The Procurement Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and was introduced to reform the UK's public procurement regime in the wake of Brexit. The Act aims to place the following factors at the centre of the procurement process: value for money, public good, transparency, integrity, equal treatment and non-discrimination. However, its introduction still creates a level of uncertainty and concern for interested parties who need to operate under the Act once it has been implemented (currently expected in October 2024).
With this in mind, the Cabinet Office intends to provide a variety of training and guidance to both buyers and suppliers who will operate under the new regime. The first substantive training was launched on 5 December in the form of a series of "Knowledge Drops" (which are available here) and the provision of sector-specific factsheets, which are available here.
Knowledge Drops
The Knowledge Drops released by the Cabinet Office are a series of free-to-access YouTube tutorials and video presentations providing high-level overviews of the changes to the procurement regulations. There are dedicated series for:
- Contracting authorities
- Suppliers
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).
The series created for contracting authorities consists of six parts and collectively take roughly 45 minutes to watch through. Across the six "modules" the Knowledge Drops for contracting authorities covers a wide range of issues and concerns, some examples of which are listed below:
- The key changes and benefits from the previous regulations (Part 1)
- Actions to take and consider to implement the Act (Part 1)
- The full range of value for money considerations, early supplier engagement and pipeline publishing requirements (Part 2)
- The competitive flexible procedure, open frameworks, dynamic markets and the changes surrounding direct awards (Part 3)
- Debarment and supplier exclusion and the new requirements prior to awarding a contract (Part 4)
- Contract modifications, performance and termination, the role of the Procurement Review Unit and the Act’s transparency ambition and notice publication requirements (Part 5)
- The steps you can take to help prepare your organisation for these upcoming changes (Part 6).
The series created for suppliers and SMEs/VCSEs are shorter, consisting of three parts each. Both series again take roughly 45 minutes in total. The issues covered in each series cover much of the same themes as the listed above, but with supplier-specific perspectives and insights.
Factsheets
Also released by the Cabinet Office were sector-specific "factsheets" which complement the Knowledge Drop sessions and, crucially, outline in summary form, any exemptions or differences from the general provisions of the Procurement Act, as applicable to specific sectors/regions/types of procurement. The dedicated factsheets are for the following areas:
- Defence and security
- Schools
- Utilities and private utilities
- Light touch
- Concessions
- Northern Ireland
- Wales.
The factsheets should be read alongside or in conjunctions with the Knowledge Drops as they reference individual parts of the relevant Knowledge Drop.
