regulation
The Procurement Act 2023 Explained for Suppliers
9 min readBy David OkonjoReviewed by Helen MarshPublished 2026-05-19Last reviewed 2026-07-20
In short
The Procurement Act 2023 replaced the PCR 2015 regime for new procurements, introducing a competitive flexible procedure, a wider set of published notices, assessment summaries for bidders, a central debarment list and stronger transparency duties across the contract lifecycle.
What changed for suppliers
The practical effect is more visibility, more notices to monitor and clearer feedback when you lose.
- Competitive flexible procedure: buyers can design multi-stage processes to suit the market
- Assessment summaries replace thin award letters, showing how your bid scored
- Central debarment list for excluded suppliers
- Pipeline notices for authorities spending above the published threshold
- Contract performance notices and KPI publication for larger contracts
Legacy PCR 2015 contracts
Procurements started before go-live continue under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, as do call-offs from frameworks established under that regime. Expect both rulebooks in circulation for several years.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do anything differently?
Monitor pipeline and planned procurement notices earlier, and use assessment summaries systematically to improve future responses.
Sources