Fleur Turrington, Jennifer Clarke & Aimee Cook work through the pros & cons of the Procurement Bill
- The government has chosen to consolidate procurement regulations into a new act currently passing through Parliament.
- The new Bill will undoubtedly bring some pros, including the move away from awarding contracts on an ‘advantageous’ basis, opening up for a wider range of suppliers. It also plans to change the mandatory standstill period.
- On the other hand, new regulations around the provision of assessment summaries, as well as persistent barriers to SME participation, could highlight a missed opportunity for reform.
While the UK could continue following the four distinct sets of procurement regulations (the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, SI 2015/102; the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, SI 2016/274; the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016, SI 2016/273; and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, SI 2011/1848), the government has chosen post-Brexit to consolidate the regulations into a new Act of Parliament.
The Procurement Bill is of interest to public sector bodies looking to tender works, services or
