Consultation on further reforms to public procurement
Introduction
Public procurement is a key lever in achieving the Government’s missions. By sourcing goods and services that provide value for money, we can drive sustainable growth and empower local communities. Taxpayer money must champion British businesses and create good local jobs while protecting our national resilience and economic security. We expect leaders in contracting authorities to carefully consider how they approach the exercise of their procurement functions to best support the delivery of the Government’s missions. This goes further than just thinking about how procurements are structured and contracts are delivered; to include how services are designed, whose voices are being heard as part of the commissioning process, how a community's needs are met, and how markets are created and managed to foster a competitive and dynamic local economy.
The Procurement Act 2023 (the ‘Act’) reformed the rules that govern the £385billion spent through public procurement every year. In line with the manifesto, the Government intends to use the Act to create a simpler and more transparent regime for public sector procurement that delivers better value for money, drives economic growth, and safeguards national interests.
The Act came into force on 24 February 2025 with a new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) setting out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement. The Act revoked the previous regulations, (i.e. the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016, the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011). However, some procurements will continue to take place under these ‘previous rules’.
How to respond to this consultation
This consultation opens on 26.06.2025 and closes on 05.09.2025.
We invite you to respond to the questions in this consultation by 05.09.2025. If you have any queries in relation to completing the survey please email procurement.reform@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
This consultation seeks feedback on whether the suggested proposals meet the intended policy ambitions as set out within the consultation. The majority of questions will ask respondents to state to what extent they agree or disagree with the question posed under each section. Respondents should reply using the following scale; strongly disagree, disagree; neither agree nor disagree; agree, strongly agree. If respondents wish to explain why they do or do not agree with the question, they have the opportunity to explain why they believe this to be the case.
For information on how the Cabinet Office will use and manage your data, please see the Cabinet Office’s corporate Privacy Notice for public consultations here.