The UK’s Procurement Act - How’s it going and what’s next?

Session overview

The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025, marking one of the most significant overhauls of UK public procurement in recent years. One year on, how is the new regime working in practice, and what comes next?

This session will focus on the shift towards a more transparent, data-driven procurement system, including the central digital platform, Find a Tender, procurement data, and the development of a supplier registration system.

Recent developments have increased emphasis on how procurement is used to deliver wider policy objectives, through greater use of data, targets and reporting (including SME spend), alongside new guidance relating to national security, domestic supply chains, and social value. Against this backdrop, we will explore how these elements are working in practice.

Is the system improving visibility and accessibility for suppliers? Are contracting authorities able to engage effectively with new data requirements? And is the growing use of targets, reporting and guidance supporting meaningful accountability and behavioural change?

We will also look ahead to the next phase of reform, identifying where further refinement or guidance may be needed to ensure the regime delivers on its ambitions.

Our panellists are:

• Anne Davies (Co-chair), Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of Oxford Law Faculty
• Ruairi MacDonald (Co-chair), Research Associate, University of Oxford Law Faculty
• Albert Sanchez Graells, Professor of Economic Law, University of Bristol Law School
• Camila Salazar, Head of Data Analytics and Learning, Open Contracting Partnership
• Kate Gough, Partner, Freshfields
• Lucy North, Policy Advisor, Cabinet Office

This online session is co-hosted by the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Law and the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) in the Blavatnik School of Government.

Resources

• UK Government - Press release Government departments to set individual targets for the amount they will spend with SMEs.
• UK Government - Press release British shipbuilding, steel, AI and energy infrastructure to be prioritised for government contracts for national security
• UK Government - Consultation outcome Public Procurement: Growing British industry, jobs and skills - consultation on further reforms to public procurement
• Open Contracting Partnership - The UK Procurement Act one year on: what does the data tell us? A one-year review of Procurement Act implementation
• Open Government Partnership - Build Public Dashboards for Open Contracting Data
• UK Government - News story Modernising public procurement: backing British businesses and building a fairer economy
• Tussell - One Year of the Procurement Act: What's Changed?
• Tussell - The Procurement Act After Year One: What Changes Next