📰 Transforming Public Procurement – April 2025 Update
The Procurement Act 2023 is now live — and six weeks into implementation, the new regime is already reshaping the public procurement landscape across the UK.
The transition has been widely supported by procurement practitioners, with early signs showing strong engagement from both suppliers and contracting authorities. As of 7 April 2025:
- Over 25,546 users are registered on the new central digital platform (enhanced Find a Tender Service).
- More than 2,568 notices have already been published and made publicly available.
This new platform supports greater transparency and accessibility, with suppliers now able to easily search for new opportunities. Members are reminded to adjust their search settings to find Procurement Act 2023 notices specifically, by de-selecting ‘other notice types’ during a search.
🔍 Embracing New Flexibilities: Early Engagement in Action
A standout success of the new regime has been the uptake in pre-market engagement notices.
Over 700 early engagement opportunities have already been published — a positive sign that contracting authorities are embracing a more open and collaborative approach to market engagement.
These notices span diverse initiatives, including:
- Space weather monitoring processes
- Studies on unexploded ordnance
- Public bus services
- Major infrastructure maintenance (e.g., London bridges)
- New theatre and Royal Charter vessel projects
Suppliers are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to share insights early and help shape procurement approaches before formal tendering begins.
📅 Introducing the Pipeline Notice (UK1)
From 1 April 2025, contracting authorities with anticipated relevant contract spend over £100 million must publish a Pipeline Notice for planned procurements within the next 18 months (over £2 million in value).
The purpose of the Pipeline Notice is to:
- Improve supplier visibility of upcoming opportunities.
- Help SMEs and VCSEs plan resources and partnerships earlier.
- Foster greater innovation and early market input.
Key deadline:
Large authorities must publish their first Pipeline Notice by 26 May 2025.
A new leaflet explaining how Pipeline Notices work and how to find them is available on the central digital platform.
🤝 Support for Procurement Professionals: Community of Practice and Training
The Government’s Community of Practice (CoP) hosted on the Government Commercial College portal now connects over 11,000 public sector procurement professionals.
Upcoming events include deep dives into:
- Key changes in standard contracts
- Exclusions under the new Act
- Below-threshold aggregation changes
- Contract management approaches
- Showcases of local government innovation
Meanwhile, the official Procurement Act Deep Dive training is underway and proving extremely popular. Practitioners who intend to complete the Deep Dive must do so before training concludes on 4 July 2025.
🔗 Find Out More
Members are encouraged to:
- Explore opportunities and resources via the central digital platform.
- Join the Government Commercial College portal and the Community of Practice.
- Complete their Deep Dive training if they have not yet done so.
The Cabinet Office welcomes examples of how public bodies are successfully using the new flexibilities. If you have case studies to share, email:
📧 [email protected]
NEUPC will continue to keep members updated on developments as the new regime embeds across the sector.