The Procurement Act 2023 — a plain-English overview.

When did the Procurement Act 2023 come into force?

The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025 — delayed from the original October 2024 commencement date to give contracting authorities and suppliers more time to prepare for the new digital-first transparency requirements.

Contracts already in procurement on commencement day continue under the old regulations (Public Contracts Regulations 2015). New procurements from 24 February 2025 onwards must use the Act and its supporting regulations.

What does the Act change?

The biggest changes for suppliers:

• Single regime: replaces three previous sets of regulations (Public Contracts, Utilities Contracts, Concession Contracts) with one unified Act.
• More transparency: contracting authorities must publish notices at every stage of a procurement — planning, tender, award, contract performance, and modification.
• Open frameworks: a new framework type that lets new suppliers join mid-life (every 4-8 years), rather than waiting for full re-procurement.
• Dynamic markets: the new name for Dynamic Purchasing Systems, with broader applicability and longer lifespans.
• Stronger debarment regime: a central debarment list, plus expanded "exclusion grounds" including poor past performance.
• Direct award powers: clearer scenarios where contracting authorities can make non-competitive awards (e.g. unique-supplier R&D, extreme urgency).
• Social value default: KPI publication required on contracts >£5m; social value remains a permitted (not mandated) award criterion.

Who is affected?

The Act applies to all UK public-sector contracting authorities — approximately 30,000 buying organisations across central government, NHS, local authorities, devolved administrations, agencies, and arm's-length bodies. Suppliers of all sizes bidding for any UK public-sector contract above the simplified procurement threshold need to understand the new procedures.

Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own equivalent regimes (NI Public Contracts Regulations 2023 took effect alongside; Scotland's Procurement Act 2014 plus Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 still apply north of the border).