The Procurement Act 2023 represents the most significant change to UK public sector procurement law in a generation.
It replaces the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and introduces new procedures, new transparency requirements, new evaluation standards, and new contract management obligations that affect every stage of the procurement lifecycle.
For procurement teams, the scale of what needs to change is substantial. The shift from “most economically advantageous tender” to “most advantageous tender” changes how you structure evaluations. The competitive flexible procedure replaces several procedures your team may have relied on for years. New notice types must be published at stages that previously didn’t require them. For contracts above £5 million, you’ll need to set and publish at least three KPIs and produce annual performance assessments. Exclusion grounds have changed, and a centralised debarment list is being introduced for the first time.
Getting ready for these changes isn’t just about updating a few templates. It requires a systematic review of your policies, procedures, governance frameworks, evaluation methodologies, and contract management practices. It requires training for procurement staff and for the budget holders, commissioners, and operational colleagues who specify requirements and make purchasing decisions. And it requires a clear timeline so nothing is missed.
This checklist gives your procurement team a structured way to work through the preparation. It covers the specific actions you need to complete, the governance that needs updating, the people who need training, and the key dates you need in the calendar.
What’s in the checklist
Policy and procedure updates. A practical list of which internal documents need revising: procurement strategies, standing orders, evaluation templates, contract management procedures, and scheme of delegation. What to check, what to update, and who needs to approve the changes.
Testing your readiness. Your updated policies and procedures need testing before they’re relied on in a live procurement. The checklist covers how to test your new processes, identify gaps, and make sure your team is confident operating under the new rules before they have to do it under pressure.
New transparency and notice requirements. The Act introduces notice types and publication obligations that didn’t exist under the previous regulations. The checklist sets out what needs publishing, when, and on which platforms, so your team knows what’s required from day one.
Evaluation and award changes. How to update your evaluation approach for “most advantageous tender”, the competitive flexible procedure, and the Act’s requirements around published award criteria and assessment methodology.
Contract management obligations. What you need to have in place for KPI setting, performance assessment, contract modification documentation, and termination reporting on contracts above £5 million.
Communication with your team and your supply chain. The Act affects more than procurement professionals. Budget holders, commissioners, and operational staff need to understand how it changes their involvement in purchasing. Your supply chain needs to understand how the new rules affect them. The checklist covers what to communicate, to whom, and when.
Key dates and deadlines. The critical dates your team should have in the calendar, including commencement, transitional provisions, and the deadlines by which specific preparations need to be complete.
Who this checklist is for
This checklist is for procurement managers, heads of procurement, and compliance leads in any UK public sector organisation preparing for the Procurement Act 2023. Whether you’re in an NHS trust that also needs to manage the Provider Selection Regime for clinical services, a multi-academy trust navigating the Act alongside the Academy Trust Handbook and DfE buying guidance, a local authority updating standing orders and governance frameworks, a blue light service embedding new transparency requirements for the first time, or a central government department preparing for the Act’s full provisions, the checklist covers the practical steps you need to work through.
It’s also relevant for finance directors, governance leads, and senior leaders who need confidence that their organisation’s procurement function will be ready when the legislation takes effect.
In Summary
100% of Inprova’s eligible staff completed four-day training on the Procurement Act 2023 so that when our customers need guidance, our team is ready. Every framework, DPS, and Dynamic Market we manage is designed to comply with the Act’s requirements from the outset. If your organisation needs support preparing, whether that’s updating policies, training your team, reviewing your procurement processes, or building the governance framework the Act demands, our procurement transformation and risk and compliance consultancy services can help. Download the checklist as your starting point, and talk to our team if you need to go further.
Frequently asked questions
The honest answer is that it depends on your starting point. An organisation with well-documented procurement policies, structured contract management processes, and a team that’s already been following developments in the legislation will need less time than one starting from a position of informal processes and limited documentation. As a general guide, most public sector organisations need between three and six months to complete a thorough preparation programme. That includes reviewing and updating procurement strategies, standing orders, and governance frameworks, revising evaluation templates and contract management procedures to reflect the new requirements, training procurement staff and the wider stakeholders who are involved in purchasing decisions, testing updated processes before they’re relied on in live procurements, and communicating changes to your supply chain. The risk of underestimating the preparation time is that you end up implementing changes reactively under pressure rather than proactively with proper testing. The checklist helps you plan the sequence of preparation activities so you can work through them methodically rather than discovering gaps when you’re already running a procurement under the new rules. If your organisation needs to accelerate the preparation, Inprova’s procurement transformation and risk and compliance services can provide the expertise and capacity to move faster without cutting corners.
