The Procurement Act 2023 will impact all businesses that provide services, works or goods to the utility sectors and/or public sector.  Through the creation of a central digital platform through which each supplier uploads their information, they can take part in bidding and negotiations for contracts within the public sector.

The government’s aim when introducing this act is;

  • To remove bureaucratic barriers
  • To create a more level playing field which will enable all businesses regardless of size to compete for contracts
  • To improve the promptness of payments throughout supply chains in the public sector
  • The framework will identify underperforming suppliers and apply exclusions

This act is part of the government’s Transforming Public Procurement programme which has the overall aim of improving the regulation of public procurement, through collaboration with business. A range of reforms have been made and the Bill has successfully progressed through Parliament with plans for the changes to be implemented in October 2024.

These changes will impact anyone involved in procurement, from purchasing managers and legal advisors to finance professionals and contract managers, in order to prepare for as little disruption as possible the Cabinet Office is preparing a comprehensive learning programme ahead of the roll out.

At DLC Training we suggest that organisations familiarise themselves with the impending changes as soon as possible, a recommended way to do this it to appoint a champion who can coordinate the implementation of these changes.  A series of informative videos, called ‘Knowledge Drops’ have been created by Government, they are designed to provide guidance and an overview of the changes. These knowledge drops have been categorised for procurement professionals in;

  • Contracting Authorities
  • Suppliers
  • SME/VCSE’s

These informative videos can be accessed via the government website. As a procurement professional it’s important to keep your knowledge relevant, DLC Training offer procurement qualifications from CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) and IoSCM (Institute of Supply Chain Management), learn more here

To access the full Procurement Act 2023 visit The National Archives website.