BlueLight Commercial is the Single Point of Contact for Policing and Fire

 

The Procurement Act 2023 is the largest overhaul of procurement regulations in a generation and is mandatory for all public contracting authorities. It aims to bring great benefits to both the public sector and suppliers, drive innovation, deliver better outcomes and embed transparency right through the commercial lifecycle, so everyone can access procurement data and see how public money is spent.

Working with the Cabinet Office as the SPOC for policing and fire, we collaborate with Superusers from each organisation to support implementation in the sector and coordinate learning and development. The majority of this takes place on our Learning Management System (LMS) where registered users can access our Knowledge & Collaboration Hub. If you are having trouble accessing the Hub, or need to register for the LMS, please email our Capability team.

 

Update: 12 September 2024

Read the Special Update from the Government Commercial Function on the Transforming Public Procurement Programme published on 12 September 2024, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.

The Cabinet Office has announced that the Procurement Act 2023 will now commence on 24 February 2025 - a delay of four months from the original go-live date of 28 October 2024. This is to allow time for a new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) to be produced that is aligned to the Government’s strategic priorities and delivers their mission for public procurement to be a key driver of value for money, economic growth and social value.

The NPPS will be completed by February and therefore, Ministers have taken the decision to delay the commencement of the new regime until the new NPPS is in place. The NPPS laid by the previous administration, and which would have come into force with the Act, will be withdrawn.

 

The Cabinet Office have provided some FAQs to help procurement teams and other stakeholders to answer questions they may have about what the delay means for them. If you have more specific points or questions you wish to raise, you may contact procurement.reform@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The official L&D materials are, and will continue to be, available up to and after the new commencement date, and the Cabinet Office will be continuing the roll-out of guidance materials and Community of Practice events.

About the Procurement Act

It's designed to:

• Boost transparency
• Create more flexible procurement processes, aligned to the marketplace, product or service
• Increase supplier engagement
• Help level the playing field for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises
• Strengthen provisions for prompt payments
• Create more flexible commercial frameworks, giving suppliers improved access
• Develop compliance and complaints processes and consideration of national security and debarment issues
• Simplify the bidding process with a new central digital platform, so suppliers can register their details once for multiple bids, find a tender and see all opportunities in one place

 

Why these changes matter to you:

This is a pivotal time for anyone involved in public sector procurement. 

Understanding the changes that will apply to all new procurement opportunities published on or after 24 February 2025. 

BlueLight Commercial has been working with the Cabinet Office, on behalf of Police and Fire services with training, new processes and policies to support implementation across the sector.

You need to prepare for this significant change. 

Below are some useful resources to help you prepare.

Resources

To support implementation, provide learning and development and host useful resources we have created a Knowledge & Collaboration Hub on our LMS. If you are having trouble accessing the Hub, or need to register for the LMS, please email our Capability team.

The Cabinet Office has published a number of guidance documents and resources, which are linked below.

For commercial and procurement teams the Government Commercial College has e-learning available, consisting of 10 x 1-hour modules including a skilled practitioner certificate. Visit the Government Commercial College to register or email the GCC team for support. 

Supplier Training and Webinars

To help suppliers to prepare we have been rolling out an awareness programme including email updates, training and webinar events (with specific ones for micro and small businesses and VCSEs). Please share our resources with your suppliers - click here to view.