The Procurement Act 2023 replaces the PCR 2015 as the primary legislation governing public sector procurement in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The differences are substantial and affect every stage of the procurement lifecycle. The number of procurement procedures reduces from seven to three main routes: open, competitive flexible, and limited tendering. The competitive flexible procedure is entirely new and gives buyers significantly more flexibility in how they structure competitions, replacing the restricted, competitive dialogue, competitive procedure with negotiation, and innovation partnership procedures under the old rules. Evaluation shifts from “most economically advantageous tender” to “most advantageous tender”, with a stronger emphasis on quality, social value, and public benefit. Transparency requirements expand significantly, with new notice types at stages that didn’t previously require publication, including pipeline notices that give suppliers advance visibility of planned procurements. Contract management obligations are more demanding, with published KPIs and annual performance assessments required for contracts above £5 million. A centralised debarment list is introduced for the first time. Dynamic Markets replace Dynamic Purchasing Systems for new procurement routes. And the exclusion grounds, both mandatory and discretionary, have been overhauled. These aren’t minor updates to existing rules. They represent a fundamental redesign of how public sector procurement operates.
Your procurement team needs to understand the new legislation well enough to operate under it confidently and compliantly. The depth of training required depends on each person’s role. Procurement professionals who run tender processes need comprehensive training covering the new procedures, evaluation methodology, transparency requirements, and contract management obligations. This is the most intensive training requirement and should include practical application, not just awareness. Staff who specify requirements, manage budgets, or commission services also need training, but at a different level. They need to understand how the Act affects their involvement in procurement decisions, what the new evaluation approach means for how they define requirements, and what governance steps apply to their role. Senior leaders and board members need awareness of the Act’s implications for organisational governance, risk, and accountability, particularly around the transparency and performance reporting requirements. The checklist includes a section on communication and training that helps you identify who needs what level of understanding and when. Inprova’s team completed four-day comprehensive training on the Act, and our consultancy services include Procurement Act training tailored to your organisation’s specific needs and team structure.
The Procurement Act includes transitional provisions that allow procurements and procurement vehicles established under the previous regulations to continue operating. Contracts awarded under the PCR 2015 remain valid for their full term. You don’t need to retender them. Procurements that were already in progress before the Act came into force can continue under the previous regulations through to completion. Dynamic Purchasing Systems established under the PCR 2015 continue to operate until they reach their natural expiry date or until 23 February 2029, whichever comes first. After that date, any procurement route of this type must be established as a Dynamic Market under the new Act. Framework agreements established under the previous regulations also continue for their agreed term. The key point for procurement teams is that while existing arrangements are protected, any new procurement activity commenced after the Act comes into force must comply with the new legislation from the outset. This means you can’t delay preparation by continuing to use old procedures for new procurements. The checklist covers the transitional provisions in detail so you understand which of your existing arrangements are affected and what the deadlines are for transitioning to the new framework.
The Act applies to all UK contracting authorities, but the practical impact varies by sector because of the different regulatory and governance frameworks each one operates within. NHS trusts face the most complex implementation because they must manage the Procurement Act for non-clinical procurement alongside the Provider Selection Regime for clinical services. Getting the classification right for each procurement is critical. Multi-academy trusts must comply with the Act alongside the Academy Trust Handbook and DfE buying guidance, creating overlapping compliance requirements that need careful alignment. Local authorities must update their standing orders and contract procedure rules to reflect the new legislation, integrate the Act with existing best value duties, and manage the transition alongside any Local Government Reorganisation activity. Blue light services may be encountering some of the Act’s transparency requirements for the first time, particularly around pipeline notices and contract performance publication. Central government departments operate under the full force of the Act plus the National Procurement Policy Statement, with the most demanding transparency and social value requirements. The checklist is designed to be used by any public sector organisation regardless of sector, but understanding how the Act interacts with your sector-specific governance is an important part of the preparation. Inprova’s consultancy team brings sector-specific knowledge to help you navigate these overlapping requirements.
