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Monday, 24th February 2025, marks a significant milestone in public procurement. The long-awaited Procurement Act 2023 is finally going live, bringing substantial changes to the buying rules for public sector organisations.
The level of readiness varies across the sector. While some organisations have finalised their new policies months ago, others, often with fewer resources, are making last-minute preparations.
As the reforms take effect, we asked Guy Stapleford, Inprova’s head of consultancy, to share his top six priorities for public sector procurement teams in the coming weeks.
New governance systems may be in place, but have they been tested? No organisation has yet conducted procurement activities under the new rules, but you can still trial your updated procedures. For instance, can you easily extract payment data from your finance system to publish details about 30-day payment compliance and contract payments over £30,000? And what about key performance indicators (KPIs)? It's crucial to have systems in place with contract managers throughout your organisation to gather timely supplier performance metrics. While updating policies and processes is necessary, it's equally important to test them to ensure they function as intended.
Procurement managers must be clear on all contracts procured from 24 February 2025 onwards, including value, suppliers, and dates, to ensure compliance with the new rules. If you haven’t done so already, review your contracts register and ensure your procurement pipeline is up to date. Your organisation must publish an annual procurement Pipeline Notice 56 days after the new financial year begins if it plans to procure more than £100m of goods and services in the coming year. This pipeline needs to be ready by 26th May 2025.
As a procurement manager, you’ve likely accessed the Cabinet Office’s eLearning options, but now it’s time to ensure your colleagues have too. In this reformed procurement landscape, operations managers, budget holders, finance teams, contract managers, and even board members need to be aware of the new regime. Training is crucial to communicate new responsibilities and procedures, and the Cabinet Office’s resources, from knowledge drop videos to fact sheets about the new legislation, are relevant to all. For more specialised learning options, consider law firms and procurement organisations like Inprova.
The Government’s Transforming Public Procurement pages offer a wealth of resources, including the National Procurement Policy Statement and various guidance documents. These resources walk you through each stage of the procurement process, such as Procurement Policy Notes that clarify new rules and support practical implementation. A set of free standardised procurement templates can also be downloaded from the Government’s Procurement Pathway website. These templates are a good starting point, but seeking additional clarity and supporting tools from other sources is advisable. At Inprova, we have developed a toolkit with templates covering the end-to-end procurement and contract management process, providing example processes and documents for the Competitive Flexible Procedure.
It’s easy to spend days on LinkedIn reading heaps of Procurement Act ‘advice’ from self-proclaimed experts. Unfortunately, some of this information is inaccurate, so choose your advisors carefully, especially if you plan to undertake business-critical procurement activities under the new regulations. Your first port of call should be a public procurement lawyer, followed by dedicated procurement specialists like Inprova, who are well-versed in the new regime.
One project I’m frequently working on is a gap assessment. Public sector organisations have made preparations, but they want a fresh perspective to identify any gaps. Do they have the right systems in place for the new reporting requirements? Do they know how to use the central digital platform? Have they briefed all their suppliers on the new rules? The Procurement Act 2023 represents one of the most significant shakeups in buying rules for decades. It emphasises flexibility and innovation in procurement practices. However, social landlords must first get their strategy, scheduling, and alignment right across the business. Once this is in place, everyone will benefit. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss any of these issues or want information on how Inprova can help.
We’re here to help
We support public sector organisations across England and Wales with the Procurement Act 2023, helping them navigate the complexities and challenges of regulatory change. Whether you need to streamline supplier management, reduce procurement costs, ensure compliance with the latest regulations, or create social value, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
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