Procurement Act 2023 and Associated Regulations

The laws that govern public sector procurement and contract management have changed.

The Procurement Act 2023 and associated regulations came into force on 24th February 2025 replacing the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015).  

The Transforming Public Procurement programme (led by the Cabinet Office) has changed 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 

Further detail on key changes and benefits for suppliers can be found in The Procurement Act 2023 – a short guide for suppliers.

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 apply to the procurement of certain health care services. 

Central Digital Platform

The Central Digital platform (accessed via the Find a Tender website) launched when the regulations came into force. It is the place where public sector bodies publish details of procurement opportunities and transparency notices as required by the regulations.  

Suppliers need to register/create an account and enter their supplier information in the system in order to bid for public contracts.  

The Cabinet Office have created a detailed walkthrough video to assist suppliers signing up for the first time which can be accessed via the following link: A guide for suppliers: Detailed walkthrough How an administrator completes and updates supplier info. The information is also available via a HTML page Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK. Additionally, the Cabinet Office has created the following “Find a Tender, the Central Digital Platform” factsheet for suppliers: 20250224 Act Now_ Find a Tender Factsheet v3.0 FINAL 

East Sussex County Council continue to use our current e-tendering system to advertise opportunities, receive bids from suppliers and manage our procurement activities. 

Procurements started and contracts awarded under previous regulations

The Cabinet Office set out transitional arrangements to manage the changeover from the previous legislation to the new Act. This means the two regimes are going to run in parallel for a period of time.  

The previous public procurement rules continue to apply for contracts that are already in progress and for procurements started under the previous regime. All procurements that started on 24th February 2025 onwards fall under the new legislation. 

Further information

The Cabinet Office have developed a number of Procurement Act knowledge drops specifically for suppliers, and small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations:   

Additional links to Government guidance

Transforming Public Procurement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Procurement Act 2023: short guides - GOV.UK

The Procurement Act 2023: A summary guide for suppliers. (youtube.com)

The Procurement Act 2023: A summary guide for SMEs and VCSEs. (youtube.com)

The Procurement Bill - Benefits for Prospective Suppliers to the Public Sector (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If you have questions on any aspect of the Procurement Act 2023, please contact the dedicated Transforming Public Procurement helpdesk at procurement.reform@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.