How Can Businesses Prepare For The Procurement Act?

Now is the time to familiarise yourself with the Procurement Act, ensuring your business is ready for 24 February 2025. While the Act aims to simplify tendering, it will initially create challenges and opportunities for businesses across the UK.

Businesses that have not researched the impact of the Act may find themselves submitting low-quality or non-compliant bids once it is introduced. There is a high risk of getting overloaded with unexpected administrative work, resulting in either rushed bids or missed deadlines. Additionally, their bids may receive low scores or be disqualified if they do not align with the public sector’s new procurement objectives.

Conversely, businesses that have researched the Act will have a strong competitive advantage when it is introduced. Being prepared for the new systems, processes and objectives will allow businesses to think strategically. As many businesses are not aware of the Act or its significance, your business can stand out by submitting high-quality and compliant bids.

Attend Our Webinar

Save yourself from conducting hours of unguided research, clicking links and searching for information about unfamiliar processes. Our team have condensed everything you need to know about the Act into a free 45 minute webinar. We will ensure you are aware of the key changes, how they affect your business, and what your business can do to capitalise on the opportunities created by the Procurement Act.

Think of this webinar as your starting point, from which you can broaden your knowledge on the topics that actually matter to your business.

Try Pre-Market Engagement

Researching your target buyers and engaging with them prior to the 24 February 2024 could give you access to beneficial information.

Buyers are preparing for the Act’s introduction too, and might be able to share details of their preparations which might influence your tendering strategy. Buyers will also be encouraged to explore innovative solutions and conduct preliminary market engagement where required, and your conversations could help you anticipate what actions the buyer will likely take and what solutions you can offer.

f they plan to spend more than £100m on procurement in the new financial year (1 April), Buyers will be required to publish Pipeline Notices detailing their projects for the next 18 months. If this requirement is likely to apply to your regular customers or targets, they will have already started planning and information may already be available on their websites or published as a press release.

Prepare For Your CDP Registration

You will only be required to register your company details on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) once the Act is enacted, and should not expect access prior to 24 February 2024. We do however recommend starting your CDP registration preparations now.

You will be expected to provide company details, financial records, trade assurances, qualifications, and information about connected persons (subcontractors, subsidiaries etc). Having this readily available prior to the Procurement Act going live will make your registration process much easier. The government have advised that suppliers will soon have access to a checklist to guide them through the registration process.

Update Your Tendering Strategy

You can start updating the way you bid for tenders now, and refine your processes in time for the Procurement Act’s launch.

We know the public sector’s procurement priorities are changing, and this will already have an impact on forward planning and procurement decisions. With the move to Most Advantageous Tenders (MAT) as the go-to rule for awarding contracts, your bids should show how your business contributes to achieving the objectives of the Procurement Act and National Policy Statement (NPPS). You should look at using Social Value and your service/product’s unique selling points to your advantage.

You should also review your business practices, ensuring they do not conflict with any aspects of the Act. We would recommend looking into the rules around eligibility and debarment, and take actions to mitigate any risks this might create.

Visit Our Procurement Act Hub

We have been researching the Procurement Act too, and can confirm there is a lot of overly complex information and disconnected content out there. We want to save you from having to read through pages and pages of buyer focused content, by providing you with supplier specific resources. The hub has simple overviews of the changes and concise guides about the Act’s implications for your business.

We are working on a range of Procurement Act resources, so please bookmark the page and follow us on LinkedIn to ensure you never miss an update.

Register For A Tender Alert Service

With an increased number of notices (planned procurements, pipelines, contract details, etc.) set to appear in Find a Tender, the workload of searching for, filtering through, and reviewing notices is likely to increase.

Find a Tender relies on CPV codes to categorise notices, often resulting in search results cluttered with irrelevant notices. With over 9,000 CPV codes, many of which are outdated or overly broad, they often fail to accurately capture what suppliers are looking for. To create a hassle-free experience for your business, you can let qualified opportunities come to you by subscribing to a tender alert service. You will receive prompt notifications of relevant tenders, freeing up your time to focus on other business activities.

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service, helping businesses find tenders since 1993. Our unique Peer-review Process goes beyond the capabilities of other tender alert services. Our team reviews every notice published in the UK and categorises them with industry-specific keywords you are familiar with. This process allows us to match tenders to your particular business needs, ensuring you never miss a tender.