Latest update on the Transforming Public Procurement programme, which includes the following:
- The Procurement Bill has completed its passage through the Committee Stage in the House of Commons. There have been five days of detailed clause-by-clause consideration and a total of 40 committee votes; key themes include national security, conflicts of interest, Net Zero, local buying and devolution issues. Government amendments were approved including to clarify the process for appeals against debarment; to set parameters around the treatment of abnormally low tenders; and to address concerns around cross-border issues. You can view the Hansard records of the committee debates here. The Bill will now progress to Report and Third Reading.
- Once the Bill receives Royal Assent – which we expect to be later this spring – work to finalise the secondary legislation (Statutory Instruments, or regulations) will take centre stage. This will include a public consultation on the draft regulations. More details of the timing of this consultation will be shared in due course.
- Following the consultation, the final version of the secondary legislation will be laid in Parliament and we expect that this would be the earliest point we could give 6 months’ advance notice of go-live of the new regime; we expect go-live will be spring 2024 at the earliest.
Government Commercial Function Update on Transforming Public Procurement and the progression of the Bill and wider reform programme here
