Procurement Act 2023 - Special HEPA Digest

So, the Procurement Act is live! As our sector single point of contact, I wanted to compile a helpful HEPA Digest to remind you of the various resources that are available to you to help navigate the new procurement landscape. As ever, if you have any questions or feedback then please do not hesitate to get in touch with Ashley.

Central Digital Platform (CDP)

The onboarding process for the CDP opened for our sector at mid-day on 10 February 2025. You can find out all of the information you need relating to onboarding – including the link to the CDP – in this letter. HEPA is also pleased to share a series of hints and tips for onboarding – you can review these in this document.

Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)

The PSQ has been published on the Procurement Pathway Tool. HEPA is pleased to share the updated PSQ which includes the PPN questions, largely in Part 3B. You can download this PSQ here. If you missed the PSQ Community of Practice event then fear not - the Cabinet Office have uploaded the recording to the Government Commercial College.

Find A Tender Supplementary Noticing Instructions

The phased roll out of the various functionalities of the FTS platform will mean Contracting Authorities will need to adopt some interim measures when publishing notices following go-live to record additional data to remain compliant with the Procurement Act 2023. The Cabinet Office have sought to keep this to a minimum. This document will provide clarity on what they are. The requirement for these interim measures will cease to exist over time as additional digital functionality is rolled out.

Communicating the Procurement Act to Senior Leaders

HEPA is pleased to share a template slide deck that members can utilise with stakeholders to communicate key messages relating to the Procurement Act 2023, including: the aims of the Act, timeline, key features, impact throughout the procurement lifecycle, implementation, risks and implications. You can download the slides here.

Many thanks to all who attended the recent Procurement Act 2023 webinar for senior leaders, to UKUPC for hosting the session, and to Mohamed Hans for sharing his insights. The slides and recording are now available, alongside an accompanying briefing note.

2025 Procurement Act-ready versions of the Cabinet Office 'Standard Contracts'

The new 2025 Procurement Act-ready versions of the Cabinet Office 'Standard Contracts' are now available on gov.uk for colleagues to access, you can find out more about these resources on HEPA, and download the contracts from gov.uk:

• The Model Services Contract (‘MSC’) - for complex outsourced services above approximately £20m total contract value;
• The Mid-Tier Contract - for goods or services above the public procurement thresholds;
• The Short Form Contract - generally for goods or services below the public procurement thresholds.

Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs)

The PPNs have been updated in line with the Procurement Act 2023. You can read the updated PPNs on gov.uk here. These updates do not represent a change in policy.

Procurement Act Guidance Suite & Templates

The full collection of Procurement Act 2023 guidance is now available. You can read the guidance on gov.uk here. This includes templates relating to the Competitive Flexible Procedure which is available to download from the Procurement Pathway tool.

National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS)

The NPPS has been published. You can read and download the statement in full on gov.uk here. An accompanying written ministerial statement from Georgia Gould is available to read here, as well as the associated press notice on gov.uk here.

Round-up

• Check out the official Cabinet Office go-live newsletter, including information on the CDP, as well as the new Procurement Review Unit (PRU) and National Security Unit for Procurement;
• Colleagues at UKUPC kindly shared a very useful update regarding UK-wide interoperability which you can read on the discussion boards here;
• The Cabinet Office released a great guide for suppliers covering the Procurement Act 2023; you can download the guide to share with your suppliers on the HEPA website here, as well as review the Supplier Information on gov.uk containing animated ‘how-to’ videos;
• The Cabinet Office published the entire learning manual for the L&D project. You can download the full resource on gov.uk here;
• HEPA was pleased to share a comparison table of the PCR2015 regulations to the Procurement Act 2023 produced by the Cabinet Office. Please note: this is intended as a guide for stakeholders during the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023, it does not constitute legal advice. Contracting authorities should continue to get their own legal advice in relation to their procurements and specific circumstances. You can download the comparison table here.

Last, but by no means least, with colleagues busy preparing for the implementation of the new regime, we were pleased to confirm that the deadline for the Procurement Value Survey (PVS) has been extended until close of business on Friday 7 March 2025.