Procurement Bill approaches finish line in parliament

In the wake of its recent Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons, CPC revisits the Procurement Bill and highlights some of the factors our members should know.

Poised to become the Procurement Act upon its impending completion, the Procurement Bill has been covered with interest by CPC across the last few months, as it navigated its way through the UK Houses of Parliament, completing its obligatory Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons on Tuesday 13th June.

While acknowledging the potential for parliamentary ping-pong, it appears the end of the Bill's legislative journey may well be now in sight as it returns to the House of Lords for the Consideration of Commons Amendments, before lurching toward Royal Assent; the final stage of the process, which turns the current Procurement Bill into the Procurement Act, thereby making it law.

However, CPC members may be relieved to learn that its subsequent 'grace period' has recently been extended to October 2024, ensuring adequate time and breathing room to adopt, understand and work towards the new regulations, which were promoted as a way to reform public procurement for much of the UK.

English, Welsh and northern Irish institutions can thus now expect the Procurement Act's six-month preparation process to commence around April, next year.

The reformed regulations will not apply in Scotland, as the Scottish Parliament opts to retain much of the framework of the pre-existing, EU-based legislature.

In early June, preceding the recent Report Stage, the UK government tabled amendments to the Procurement Bill; changes which would, they suggested, protect and strengthen security through the creation of a 'National Security Unit for Procurement', based in the Cabinet Office.

This would see them wield the power to directly ban any firms which are deemed to be a risk from bidding in sensitive sectors.

Of maybe greater relevance to our members, the month also saw the start of a public consultation concerning the secondary legislation required to implement the new Procurement Bill regime. A two-part, technical consultation, part one is open for responses until 11.45pm on Friday 28th July and is accessible here.

With part two anticipated for July, news and information on the Procurement Bill can be found via the Government Commercial Function's dedicated online 'Transforming Public Procurement' hub, which brings together webinar footage, guidance documents and details of their Learning & Development package.

Our procurement learning wing, CPL Learning, can also offer training around the Procurement Bill; contact [email protected] to learn more.