The UK's Procurement Act is set to go-live on 24 February 2025. Our four-part podcast mini-series, supported by Procurement Hub, covers the story behind the Act and focuses on three key areas of change to prepare for.
Episode 1: how we got here
Maguire, deputy director for procurement reform at the Cabinet Office shares the motivations behind the new Act, the opportunities it will create for public sector practitioners and the long term ambitions for public procurement.
Plus, the Procurement Hub's Alan Heron offers a practitioner's perspective.
Episode 2: the requirement for transparency
Transparency is 'hard baked' throughout the Procurement Act, but what does this mean in practice? Episode two of the CIPS Preparing for the Procurement Act series focuses on the new notice requirements, the resulting practical implications for contracting authorities and how you can prepare for the changes.
Rebecca Rees, partner and head of public procurement at Trowers & Hamlins joins the Procurement Hub's Alan Heron to provide you with an expert perspective.
Episode 3: building a culture of integrity
With around £300 billion a year spent on public sector procurement each year, professionalism and integrity are essential characteristics of good procurement officers. How is this being addressed in the new Procurement Act? Will the new regulations drive further use of framework providers? And, how will the debarment list of suppliers work in practice
Rebecca Rees and Alan Heron help unravel these very questions for you on episode three of the CIPS Preparing for the Procurement Act podcast series.
Episode 4: opening up public sector procurement
The Procurement Act has been designed to transform procurement and create engaging, competitive and open marketplaces, says the UK's Cabinet Office. Rebecca Rees and Alan Heron explore the mechanisms that have been put in place to enable practitioners to create more competition and flexibility in their procurement processes. Will new skills be required of practitioners to take full advantage of the opportunities?
Plus, hear Rebecca and Alan's final thoughts on the expected impact of the Procurement Act 2023 once it goes live in February 2025.
Further reading:
- An Essential Guide to the Procurement Act 2023, from Procurement Hub
- Procurement Act guidance documents from the Cabinet Office
- What is Public Sector Procurement?
- Procurement Hub
Looking to further your understanding of UK Public Procurement? The CIPS Masterclass in UK Public Procurement two day course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the EU's public procurement regulations, as well as the new UK regulations coming into force in 2025.
Listen to all episodes of the CIPS Futures Podcast series here