Procurement Act 2023 & Blue Light Suppliers

Are you ready for go-live on 24 February 2025?

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.

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 can position you to take full advantage of the new processes which will apply to all new 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.

As a supplier, you need to prepare for this significant change.

Below are some useful resources to help you prepare.

Resources

Familiarise yourself with the Act and the changes you will need to make with these useful resources.

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.

Supplier Training and Webinars

We are hosting supplier training and webinar events, including specific ones for micro and small businesses and VCSEs. Below you will find recordings of recent webinars to watch on demand.

When new webinars are scheduled we will update this section with information and the registration link, and post details on our LinkedIn page.

Supplier Webinar Recordings

BlueLight Commercial Webinar, August 2024

In this online session we were joined by Gillian Askew from Go4Growth, who specialise in helping businesses to improve their skills and understanding in public sector procurement.

Suppliers can find an update on the latest developments of the Act, a review of some key changes from the supplier's perspective and the answer to the question "what do these changes mean for my business?".

Click here to download the meeting slides (PDF).

Emergency Services Times Supplier Webinar, September 2024

Chaired by Catherine Leven, Editor, Emergency Services Times, this session answered questions from suppliers, helping them to learn about the features of the new central digital platform, understand the streamlined bidding process and explore the benefits you can take advantage of before the changes in February, along with social value considerations and more.

Click on the image to access the webinar recording and register for CPD.

BlueLight Commercial Webinar, November 2024

This event included an update on the latest developments of the Act, revisited some of the key changes from a supplier's perspective and answered the question "how can we best prepare for the new procurement regulations?".

We also discussed the new Central Digital Platform and hosted a Q&A session to end the meeting.