Preparing for the Procurement Act: a guide for suppliers

The Procurement Act 2023 (Act) is now live as of Monday 24 February 2025. Suppliers need to ensure that their organisation is ready for the changes and carry out due diligence against its supply chain.

For suppliers the Act will mean greater transparency of opportunities, less prescriptive procurement routes and a one stop shop for registering supplier information. As well as the benefits, suppliers need to be aware that with greater opportunities, come higher expectations on supplier performance.

To help you get ready, we have set out a list of top tips and some resources to help you prepare.

Top tips to get ready

Familiarise yourself with the changes:  

• The Procurement Act 2023 and The Procurement Regulations 2024 set out the legal framework for the rules.
• The Cabinet Office has prepared guidance on a range of subjects including competitive tendering procedures, exclusions and debarment and remedies
• Keep up to date with VWV's short and expert blogs
• There are no changes to the current procurement thresholds which will remain in force until 31 December 2025.

Register for the Central Digital Platform (CDP)

• Suppliers will need to register on the Central Digital Platfom before you can bid for a public sector contract. The CDP is not expected to go live until after 24 February 2025 but we recommend keeping an eye out for early registration
• Please see the user guide

Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)

• The Procurement Specific Questionnaire replaces the standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ), although unlike the SQ it is not mandated.  
• The PSQ will require suppliers to confirm they have registered with, submitted and shared their core supplier information via the CDP, and provide information about associated persons and intended sub-contractors, so that exclusion and debarment checks can be carried out.
• Suppliers are well advised to carry out due diligence checks now against your associated persons and sub-contractors to avoid embarrassment later, particularly since the list of grounds for exclusion under Schedules 6 and 7 of the Act have been extended.
• In addition, if you are bidding for central government contracts, their executive agencies or non-departmental bodies, you can expect additional questions in the PSQ relating to prompt payment, carbon reduction plans and modern slavery and you should check your organisations policies and procedures are all in place to ensure compliance.

Engage with your public sector customers

• Public sector bodies are being encouraged to communicate with suppliers regarding the Act. Now is a great opportunity to take advantage to engage with your customers, understanding what changes they are making to their procedures in response to the Act and understand their forthcoming tender pipeline.

For further assistance please contact Stephanie Rickard in our Public Sector team at 07384 251 896.

Our full range of Procurement Act services can be found here.

You can also sign up to our mailing list for blogs, FAQs and regular updates here.