As you may be aware, public procurement is changing on Monday 24 February 2025. These rules shape how public procurement bodies buy goods and services.
The Procurement Act 2023 will introduce measures to improve and streamline the way procurement is done and benefit prospective suppliers of all sizes, particularly small businesses, start-ups and social enterprises.
If your business supplies goods, works or services to organisations in the public or utility sectors – or hopes to do so in the future – you need to know about the changes. This includes supplying to government departments, the NHS, local authorities, universities, schools, social housing organisations, police and fire brigades and utility companies.
Key benefits for suppliers include more standardisation and streamlining of procurement processes – but there are also additional benefits in the Act such as requiring better oversight of procurement decisions and strengthening payment terms.
The Cabinet Office has been providing webinars for suppliers but if you have not been able to attend these, there are recordings of the sessions available here. These recordings focus on the key changes for suppliers and featuring a live demonstration of the central digital platform. It is to make it easier to find and bid for contracts with a central digital platform which will be an enhancement to the existing Find a Tender Service.
There are further videos to help you understand and navigate the platform, including how to register, upload organisational information and search and bid for opportunities.
- A guide for suppliers: How to register an organisation and the first administrator in 3 easy steps
- A guide for suppliers: Detailed walkthrough How an administrator completes and updates supplier info
- A guide for everyone: An overview of the central digital platform, an enhanced Find a Tender service
Each of the videos is supported by a user manual.
- Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps
- Suppliers: detailed walkthrough – how an administrator completes and updates supplier information
- Buyers and suppliers: How to use the central digital platform (enhanced Find a Tender service) a short guide for everyone
Guidance and support
If you are a supplier, there is dedicated guidance to help you prepare and to support you as you begin to do business under the new regime.
- A short guide for suppliers on the main elements of the Procurement Act 2023
- A factsheet explaining how the Central Digital Platform will work
- Dedicated Supplier Knowledge Drops videos giving you an overview of the key changes with versions for SMEs and VCSEs.
Also published is supplementary guidance to explain how small and medium-sized enterprises are being defined and you can view the public sector buyers’ training manual – to see the detailed training all procurement practitioners are undertaking.