Procurement Act 2023: What Suppliers Need to Know
The biggest overhaul of UK public procurement in a generation. This guide explains what the Procurement Act 2023 changed, what replaced the old rules, and what it means in practice for suppliers bidding for public contracts.
What is the Procurement Act 2023?
The Procurement Act 2023 is the law that now governs most public sector procurement in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It came into force on 24 February 2025 and represents the most significant reform of the UK's public procurement rules in a generation. The Act was designed to create a single, simpler, and more transparent regime that opens up public contracts to a broader range of suppliers, with a particular emphasis on making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to compete.
The reform was made possible by the UK's departure from the European Union, which gave the government scope to consolidate and rewrite rules that had previously been built around EU directives. The result is a regime that keeps the core principles of fairness, equal treatment, and transparency, while giving contracting authorities more freedom to design procurement processes that fit the contract in front of them.
For suppliers, the practical effect is a new vocabulary, new procedures, and a new central platform, all sitting on top of the same fundamental goal: winning the right to deliver public work. Understanding the changes is the first step to bidding confidently under the new rules.
What Did the Act Replace?
The Procurement Act 2023 replaced the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which had been the main rulebook for public procurement for nearly a decade. It also replaced the related Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 and the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016. In place of that patchwork of overlapping regulations, the Act brings most public procurement under one consolidated framework.
The transition is based on the start date of a procurement. Procurements that began before 24 February 2025 generally continue to run under the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015, while those started on or after that date follow the new Act. This means suppliers may see both regimes in the market for some time as legacy procurements work their way through to completion. Knowing which set of rules applies to a given opportunity matters, because the procedures, notices, and terminology differ between the two.
The Key Changes for Suppliers
Four changes stand out as most relevant to organisations that bid for public contracts. Together they reshape how you find opportunities, how the process runs, and how much you can see about the wider market.
A central digital platform
Suppliers register their core details once on the government's central digital platform and reuse that information across multiple procurements. Opportunities and notices are published through Find a Tender, giving bidders a single primary place to discover live public sector contracts.
The competitive flexible procedure
A new, adaptable route that lets buyers design a process suited to the contract, including the number of stages and how negotiation works, as long as it stays fair and transparent. A streamlined open procedure remains available for simpler, off-the-shelf needs.
More transparency notices
Notices now run across the whole lifecycle, from planning and tender to award and contract performance. Suppliers gain clearer sight of upcoming work, award decisions, and how contracts are being delivered, which improves market intelligence for everyone.
A refreshed exclusions regime
The Act updates the grounds on which suppliers can be excluded and introduces a central debarment list of suppliers barred from bidding. It also strengthens the focus on past performance, so a track record of poor delivery can count against a supplier.
New Procedures: Flexibility With Guardrails
Under the old rules, buyers chose from a fixed menu of procedures such as the open, restricted, and competitive dialogue routes. The Procurement Act 2023 simplifies this. It offers a streamlined open procedure for straightforward, off-the-shelf requirements, and a competitive flexible procedure for everything else.
The competitive flexible procedure is the headline change. It allows a contracting authority to design its own process around the nature of the contract, deciding how many stages there are, whether there is dialogue or negotiation, and how suppliers are narrowed down. The flexibility is not unlimited: the process must remain fair, proportionate, and transparent, and buyers must publish how it will work so suppliers know the rules of the game in advance.
For suppliers, this means reading each tender carefully, because no two competitive flexible procedures will look exactly the same. The upside is that well-designed processes can suit complex requirements better than the old rigid procedures, giving capable suppliers more room to demonstrate value.
What It Means in Practice for Bidders
Assuming the old PCR 2015 rules still apply
Procurements started on or after 24 February 2025 follow the new Act. Familiarise yourself with the new procedures and terminology now.
Not being registered on the central platform
Register your supplier details on the central digital platform and keep them current so you can bid quickly when opportunities appear.
Ignoring planning and pipeline notices
Use the new transparency notices on Find a Tender to spot opportunities early and prepare before the tender goes live.
Underestimating the value of past performance
Deliver well on existing contracts. Under the Act, performance and KPIs are more visible and can affect future bids.
How Glaxtons Helps You Navigate the New Rules
A new procurement regime is both a risk and an opportunity. Suppliers who understand the Procurement Act 2023 early, register on the central platform, and learn to read the competitive flexible procedure will be ahead of competitors still working to the old playbook. Glaxtons helps clients make exactly that transition. With a 93% win rate and more than £500M in public sector contracts secured for clients, our team keeps current with the rules so you can focus on delivery.
We help suppliers interpret each tender under the new procedures, position their responses against the buyer's published evaluation approach, and use the new transparency notices on Find a Tender to spot and prepare for opportunities before they go live. Where past performance is now more visible, we help you evidence your track record in a way that strengthens future bids rather than holding them back.
Explore our bid writing services, our work as NHS framework specialists, and our overview of government frameworks. To understand the supplier suitability stage under the new regime, read our guide to PQQs and Selection Questionnaires.
Procurement Act 2023 FAQs
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With a 93% win rate and over £500M in contracts won for clients, our team helps you navigate the Procurement Act 2023 and win under the new regime.