The Procurement Act 2023 took effect 24 Feb 2025. Learn what changed for suppliers and what you need to do now.
The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, replacing a patchwork of EU-derived regulations with a single, streamlined framework. For suppliers - especially SMEs - it brings real changes to how contracts are advertised, awarded, and managed.
This guide covers the key changes, what they mean in practice, and the steps you need to take right now.
The old rules (PCR 2015, UCR 2016, CCR 2016) were complex and prescriptive. They worked well enough for large, established suppliers who knew the system. Smaller businesses often struggled to navigate them.
The new Act was designed with three goals in mind: simpler procedures, better value for money, and more opportunities for SMEs. Whether it delivers on all three will take time to judge - but the mechanics are genuinely different.
The biggest practical change is the Central Digital Platform. All suppliers wanting to bid for central government contracts must now register on the CDP at find-tender.service.gov.uk.
You register once, store your company information centrally, and it carries through to every opportunity you express interest in. No more re-entering the same details on every portal.
Registration is free. If you have not done it yet, this is your first priority.
The old restricted and competitive dialogue procedures have been replaced by a single Competitive Flexible Procedure. Buyers now have more freedom to design a procurement process that fits the contract.
In practice this means fewer rigid stages and more room for early supplier engagement. Buyers are encouraged to talk to the market before they publish a formal notice - which creates a genuine window for suppliers to shape requirements.
Traditional frameworks were closed once established - if you missed the initial award, you waited years for the next one.
Open frameworks change that. They can run for up to 8 years, and suppliers can join mid-way through the term during scheduled re-opening windows. This is a significant opportunity for businesses that are growing their public sector capability over time.
If a framework is relevant to your sector, check whether it is open and when the next joining window opens.
Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) have been replaced by Dynamic Markets. The underlying concept is similar - a pre-qualified pool of suppliers for a category - but Dynamic Markets are broader in scope and can cover a wider range of goods and services.
Joining a Dynamic Market early puts you in front of buyers without competing on every individual contract from scratch.
The Act includes explicit duties on buyers to consider breaking contracts into smaller lots, making them more accessible to SMEs. Buyers who choose not to must now explain why.
This does not guarantee smaller contracts, but it does create a formal lever. If you think a contract could reasonably be split, you can raise that during market engagement.
Buyers are now required to publish quarterly reports on payments to suppliers for contracts over £30,000. This is primarily a transparency measure, but it also means late payment is now more visible.
For suppliers, this creates a paper trail if payment terms are being ignored.
Central government contracts must now award at least 10% of the total score to social value. This was already common practice under PPN 06/20, but it is now a floor, not a guideline.
If your bids do not address social value seriously, you are giving away a tenth of the available marks. More on how to approach this below.
Go to find-tender.service.gov.uk and register your organisation. You will need:
Do this before you need it. CDP registration can take a few days to process, and you cannot express interest in a central government opportunity without it.
With 10% of marks tied to social value on central government work, you need a clear, evidenced story. Think about:
Generic statements will not score well. Tie your commitments to the specific contract and buyer.
Check which frameworks in your sector have open or upcoming joining windows. The Crown Commercial Service publishes a full list, and many category-specific frameworks now use the open model.
Getting on the right frameworks early is one of the most efficient routes to a steady flow of public sector work.
The Competitive Flexible Procedure actively encourages pre-market engagement. Attend buyer events, respond to Prior Information Notices (PINs), and make yourself known before the formal tender is published.
Buyers who have met you are more likely to write requirements that your offer can address.
Social value scoring trips up a lot of suppliers. Here is what actually works:
Be specific. "We will support local communities" scores zero. "We will recruit two apprentices from within a 10-mile radius of the contract delivery site within 6 months of award" scores well.
Use the buyer's themes. The Social Value Model published by Cabinet Office uses five themes (Jobs, Growth, Social, Environment, Innovation). Map your commitments to these themes explicitly.
Back it with evidence. Reference similar commitments you have delivered on previous contracts. New suppliers can reference commitments made in their own business operations.
"I only need to register on CDP for central government work." Correct - local authorities and NHS trusts may continue using their own systems. But central government is a large and growing market. Register anyway.
"Open frameworks mean I can join any time." Not quite. Open frameworks have scheduled re-opening windows, not continuous open enrolment. Watch the notices on Find a Tender for re-opening dates.
"The competitive flexible procedure is less rigorous." It is more flexible, not less rigorous. Evaluation criteria still apply. The difference is in how the process is structured, not in the quality standards.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Act in force | 24 February 2025 |
| CDP registration | find-tender.service.gov.uk |
| Cabinet Office guidance | gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-act-2023 |
| Social Value Model | PPN 06/20 (still applies) |
| Max open framework term | 8 years |
| Social value floor (central gov) | 10% of total score |
The Act means more notices, published earlier and in more formats. Keeping track manually across Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, and individual buyer portals is time-consuming.
TenderSignal monitors 50+ UK and Ireland sources - including Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, and regional portals - and sends you daily alerts for contracts that match your sector and keywords. You can start for free with no credit card required.
Browse open contracts on TenderSignal
What is the Procurement Act 2023? The Procurement Act 2023 is the legislation that replaced the UK's EU-derived procurement rules (PCR 2015, UCR 2016 and CCR 2016) from 24 February 2025. It introduced a single, simplified framework for public procurement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland follows separate rules under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations.
Do I need to register on the Central Digital Platform to bid for any government contract? CDP registration is required for central government contracts. Local authorities, NHS trusts and other contracting authorities may use their own portals and supplier registration systems. However, registering on the CDP is free and takes little time - it is worth doing regardless.
What is the competitive flexible procedure? The competitive flexible procedure replaced the old restricted, competitive dialogue and innovation partnership procedures. It gives buyers more freedom to design the procurement process to suit the contract, including running structured pre-market engagement before a formal tender is published.
How do open frameworks differ from traditional frameworks? Traditional frameworks were closed after the initial award - suppliers could not join once the framework was established. Open frameworks allow new suppliers to join during scheduled re-opening windows throughout the framework's life, which can be up to 8 years. This gives growing businesses a route onto frameworks they missed at the start.
What is the 10% social value requirement? Central government contracting authorities must allocate a minimum of 10% of the total evaluation score to social value. This applies to contracts above the relevant threshold. Buyers use the Cabinet Office Social Value Model as the basis for their social value questions.
What happened to Dynamic Purchasing Systems under the new Act? Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) have been replaced by Dynamic Markets. The concept is similar - a pre-qualified pool of suppliers for a category of spend - but Dynamic Markets have broader scope and can be used across a wider range of goods, works and services.