Procurement Act 2023: Register for new Central Digital Platform

17/02/2025

The UK Government’s new Procurement Act 2023 will come into effect on Monday, 24 February 2025.

One of the key changes will be the introduction of a new Central Digital Platform (CDP) for public procurement. The CDP will act as a one-stop hub for suppliers to register, manage their profiles, and engage with opportunities. It promises to:

• Provide a simple registration and identification process for both suppliers and buyers.
• Store suppliers’ core business details, which can be used across multiple bids.
• Enable the easy management and swift updating of core information, allowing it to be shared seamlessly between suppliers, private tender platforms, and buyers.

All suppliers wishing to work with the public sector, including those already registered on the UK Government’s Find a Tender or Contracts Finder services, will be required to register with the new CDP. Registration is free and can be completed at any time after the launch next Monday from this webpage. Step-by-step instructions on how to register can be found here. 

Impact on eTendersNI

You will notice no difference in how eTendersNI operates when submitting tenders; however:

• Contracting Authorities may ask different eligibility questions.
• Contracting Authorities may use “competitive flexible” options, which means you could be involved in competitions that involve multiple cycles of tendering and evaluation.
• Contracting Authorities may establish Open Frameworks (Open FA). This enables the framework to periodically be re-opened for new participants to submit tenders to join.
• Contracting Authorities may establish Dynamic Markets (DM). Within eTendersNI, the current functionality that supports Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) will be renamed to DM but will remain unchanged.

eTendersNI notified users of these potential changes last month via a memorandum, although we understand many of these notifications found their way into junk folders. Within these messages, eTendersNI also directed users to recorded content available on the Government Commercial Function YouTube channel:

• A webinar for suppliers and other interested parties: How to get ready for 24 February 2025

• Government Commercial Function “Transforming Public Procurement” YouTube playlist

Lastly, to make it easier for suppliers to find information related to CDP, the Cabinet Office has created a dedicated supplier information page. They will continue to update this page as the go-live date approaches, including adding “how-to” videos. It is recommended that you bookmark the page and check back regularly for further updates.

If you have any queries regarding the CDP please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk