Selling to the Council – Procurement Act 2023 update

Public procurement law changes are now planned to come into effect within the next few months (now scheduled for 24 February 2025). The existing Public Contract Regulations 2015 are due be updated by the new Procurement Act 2023. This governs how we procure. Existing contracts and current procurements are not impacted and will continue as planned.

The new Procurement Act is intended to benefit suppliers of all sizes, particularly start-ups, scale-ups and small businesses. It will create a central digital platform for suppliers to register and store their details so that they can be used for multiple bids and see all opportunities in one place.

If you are a supplier that already works with us you should start to assess how these changes may affect you, or if you are supplier interested in working with us.

The Government’s Official Transforming Public Procurement Knowledge Drops page contains various short videos and guidance designed to provide a high-level overview of the changes to the procurement regulations and aimed at those who have regular interactions with procurement, including suppliers. Supporting factsheets have also been linked from there.

UPDATE JAN 2025: To support readiness for the new regime, the Cabinet Office are running two webinars for suppliers and other interested parties in January.

Both sessions will be the same, so you only need to sign up for one using the links below:

Thursday, 23 January 2025 (10.30-11.30)

Friday, 24 January 2025 (11.00-12.00)

Other resources include:

We will update this page with important information about these changes as it becomes available.