The Procurement Act 2023: Central Digital Platform – news for authorities and suppliers

The light is slowly dawning on the way in which the Central Digital Platform will work under the new Procurement Act 2023 (Act).  

The latest missive on the CDP from the Cabinet Office gives the first inklings of the type of functionality we can expect and how Suppliers will share their information with Authorities using the platform.  

Whether you are a Supplier or an Authority, here are our top 10 things you need to know about the system which goes live in February 2025:

1. The platform will still be called “Find a Tender” and will be an update to the existing Find a Tender Service at https://www.gov.uk/find-tender. It is currently in a stage of beta testing with a number of private beta users.
   
   
2. It will be linked to many existing e-sender portals currently in use, so if you currently use a portal which links directly with Find a Tender, this is likely to continue to be the case. Your portal provider may already have been in touch to update you on this.
   
   
3. Each Authority, each procurement and each Supplier will have a “Unique Identifier” code which will be issued by the platform so that information can be easily linked and followed through the contracting journey online.
   
   
4. The system will not simply be for the publication of procurement notices, but will allow the uploading of documents by Authorities (such as copies of contracts).
   
   
5. Suppliers must be registered on the system in order to be awarded a contract. 
   
   
6. Suppliers will need to register and then input detailed information which they would usually be required to share as part of a PQQ or SQ process with an Authority. Information such as convictions, conduct and contract breaches need to be input as part of the generic “exclusion grounds” information under the Act, and accounts, financial information, qualifications and accreditations will also be stored on the system. 
   
   This will include information about connected persons of Suppliers (i.e. their directors, shareholders and others with significant control). Suppliers are themselves responsible for keeping that information up to date, and there is no process of verification of the information undertaken by the Cabinet Office.
   
   
7. When it comes to a procurement a Supplier will download a “share code” or a full file of the information stored on the platform, and share the access code with the Authority so that the Authority can access and view the information online. 
   
   Alternatively, depending on the Authority’s instructions, Suppliers might need to send the complete information file electronically to the Authority for them to review and evaluate. So, Supplier information will not be accessible to all Authorities, only to those whom the Supplier issues and authorised share code or the full file. 
   
   
8. Suppliers will not be able to complete bids or communicate with Authorities using the platform – Suppliers will need to check the tender documents for each procurement in order to find instructions on how to complete and submit their tenders and raise queries with the Authority.
   
   
9. As an Authority, if you are already registered on Find a Tender, you will need to re-register onto the Platform. Authorities should start to register from January 2025 and the Cabinet Office will issue further instructions on this in due course.
   
   
10. Suppliers only need to register at the point that they want to bid for a contract after the Act comes into force on 24 February 2025. The Cabinet Office will update us further when Suppliers are able to start registering.  

For more information, or if you have any general queries about the Act, please contact Alison Walton using [email protected] or 0191 211 7850.