SUPC shares valuable Procurement Act update with members

The government have announced a new go live date for the Procurement Act, now expected to launch on 24 February 2025. The new Procurement Act aims to establish a single legal framework for the award of public contracts. Many of the features of the new regime will remain the same, but several significant changes are proposed.

Head of SUPC, Gemma Payne, has summarised this postponement:

Read the full statement from UK Parliament on the Procurement Act postponement here.

SUPC members can access the full impact report below which includes more information on the Procurement Act.

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Despite the challenges presented by the Procurement Act changes, there are notable positive aspects to consider including adding flexibility and agility to parts of procurement processes. The bill may add bureaucracy around transparency notices which could initially increase risk for us as an organisation and members, both legally and reputationally, but will ultimately strengthen the integrity of both.

What are the key milestones of the Procurement Act?

Procurement reform – are you ready?

The notices may also add additional time to procurement processes. SUPC is working to ensure that there are adequate resources to fulfil these increased obligations to reduce the impact of additional burdens on procurement teams.

What are the procurement principles?

Are you ready for the Procurement Act?

SUPC will be looking at specialist training required in relation to data protection and what information cannot be released or must be redacted to avoid exposure to data breach claims. We see that significant training will be required across the whole sector for the new obligations. In the long run, these efforts can contribute to a more resilient, compliant, and efficient procurement sector.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics raised with us, please start the conversation at supc@reading.ac.uk.