New Procurement Act to impact council supplier interactions

How the Isle of Wight Council does business with suppliers is changing.

Starting from February 24, 2025, the new Procurement Act 2023 will introduce significant changes to public sector procurement.

This new legislation will affect how all public sector organisations, including the council, procures its goods, works and services, issues tender opportunities and contracts with suppliers.

In response, the council has reviewed and updated its own rules governing these processes.

Key changes and their impact

The Procurement Act 2023 aims to streamline procurement processes and enhance transparency. To help suppliers understand these changes, the government has produced a series of short guides, videos, and awareness campaigns targeted at suppliers and small medium enterprises (SMEs).

For suppliers currently working with or interested in working with the council and the wider public sector, it is crucial to familiarise yourself with these changes.

The council recommends signing up for the Cabinet Office newsletter to stay informed about the latest updates in procurement legislation.

Council's updated contract standing orders

In response to the new legislation, we have updated our rules for how we contract with suppliers (our contract standing orders), effective from February 24, 2025. Key changes include:

•    Streamlined spend levels: The council will adopt a more efficient approach to engaging suppliers for future requirements.

•    Increased transparency: There will be a greater focus on transparency regarding what the council is tendering for and who it contracts with.

Steps we recommend suppliers should take

To ensure readiness for these changes, suppliers should:

1.    Register on the council’s e-tendering system: This will be essential for participating in future tenders.

2.    Register on government tendering portals: The existing government portals Find a Tender and Contracts Finder portals will be replaced with a new enhanced Find a Tender service. To keep informed suppliers should ensure they are signed up to the government newsletters. This will help suppliers stay informed about when the new enhanced Find a Tender service goes live.

Information Sessions

The Cabinet Office is running two webinars for suppliers and other external organisations to support readiness for the Procurement Act 2023.

These sessions will focus primarily on what the key changes are, how the central digital platform will work (featuring a live demonstration) and will be an opportunity to ask questions on attendees' own preparations for go-live.

Places can be booked on one of the following dates:

•    Thursday 23 January 2025 (10:30–11:30)

•    Friday 24 January 2025 (11:00–12:00)

To make it easy for suppliers to find information on the Procurement Act 2023, the Cabinet Office has created a dedicated supplier information page.

They will continue to add information as it gets closer to the go-live date, including 'how to' videos, so please bookmark this and check back for further updates.

Further information

More information on the council’s current tendering arrangements and spend and contract information, is available on its website.