What are PCR regulations?

PCR 2015 thresholds were the financial values in the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015 that determine when a public sector contract must follow the full “above-threshold” procurement rules. Contracting authorities estimate the total contract value (usually inclusive of VAT) and compare it to the relevant threshold for works, supplies/services, or light-touch services. Thresholds are reviewed and updated periodically (for example, from 1 January 2024), and crossing them changes the notice, procedure, and timescale requirements that suppliers will see.

A PIN notice (Prior Information Notice) is a pre-procurement publication by a contracting authority that signals an upcoming tender and gives early details to the market. It helps suppliers spot future opportunities, plan resources, and start preparing before the formal contract notice is issued. In some procedures, publishing a PIN can also allow shorter tender timescales. In the UK, PINs are being replaced by “planned procurement notices” under the Procurement Act 2023.

A Prior Information Notice (PIN) was a published notice from a contracting authority that alerts suppliers to planned upcoming procurements before a formal tender is launched. Authorities used PINs to share early details such as the likely scope, timings, and route to market, and to help suppliers plan and engage early. In some regulated procedures, publishing a PIN allowed shorter tender timescales when the contract notice was later issued. A PIN was not an invitation to tender and does not usually start a competition on its own.

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) were the main UK rules that governed how public sector bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland awarded most above-threshold contracts for goods, services and works. They set out procedures for running competitions, advertising opportunities, setting selection and award criteria, and meeting transparency and standstill requirements. For suppliers, PCR 2015 shaped how and when opportunities were published, what evidence buyers could ask for, and the routes to challenge an unlawful procurement, although the regime is being replaced over time by newer procurement legislation.

A VEAT (Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency) notice is a public procurement notice that a contracting authority publishes to explain its intention to award a contract without using a full competitive procedure. It sets out the legal justification for the approach and starts a short standstill period (often around 10 days) for suppliers to challenge before the contract is signed. For suppliers, a VEAT is an early signal of a direct award and a key document to review if you believe a competitive tender should have been run.

A VEAT notice (Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency notice) is a public notice a contracting authority publishes to signal its intention to award a contract without running a full competitive procedure. It explains the authority’s reasons for a direct award or route to market and starts a short standstill period in which suppliers can challenge before the contract is signed. For suppliers, a VEAT notice is often the main early warning that a contract may be awarded directly and may limit certain remedies if the authority has used it correctly.

VEAT notices (Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency notices) are published by a contracting authority to announce its intention to award a contract without running a full competitive procurement. They explain the reasons for the proposed direct award and start a short standstill period (often around 10 days) during which suppliers can challenge. Properly used, a VEAT can reduce the risk of an “ineffectiveness” remedy later, but it does not remove all challenge risk.