The Procurement Act 2023

What Is the Procurement Act 2023?

The Procurement Act 2023 is the law that now governs most UK public sector buying. It received royal assent in October 2023 and came into force on 24 February 2025, after the original October 2024 go-live was delayed. It replaces three sets of EU-derived rules, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, and the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016, with a single regime covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Scotland retains its own procurement rules. Every new above-threshold procurement started since that date, including the notices among the 20,377 open tenders TenderTracker currently tracks, is run under the Act.

Simpler Procedures, Broader Award Criteria

The old menu of procurement procedures has been cut back to two: the familiar open procedure, where any supplier can bid, and a new competitive flexible procedure that buyers can design around the contract, adding negotiation rounds, demonstrations, or staged shortlisting as needed. The award test also changed: the "most economically advantageous tender" (MEAT) became the "most advantageous tender" (MAT). Dropping "economically" is deliberate. It gives buyers more scope to weigh quality and social value against price, which plays to the strengths of suppliers who can evidence local impact rather than simply undercutting on cost.

Transparency Across the Whole Lifecycle

The Act introduces a notices regime that covers a contract from early planning to termination, rather than just the tender stage:

• Pipeline notices signal planned procurements before they are formally advertised, giving suppliers time to prepare
• Tender notices invite bids for live opportunities
• Transparency notices explain direct awards made without competition
• Contract award and termination notices record who won, and when contracts end

For suppliers this means far more market intelligence in the public domain. Award data showing which suppliers win work in your sector, and which buyers are planning to spend, is easier to piece together than ever.

The Central Digital Platform

One of the most practical changes is the Central Digital Platform: suppliers register their core details once and reuse them across bids, instead of retyping the same company information, accounts, and declarations for every procurement. Registration is free, and for SMEs it removes one of the most tedious parts of bidding. If you plan to bid under the new regime at all, registering early is the obvious first step.

Other Changes Suppliers Should Know

• Open frameworks and dynamic markets: open frameworks can run up to 8 years and must reopen for new joiners, while dynamic markets replace dynamic purchasing systems and stay open to new members for their entire life
• 30-day payment terms now flow down the supply chain, so subcontractors benefit from the same prompt payment rights as prime contractors
• Published KPIsfor contracts over £5 million, showing how incumbents actually perform
• A central debarment list of suppliers excluded from public contracts
• Assessment summariesreplace standstill letters, giving unsuccessful bidders feedback on their own bid and the winner's; the 8-working-day standstill period itself remains
• A Procurement Review Unit oversees compliance with the new regime

What SMEs Should Do Now

Three things matter most in practice. First, register on the Central Digital Platform so your details are ready before a deadline forces the issue. Second, watch pipeline notices: they are the earliest signal a contract is coming, and arriving at a tender already informed beats reacting to it cold. Third, know your rights on payment, because 30-day terms now apply through the supply chain even when you are subcontracting. From there, the fundamentals of winning work have not changed: find relevant opportunities early, search live tender notices across Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and build a track record buyers can verify.

Frequently Asked Questions