Procurement Act 2023 - guidance for suppliers

Do you work with Herefordshire Council supplying goods, works or services, or might you be interested in doing so in the future?

The Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024 are in place from 24 February 2025, and change how public procurement is carried out. This is aimed at improving the way supplies, services and works are procured for the public sector.

Any contracts awarded or tenders started before 24 February 2025 will be subject to the requirements of the previous legislation, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Concession Contracts Regulations 2016.

Helpful resources for suppliers

The key benefits of the new legislation for suppliers are available within a short guide on GOV.UK.

Videos and animations explaining the new Procurement Act and the Procurement Regulations are also available for:

  • Suppliers
  • Suppliers classed as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary and community sector enterprises (VCSEs).

There are a series of Knowledge Drops for suppliers and SMEs/VCSEs which are designed to provide a high-level overview of the changes to the regulations covering a variety of topics including:

  • The new Central Digital Platform
  • Early market engagement
  • Changes to procurement procedures
  • Open frameworks and dynamic markets
  • Commitments around prompt supplier payment
  • The Act's transparency ambition, and
  • Notice publication requirements

To get a good understanding of the new legislation, you can research the information provided by government at Transforming Public Procurement page and sign up to receive regular updates.

The central digital platform - the new enhanced Find a Tender Service

The main impact for suppliers is the creation of the central digital platform for public procurement. This is an enhanced Find a Tender service (FTS) which was launched on 24 February 2025.

As part of the new Procurement Act 2023, from 24 February 2025 suppliers must register on the new central digital platform in order to bid for public procurement contracts.

The online portal makes it easier to find and bid for contracts, and for buyers to meet their transparency commitments under the Act.

Find a Tender:

  • Features a simple registration and identification for both suppliers and buyers
  • Stores suppliers' core business details that can be used for multiple bids
  • Enables easy management and updating of core information quickly, and shared easily between suppliers, e-tendering systems and buyers
  • Makes public procurement opportunities visible making it easier to search at no cost and set up alerts for tenders of interest for suppliers
  • Allows for procurement noticing throughout the procurement lifecycle
  • Captures procurement data and eventually will create dashboards to analyse that data
  • The platform is free to use

Please note that Herefordshire Council will still use the Supplying the South West procurement portal to advertise its notices, receive bids from suppliers and manage its procurement activities. The Central Digital Platform will be an additional website where all notices will also be published.

How you can prepare for the new regulations

If you are a supplier for Herefordshire Council or a local business who may be interested in working with us in the future, it's really important that you sign up to the platform. You can register and submit your business information on the central digital platform.

To support suppliers to sign up, the Government Commercial Function have created a dedicated section for suppliers, including how to videos and guides available:

You can access the videos on the Transforming Public Procurement - information and guidance for suppliers page, where you will also find links to the associated user manuals including the Central Digital Platform - factsheet (HTML).

You can also access each of the videos directly:

What you will need in order to register on the central digital platform

You are likely to need the types of information you would complete if filling in forms for council tender opportunities, known as pre-qualification questionnaires or PQQs, to input on to the platform. This includes information about your organisation such as:

  • Basic information - name, address, companies house number (or equivalent charity number), VAT number (if applicable), relevant qualifications or trade assurances and whether your organisation is a SME, VCSE or public mutual
  • Financial information - copies of your accounts from the most recent financial years
  • Exclusions - details of any discretionary or mandatory exclusions for the supplier or connected persons as set out in schedules 6 and 7 of the Procurement Act 2023
  • Connected persons - names, addresses and details on any connected persons to the business (for example persons with significant contract). These are individuals or organisations who have influence or control over the supplier

Once registered it will be simple to review the information and reuse it every time for each tender. You can share the information via two methods either via a share code, a number that is entered in the contracting authority's e-tendering portal, or by downloading the information and uploading as an attachment with your bid.

How to sell to Herefordshire Council

Herefordshire Council will still use the Supplying the South West e-tendering portal to advertise its tenders and receive bids from suppliers and manage its procurement activities.

We will also publish notices on the central digital platform - Find a Tender service.

If you wish to see available opportunities, receive alerts, register an interest for a tender or bid for a tender, it is essential that you register on the portal.