Procurement Act 2023
The laws that govern public sector procurement and contract management are changing.
The Transforming Public Procurement programme (which is being led by the Cabinet Office) will change how public procurement is regulated and carried out to:
- create a simpler and more flexible, commercial system that better meets our country's needs while remaining compliant with our international obligations
- open up public procurement to new entrants such as small businesses and social enterprises so that they can compete for and win more public contracts
- embed transparency throughout the commercial lifecycle so that the spending of taxpayers' money can be properly scrutinised
On 24 February 2025, the Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations will replace the current Public Contract Regulations (PCR) 2015.
The regulations had previously been due to go-live on 28 October 2024, however, in September 2024 the Government announced a delay to when the new regulations will come into force. There will be a transition period between the old and new regulations, during which the two regimes will run in parallel for a period of time.
Further detail on key changes and benefits for suppliers can be found on The Procurement Act 2023: Short guides page.
This is a long-term change so although benefits may not be visible on day one, the Cabinet Office are confident that the new regime will help break down barriers to entry into procurement.
Note: The Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations are separate to the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) which applies to the procurement of certain health care services.
New central digital platform
There will be a new central digital platform used by public sector bodies to publish details of new procurement opportunities.
Suppliers will need to register and upload key business information to the platform, with the aim of reducing duplication and resources used when tendering.
The platform will be used by public sector bodies to publish a range of notices required by the Act relating to a tender/contract. Surrey County Council will continue to use our current e-tendering system to advertise opportunities, receive bids from suppliers and manage our procurement activities.
The Cabinet Office has advised that the platform will launch when the new regulations go-live, and it is intended that this will be accessed via the "Find a Tender" website on GOV.UK, with additional system functionality being introduced by the Cabinet Office over a period of time.
A Central Digital Platform Factsheet for suppliers has been published by the Cabinet Office.
Procurements started and contracts awarded under existing regulations
Existing legislation will apply to any procurements started under the old rules. All new procurements started on 24 February 2025 onwards will fall under the new legislation. The existing public procurement rules will continue to apply for contracts that are already in progress and for procurements started under the current regime.
Further information
Our Procurement team is working through the necessary training and guidance materials being issued by the Cabinet Office in order to be ready to operate under the new regulations.
The Cabinet Office are providing regular updates and will continue working with leading business groups and trade associations to make sure information is available for suppliers. They have developed a number of knowledge drops specifically for suppliers, and small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations: The Official Transforming Public Procurement Knowledge Drops (GOV.UK)
Additional links to Government guidance:
- Transforming Public Procurement (GOV.UK)
- Animations and videos (GOV.UK)
- The Procurement Bill - Benefits for prospective suppliers to the public Sector (publishing.service.GOV.UK)
If you have questions on any aspect of the new regulations, please contact the dedicated Transforming Public Procurement helpdesk at procurement.reform@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
