Procurement Act 2023 - public procurement legislation

Overview

New legislation is now in effect that directs the way the public sector buys goods and services.

The Procurement Act 2023 will apply to all procurements which have been published after Monday 24 February 2025

Procurements already in progress or calls offs from frameworks which were procured prior to this date will remain subject to the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

What has changed?

  • 'Find a tender service' (FTS) is the central digital platform for public procurement.
  • If you were previously registered on FTS before 24 February 2025 you will need to re-register.
  • FTS is a central database to register and to store your core business details so that they can be used for multiple tenders. You should only have to complete this information once.
  • For all contracts above the relevant threshold, Cheltenham Borough Council requires suppliers to be registered on the FTS and to have stored core business details.
  • All public contracting organisations are now using the same platform i.e. FTS, which means that all in scope public sector procurement opportunities are in one place - making it easier to search for and set up alerts for procurements of interest to you
  • Suppliers now have improved visibility via 'find a tender', including advertised below threshold opportunities
  • For below threshold contracts, we would recommend suppliers register on FTS to see advertised opportunities.
  • There is greater transparency of who is tendering for and winning contracts above £5 million, copies of these contracts and their associated KPIs will also be published. Confidential information within contracts will be redacted.
  • A change from most economically advantageous tender to most advantageous tender (MEAT to MAT).
  • A new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to the particular barriers facing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs), and to consider what can be done to overcome them throughout the procurement lifecycle, helping level the playing field for smaller businesses so they can compete for more contracts.

Government information and guidance for suppliers

There is already a range of information and resources available on GOV.UK's transforming public procurement pages.

If you have not already, we strongly recommend you watch the official 'transforming public procurementknowledge drop' videos with dedicated versions designed specifically for suppliers, including SME and VCSE suppliers. These videos will give you a broader understanding of the changes.

Other useful links

FTS guides on GOV.UK: