Transforming Public Procurement
How public procurement will change to improve the way supplies, services and works are procured for the public sector.
The Transforming Public Procurement programme aims to improve the way public procurement is regulated in order 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.
The Procurement Bill, which will reform the existing Procurement Rules, has now received Royal Assent. You can view the new Procurement Act on the UK legislation website, and the official record of the Bill’s progress through Parliament, with all supporting documents on the Parliamentary website.
This page explains what the new procurement regime will mean, provides more detail about the learning and development programme that is supporting its introduction, as well as further guidance for both contracting authorities and suppliers.
Read our short factsheets and watch our videos and animations which outline the key benefits of the new Procurement Act and next steps. You can also read a summary of the proposed provisions contained within the Act.
News and information
Check here for regular updates as we prepare for the new legislation.
The Procurement Bill, which will reform the existing Procurement Rules, received Royal Assent in October 2023.
In March 2024 the Procurement Regulations 2024 were laid in Parliament to bring some elements of the Bill and the wider regime into effect. This statutory instrument (SI), a form of secondary legislation, is available to view.
We are working towards a ‘go-live’ date for the new regime of 28 October 2024. This date will be formalised in Commencement Regulations which we expect to be made in May. Existing legislation will apply until the new regime goes live, and will also continue to apply to procurements started under the old rules.
We have launched the first official training product to support the introduction of the new Procurement Act: the Transforming Public Procurement Knowledge Drops. The Knowledge Drops are designed to provide a high level overview of the changes to the procurement regulations and are aimed at those who have regular interactions with procurement as well as suppliers including SMEs and VCSEs.
We have now launched the official Procurement Act 2023 e-learning modules - the key learning product to support practitioners in implementing the new regime. The modules are aimed at all operational procurement staff - this includes staff whose main role is to run tenders or let contracts, or procurement / commercial professionals whose main role is to manage suppliers or contracts.
Guidance will be provided to cover the transition from the old to the new regulations, and a comprehensive programme of learning and development will support professionals to implement the changes.
In November we hosted a series of webinars for stakeholders where we explained the final shape of the Bill, looked ahead to future key milestones, and outlined the support that will be provided. You can view a recording of our stakeholder webinar on YouTube.
To receive regular updates and alerts when guidance material is published, you can join our mailing list.
Guidance and Support
To support preparation for the Procurement Act 2023 we are publishing a suite of guidance documents addressing all aspects of the new regime, covering subjects from transitional arrangements and covered procurement through to pre-market engagement, award rules, exclusions and contract modifications. We will publish this guidance in batches, with all documents available by the end of June. View the guidance page.
Our document ‘Our Innovation Ambition’ sets out how the new regime will enable contracting authorities to embrace innovation more, and procure in more flexible and innovative ways.
Our planning and preparation checklist outlines initial actions in four key areas - policies and processes, systems, people, and transition - where early consideration will help contracting authorities get in the best shape to hit the ground running when the new rules come into force.
Our document ‘Benefits for Prospective Suppliers to the Public Sector’ sets out how the new regime will deliver a range of benefits for suppliers of all sizes wishing to do business and deliver contracts for the public sector.
Read our document ‘Transforming Public Procurement - Our Transparency Ambition’ which outlines in greater detail our proposals to improve transparency of UK public contracts and spending.
For more information and to receive regular updates, you can join our mailing list.
Learning and development
There will be a learning and development programme to support those operating within the new regime, available free at the point of delivery. This will be rolled out to meet the varying needs of stakeholders across the public sector and will be complemented by traditional published and online guidance.
Our official Learning & Development Brochure outlines the comprehensive, centrally-funded learning and development package for contracting authorities being provided by the Cabinet Office. This will help you decide which of the learning and development options are most suitable for you and your team’s needs and what actions you need to take in the coming months to plan your training programme to ensure you don’t miss out on the benefits and flexibilities of the new regime. We encourage you to share with colleagues and teams across your organisation.
Our aim is to provide a suite of dedicated learning approaches covering the range of requirements from those who only need an overview of the changes through to more detailed and specific instruction on the new regime for practitioners in Contracting Authorities and finally intensive learning focussed on the behavioural and cultural changes required. The package will comprise:
Knowledge drops: a range of short broadcast presentations (available on demand) providing a high-level overview of the changes to the procurement regulations. These will be aimed at non commercial leaders and others - including suppliers - needing a general level of awareness of the new rules.
Self-guided e-learning: expected to comprise 10 x 1 hour modules, for all commercial staff in Contracting Authorities to gain a comprehensive grounding of knowledge and understanding of each element of the new regime, and culminating in the award of a Practitioner Certificate.
Deep dive webinars: a three-day intensive course for a smaller group who will have completed the e-learning modules - those advanced commercial practitioners who need to become experts in operating within the new regime. It will comprise interactive virtual webinars in small cohorts which will allow learners to engage with subject matter experts. This element of the package is designed to provide learners with a deeper level of understanding on the application of the legislative change, build confidence and develop skills to support capability uplift, so that they can act as champions and super-users within their own organisations.
The formal learning and development will be supported by Communities of Practice where practitioners can support each other - sharing, discussing and reflecting on best practice, challenges, and opportunities within the new regime.
Consultations
Last updated 22 April 2024 + show all updates
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Updated the News and information section Added the following page link: The Official Procurement Act 2023 e-Learning
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Updated the News and guidance sections
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Updated the News and information section
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Added a new section related to the knowledge drops.
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Added a link to the page: Transforming Public Procurement: Our Innovation Ambition
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Updated to include links to the page: Part 2 Consultation on draft regulations to implement the Procurement Bill
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Added a link to the consultation: Part 1 Consultation on draft regulations to implement the Procurement Bill
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Under 'News and information' third paragraph, the go-live date changed from 2023 to "...early 2024 at the earliest". A more recent video webinar (January 2023) replaces link to webinar from July 2022.
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Added a link to the document 'Benefits for Prospective Suppliers to the Public Sector'
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Updated to include links to: Transforming Public Procurement - planning and preparation checklist Update on the official learning and development offer for contracting authorities
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Added a link to the mailing list.
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Added a link to the Transforming Public Procurement - Our Transparency Ambition page.
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The learning and development section has been updated to provide more detail on the learning and development support which will be available.
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Added webinar recording of 'Transforming Public Procurement update: June 2022.' Added link to a summary of the proposed provisions within the Procurement Bill.
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First published.