Oxford POGO Club: UK Procurement Act Goes Live - Now What?

In this February 2025 session of the Oxford Procurement of Government Outcomes Club (Oxford POGO Club), we will explore what the UK's new Procurement Act and (very new) National Procurement Policy Statement mean for public procurement in practice.

The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) is set to go live on 24 February 2025. Just published on 13 February, a new Public Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) linked to the Act describes procurement as a 'key lever in achieving the Government’s missions.'

Once in effect, this Act will be the law of the land in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland but not Scotland for devolved matters. The Act introduces various reforms including new public notices earlier and later in the procurement cycle, an expanded central digital platform for notices and supplier registration, and increased procedural flexibility. For public contracting authorities in England, there is also a duty to consider the NPPS. The Act also makes provision for Wales to have a 'Wales procurement policy statement.'

The new NPPS begins: 'Mission-driven government means raising our sights as a nation and focusing on ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that provide a driving sense of purpose for the country. It means a new way of doing government that is more joined up, pushes power out to communities and harnesses new technology, all with one aim in mind – to put the country back in the service of working people. Public procurement is a key lever in achieving the Government’s missions by sourcing goods and services that deliver value for money, including social and economic value across the commercial lifecycle that drives sustainable economic growth and benefits local communities, raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom.' (UK Gov, National Procurement Policy Statement, 13 February 2025, p1.)

This session of the Oxford POGO Club will explore what the new legislation means in practice, particularly for our regular themes of procurement professionalisation and capacity, accountability, transparency, data, social value, social outcomes and mission-driven government.

Chaired by Professor Anne Davies and managed by Ruairi Macdonald, we will consider key reforms, the expected impact on procurement processes, and practical steps for adapting to the new landscape.

Our excellent panellists are: 

• Prof Jane Lynch, Cardiff University
• Kate Gough, Freshfields
• Kieran McGaughey, Independent consultant
• Lindsay Maguire, UK Government Cabinet Office
• Michael Bowsher, KC Monckton Chambers and Kings College London 
• Richard Dooner, Welsh Local Government Association

You can rewatch our previous session on the Act here.

The Procurement Act 2023 is available online here. Guidance documents can be found here. For regular updates as the Government prepares for legislation, check here. The milestones for a mission led government can be found here.

The National Public Procurement Statement (NPPS) has recently (on 13 February) been published here. NPPS guidance is here.

Recall that Oxford POGO Club members submitted this letter to the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office. We previously posted this response to the green paper and this response on the draft regulations.

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. All are welcome!