During a recent visit to a neighbourhood school, a pupil who I was pleased to see was wearing an Albion jersey asked me about the daily routine of a Member of Parliament.

I explained that an MP’s role essentially divides into three components – work in the constituency, responsibilities in Parliament, and ministerial duties when their party holds power.

Occasionally, these three aspects overlap considerably, and it is often the interactions with constituents that influence ministerial decisions and inform parliamentary discussions.

This came to mind this week while I was in the Commons outlining the government’s reforms to our annual £400bn procurement expenditure.

As a Cabinet Office Minister, I have dedicated months to this work, and I take pride in the fact that these reforms will bolster British enterprises, strengthen local areas and ensure our excellent charities and small businesses have improved opportunities to secure public contracts.

One key reform involves granting local residents greater influence over which providers deliver their services and which organisations can compete for local government contracts.

This will be achieved by revising the interpretation of social value to ensure it more accurately represents community opinions and requirements.

Clearly, extensive discussions with companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations informed these proposals, though a particularly significant factor was my campaign alongside local residents to preserve Wellsbourne CIC – an outstanding GP practice in Whitehawk – under public ownership.

Wellsbourne was a well-regarded, community-rooted healthcare facility, yet during the re-tendering process for the local GP contract, this community backing proved insufficient against larger commercial operators with no local ties.

The community made their stance unmistakable – thousands added their names to petitions and fought passionately – and together we succeeded in keeping Wellsbourne publicly run, though the experience highlighted the need for the procurement system to better mirror local perspectives.

Consequently, it was a moment of considerable pride to announce this week that the government will revise the social value definition to achieve exactly that.

Likewise, the numerous conversations I have had with charitable organisations and smaller enterprises – including locally – reinforced my conviction that we must do far more to welcome new providers and voluntary groups into the public contracting process.

Our charity sector contains some of the most remarkable and transformative individuals imaginable, yet for many – particularly smaller charities – the deck is stacked against them when pursuing public contracts.

I witnessed this personally during a visit to a women’s support centre in my constituency that has an impressive history of assisting individuals at risk of or experiencing sexual violence and abuse.

They explained that merely navigating the tendering process required spending thousands of pounds, consuming numerous staff hours and diverting resources better allocated to direct service delivery.

Worryingly, they felt they continued to face substantial disadvantages when competing against larger organisations with dedicated procurement specialists.

I could not justify to them a system that effectively excludes small charities in this manner.

Therefore, in the Commons this week, I was pleased to announce that changes are coming to ensure our excellent voluntary sector receives a genuine opportunity.

One of the significant advantages and honours of parliamentary service is the ability to bring inspiring stories from our community to the attention of central government.

Even better, occasionally one gets to share these experiences with students during school visits.

Finally, this column would be incomplete without mentioning Albion’s recent week.

The dramatic last-minute equaliser against Spurs – thoroughly earned – followed by an impressive result against Chelsea on Tuesday evening.

My only disappointment was that late parliamentary divisions meant I could only follow the action on television.

This weekend brings Newcastle – currently struggling for form – so I anticipate a 2-1 victory as the push for European qualification continues. I would welcome your thoughts, and as always, do share your views on any aspect of this column or our area by emailing chris.ward.mp@parliament.uk.