To win tenders regulated by the UK Procurement Act, businesses must be registered on the Central Digital Platform (CDP), via the Supplier Information and Registration System Interface (SIRSI) within Find a Tender. Registration will allow suppliers to view opportunities, submit bids, and receive contract awards.

Woman collecting information for Supplier Registration on the Central Digital Platform

Supplier Registration

To bid on Public Contracts once the Procurement Act is live, suppliers must have first registered their details on the CDP.

Registration will be open from 24 February 2025 and involves:

  1. Registering your business details on the CDP via Find a Tender.
  2. Creating personal GOV.UK One Login accounts for members of your bid team. These accounts can be linked to your business account as administrators, editors and viewers.

To register, you will require:

  • Mobile phone – for two-factor authentication
  • Companies House number or other registration number
  • Personal email address
  • Business email address – ideally a shared mailbox or generic company email address
  • Answers to the questions covered in the ‘Supplier Information’ section below

Supplier Information

Registration questions should be viewed as a pre-qualification questionnaire for all your tenders moving forward, as it requires much of the same information as Part 1 and Part 2 of the current Selection Questionnaire (SQ). You will need to allocate time for the creation of an informative profile before bidding for tenders, as it will be used as part of your bid assessments.

This part will be time-consuming. We recommend sourcing this information first to make the process more efficient.

1. Basic Information

This includes supplier type (Organisation/Individual), registered and postal address, VAT number, website address, e-mail address, organisation type and if the company is registered with the Companies House

2. Connected Persons

Individuals or entities with significant involvement in your business, such as directors, partners, or major shareholders, are ‘Connected Persons’.
When registering your business, and updating your details, you will have to provide detailed information about each connected person, ensuring transparency and compliance with the Act.

3. Qualifications

This information will be used to assess your capacity and expertise to deliver goods, works, or services.
There are no standard qualifications required here, and it is expected that you will detail any qualification relevant to the opportunities you will be bidding for. This section could be filled with industry qualifications or International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certifications.

Examples of relevant qualifications are:

  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • ISO 45001

You will require supporting evidence, such as details of who awarded these qualifications and when.

4. Trade Assurances

This section allows you to give extra confidence to buyers, by showcasing the standards your business has reached and maintained.

Examples of trade assurances are:

  • Red Tractor Assurance
  • British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standards
  • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification
  • Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification

You will require details of who awarded these assurances and when.

5. Exclusions

To ensure fair and transparent procurement processes, buyers must assess suppliers for any potential grounds for exclusion. Suppliers are required to provide details of circumstances affecting their business or connected persons which may prevent them participating in procurements.

  • Mandatory Exclusions: Covers a wide range of convictions, including bribery, fraud, terrorism, and money laundering.
  • Discretionary exclusions: Include circumstances such as bankruptcy, professional misconduct, improper behaviour during a procurement, or convictions held by connected persons.

You will need to identify the type of exclusions applicable to your business, describe them in detail, explain how it is being managed, and confirm if the exclusion circumstances are ongoing.

6. Financial Information

You will need to upload accounts or statements for your 2 most recent financial years.
If you do not have 2 years, you can upload your most recent financial year. You will need to enter the financial year end date for the information you upload.

The Procurement Act - Key Processes and Terms Explained

Sharing Your Information with Buyers

You will have to provide buyers with access to your Supplier Information when bidding for tenders. Buyers will request access to this information in one of the following two methods:

  1. Share code: You can generate a unique profile code, giving buyers access to your Supplier Information. Each share code is unique, and even if your information has not changed, you should generate a new share code for each bid you submit.
  2. Information Download: You will be able to download your Supplier information as a .zip file and upload it along with your bid.

Updating Your Supplier Information

Supplier Information will need to be maintained and updated over time. New qualifications, annual accounts, and users will need updated when required.

All of these details can be managed easily and updated as needed.

You will not be required, or expected, to update your details for each bid you submit.