The Procurement Act 2023
The Procurement Act has gone through an extensive legislative process. Royal Assent was received on 26 October 2023, and implementation of the Act officially began in April 2024. It will come into force on 28 October 2024.
The Act:
- aims to improve public procurement regulation
- creates a simpler, more flexible commercial system
- opens up public procurement to new entrants, ensuring transparency is embedded throughout
You can view the new Procurement Act on the UK legislation website. The official record of the Bill’s progress through Parliament, with all supporting documents can be found on the Parliamentary website.
For the most recent updates and news, visit Transforming Public Procurement.
What it means for suppliers
As a business that supplies goods, works or services to an organisation in the public sector, you need to be aware of these changes.
For suppliers there will be new features which should make it easier to do business with contracting authorities, including:
- a central digital platform
- simplified bidding processes
- more flexible commercial frameworks
- a stronger exclusions framework
There has been a range of resources developed, regarding the new regime, on the Transforming Public Procurement page. This includes a series of ‘knowledge drop’ training videos with tailored versions. These are designed specifically for suppliers, including small and medium enterprises (SME’s) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE’s).
Materials are still being developed. These will be added to the site as they become ready for public distribution, as we move towards go-live.
To receive regular updates and alerts when guidance material is published, you can join the Cabinet Office mailing list.