The Procurement Act 2023 overhauled UK public procurement on 24 February 2025. Discover the key changes for bid teams and how to adapt your strategy.

Procurement Act 2023: What Every UK Bid Team Needs to Know

The Procurement Act 2023 is the biggest change to UK public sector procurement in 30 years — and it came into force on 24 February 2025. If your business wins work through government contracts, this legislation directly affects how you qualify, compete, and get paid.

Replacing the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Act introduces new procedures, new terminology, and stronger transparency requirements across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This guide breaks down what changed, what stayed the same, and what your bid team needs to prioritise now.

What Is the Procurement Act 2023?

The Procurement Act 2023 governs how public authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland buy goods, services, and works above set financial thresholds, which from 1 January 2026 are:

1. Goods and services: £135,018 for central government, £207,720 for other public bodies
2. Works: £5,193,000

Scotland is not covered. Scotland operates under its own Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

The Act consolidated three EU-derived regulations (PCR 2015, UCR 2016, CCR 2016) into a single framework. Read the full text on legislation.gov.uk [opens in new tab].

Key Changes Under the Procurement Act 2023

Several structural changes affect how procurements are designed and run. Here's what bid teams need to know.

New procurement procedures

The restricted procedure, competitive dialogue, and competitive procedure with negotiation have been replaced by the Competitive Flexible Procedure — a single, adaptable route giving buyers far more discretion over process design. The four procedures under PA23 are: open, competitive flexible, limited tendering, and direct award.

The PSQ replaces the SQ

The Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) is out. The Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) is in — more standardised, with a Cabinet Office-mandated template and clearer exclusion ground definitions.

Dynamic Markets replace DPS

Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) have been replaced by Dynamic Markets — updated qualification rules, clearer mini-competition requirements, and extended to works contracts for the first time.

Framework agreement changes

Standard framework agreements are now capped at 4 years (8 years for works, utilities, and defence). Call-off transparency requirements have increased, and buyers must consider whether framework design restricts SME access.

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MAT vs MEAT — What the New Award Criteria Mean for Your Bids

MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) has been replaced by MAT (Most Advantageous Tender). GOV.UK guidance says dropping 'economically' is not a change in policy. It reinforces that tenders don't have to be won on lowest price, so buyers can give quality, social value and environmental benefit more weight than price.

What this means for your bids:

1. Social value is a scored criterion, with a minimum 10% weighting on central government tenders under PPN 002
2. Quality weightings will grow, especially on central government contracts
3. Social value commitments must be evidenced with measurable outcomes

The Act itself doesn't require social value scoring. It asks buyers to have regard to maximising public benefit (section 12) and to the National Procurement Policy Statement. The 10% minimum comes from policy: PPN 002, which replaced PPN 06/20, requires central government departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies to give social value at least 10% of the total score on procurements started under the Act from 1 October 2025. If you're not yet tracking social value outcomes, start now.

What the Procurement Act Means for Your Bid Strategy

Central debarment register

PA23 introduces a central debarment register managed by the Cabinet Office. Suppliers found guilty of specified misconduct can be excluded from public contracts sector-wide — a serious compliance failure at one authority can now affect your entire public sector pipeline.

Planned Procurement Notices

The new Planned Procurement Notice (PPN) lets contracting authorities signal upcoming contracts before the formal tender goes live, giving suppliers advance visibility to plan capacity and start bid preparation early. Monitor Find a Tender [opens in new tab] for PPNs in your target sectors.

Procurement Act 2023 — Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Procurement Act 2023 come into force?

The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland is not covered — it operates under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, which remain in effect.

What replaced MEAT under the Procurement Act 2023?

MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) has been replaced by MAT (Most Advantageous Tender). Removing 'economically' reinforces that buyers can weight non-price factors such as social value, quality and environmental benefit as heavily as price, or more so. Price can still be the only criterion, but GOV.UK guidance says that is unlikely to suit most contracts. Separately, PPN 002 requires central government buyers to give social value at least 10% of the total score.

Does the Procurement Act 2023 apply to all public contracts?

PA23 applies above specific financial thresholds, which from 1 January 2026 are £135,018 for goods/services bought by central government, £207,720 for goods/services bought by other public bodies and £5,193,000 for works. Below these thresholds, general PA23 principles (transparency, non-discrimination) still apply, but not the full procedural requirements. Scotland is not covered.

What is a Planned Procurement Notice under the Procurement Act 2023?

A Planned Procurement Notice (PPN) is an optional early notice published by contracting authorities before a formal tender. It signals upcoming procurement activity, giving suppliers advance visibility for pipeline planning and pre-market engagement.

What is the difference between PCR 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023?

PCR 2015 was the UK's EU-derived procurement framework, in force until 24 February 2025. PA23 replaced it with a UK-specific framework: new procedures (Competitive Flexible), new terminology (MAT, PSQ, Conditions of Participation, Dynamic Markets), and new transparency obligations including the debarment register and Planned Procurement Notices.

Adapting to the Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 changes the rules — but not the fundamentals of what wins bids. Clear positioning, strong evidence, and efficient team processes still separate high-performing bid teams from the rest.

Prioritise four things: standardise your PSQ content, build social value evidence into every bid, monitor Planned Procurement Notices, and review your compliance position against the new debarment register criteria.

► BidScript's AI Co-Pilot (BidBot) flags content gaps before you submit and drafts responses from your own evidence — so every bid is compliant, competitive, and fast. Book a demo to see how we support PA23-ready bid management.