabinet Office, being the responsible Minister, has determined (with Treasury concurrence) that a further financial objective desirable of achievement by the Government Commercial Agency Trading Fund for the five-year period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031 shall be to achieve a minimum return, averaged over the period as a whole, equivalent to 5 percent a year in the form of an operating surplus, i.e. before interest (both receivable and payable) and dividends payable expressed as a percentage of average capital employed. Capital employed shall equate to the capital and reserves, i.e. the Public Dividend Capital, long-term loan capital (if any) and the general reserve.
4. This minute supersedes that dated 11 July 2022.
5. Let a copy of this Minute be laid before the House of Commons pursuant to section 4(1)(b) of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office
2026