Procurement Act 2023: A guide for employees

This page will be updated when new information is available. Check back regularly for further updates.

Did you know that seven in every ten pounds the council spends is with our supply chain? This money needs to be compliant with these new laws, and it’s our job to help you prepare.

The new Procurement Act will:

• provide greater flexibility in how we buy goods, works or services
• open up public procurement to new market entrants - this includes small businesses and social enterprises so they can compete for and potentially win more public contracts
• take tougher action on suppliers that are not performing well in their contract, and exclude suppliers who pose unacceptable risks
• embed transparency so the use of taxpayers’ money can be scrutinised properly

There will also be more transparency on some of our lower value spending, including updates to the self-serve Request for Quotation (RFQ) process from 24 February.

The Act formalises some areas we already excel in, like social value and carbon reduction goals.

You can read more information on the transformation of public procurement at:

• Transforming public procurement on the Local Government Association website
• Public procurement knowledge drops on GOV.UK

What you need to do

To prepare for the change, you should:

• start thinking about any new work coming up, even if you’re still applying for grant funding, and communicate this with your Procurement contact
• make sure you follow self-serve Request for Quotation (RFQ) actions, such as sending your completed forms into the Procurement team so they can make sure maintenance and tracking is up to date

The new Act will not affect:

• procurements already underway before the Act came into force
• existing contracts until they expire or are replaced

The existing laws will continue to apply until the new Act comes into force.

If you do not know who your contact is or have any questions, email procurement.team@essex.gov.uk.