The Procurement Act 2023 is the law that now governs how public bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland buy goods, services and works. It came into force on 24 February 2025, replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the separate rules for utilities, concessions and defence with a single framework. This summary covers what changed, what did not, and what suppliers should do about it.
The Procurement Act 2023 at a glance
- In force: 24 February 2025 (Royal Assent October 2023).
- Replaced: the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 and Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.
- Detail: the Procurement Regulations 2024 fill in the practical detail, such as what each notice must contain.
- Where it applies: England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish public bodies generally follow Scotland's own procurement regulations.
- Transition: procurements started under the old rules before 24 February 2025 continue under those rules to the end, so you will see both regimes for some time.
What changed for suppliers
One registration: the Central Digital Platform
Suppliers now register on the Central Digital Platform, accessed through Find a Tender, and keep their core company information there. That information is shared with buyers for procurements under the Act, so you stop re-entering the same details for every opportunity. Registration is free and gives your organisation a unique identifier, the Public Procurement Organisation Number (PPON). Register before you need it.
Fewer, more flexible procedures
The old menu of procedures has been replaced by two competitive routes: the open procedure and the competitive flexible procedure. The flexible procedure lets buyers design a process to suit the contract, with stages such as negotiation or dialogue if they choose. Expect processes to look different from one buyer to the next, and read each set of tender documents rather than assuming a familiar sequence.
Most advantageous tender
Contracts are now awarded to the "most advantageous tender" rather than the "most economically advantageous tender". Buyers can give more weight to quality, social value and other published criteria, provided they set them out in advance and apply them consistently. Read the award criteria closely: they tell you what this buyer values.
More notices, earlier
The Act adds structured notices across the procurement lifecycle:
- Pipeline notices: authorities expecting to spend over £100 million in a year must publish their planned contracts of £2 million or more for the next 18 months.
- Preliminary market engagement notices: signal that a buyer is talking to the market before a formal process.
- Planned procurement notices: optional, but publishing one at least 40 days ahead lets a buyer shorten the tender period.
- Tender notices: replace the old contract notice.
- Contract award and contract details notices: show who won and on what terms, with contract details published within 30 days of the contract being signed.
- Transparency notices: published when a contract is awarded directly without competition.
For suppliers, this means earlier warning of opportunities and much better visibility of who is winning what.
Open frameworks
A new open framework can run for up to eight years and must reopen to new suppliers at set points during its life. If you missed a framework at the start, you may get another chance to join.
Dynamic markets replace dynamic purchasing systems
The dynamic purchasing system (DPS) is replaced by the dynamic market, an open list of qualified suppliers that buyers can invite to compete for contracts. Existing DPS arrangements continue until they end. See our guides to dynamic markets and dynamic purchasing systems.
Tougher exclusions and a debarment list
Exclusion grounds have been updated, and there is now a central debarment list of suppliers excluded from public contracts. Poor performance on previous contracts can also count against a supplier. For most businesses this is background, but it is worth knowing the grounds, especially in closely regulated sectors.
Provisions aimed at SMEs
- Lots: buyers must consider splitting contracts into lots and explain if they do not.
- Prompt payment: 30-day payment terms apply to public contracts and must flow down the supply chain to subcontractors.
- Proportionate requirements: conditions of participation must be proportionate to the contract, so demanding heavy financial or insurance thresholds for a small contract is harder to justify.
Below-threshold contracts
Lower-value contracts now have national rules too. Contracts above £12,000 for central government, or £30,000 for other authorities (both including VAT), must be advertised on the Central Digital Platform if the buyer advertises them at all, and, apart from larger works contracts, buyers cannot use a separate supplier-suitability stage to shortlist for them.
What has not changed
Buyers still publish opportunities, suppliers still submit bids, and contracts are still awarded against published criteria. Financial thresholds still decide which rules apply: see our guide to UK procurement thresholds. And the fundamentals of a good bid, answering the question with evidence, are the same. Our bid writing guide covers those.
What to do now
- Register on the Central Digital Platform and keep your core information up to date.
- Watch pipeline and planned procurement notices from the buyers you want to work with. Early visibility is a real advantage.
- Read each procedure carefully. With the competitive flexible procedure, no two processes are guaranteed to look alike.
- Treat social value seriously. Central government buyers must give it at least 10% of the total score, and many others weight it too.
- Look for open frameworks and dynamic markets in your sector, and note when they reopen.
- Keep an evidence library of case studies, accreditations and social value commitments, so you can respond quickly to different formats.
For how it has worked in practice, read our review of the Procurement Act one year in.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Procurement Act 2023 come into force?
On 24 February 2025. It received Royal Assent in October 2023. Procurements that had already started under the old regulations continue under those rules until they finish.
Does the Procurement Act apply in Scotland?
Scottish public bodies generally continue to follow Scotland's own procurement regulations. The Act covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with some UK-wide and cross-border bodies.
Do I need to register on the Central Digital Platform?
Yes, if you want to bid for contracts procured under the Act. Registration is free, done through Find a Tender, and your core information is then shared with buyers so you do not re-enter it for each bid.
What happened to dynamic purchasing systems and frameworks?
Dynamic purchasing systems are replaced by dynamic markets, which work on the same open-access principle. Frameworks continue, and a new open framework can run for up to eight years and reopens to new suppliers at set points.
Does the Act make it easier for small businesses?
It includes measures aimed at SMEs: buyers must consider lots, 30-day payment terms flow down the supply chain, and requirements must be proportionate. How much difference that makes depends on how individual buyers apply them.
Staying on top of the new notices
The Act means more notices, published earlier and in more formats. TenderSignal brings together Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and 600+ buyer portals, including early-stage planning notices alongside live tenders, filtered to your categories and regions.
Create a free TenderSignal account and see what is coming up in your sector.