Public sector glossary

Tenders Northern Ireland are advertised contract opportunities to supply goods, services, or works to Northern Ireland public sector organisations. Most opportunities are published through eTendersNI and related eSourcing portals, with links to tender documents, deadlines, and submission instructions. Suppliers typically register on the portal, track notices and pipelines, and submit bids electronically under Northern Ireland procurement rules and UK-wide regulations where applicable.

Transforming public procurement is the UK government programme that updates and simplifies the rules and processes public bodies use to buy goods, services, and works. It is delivered mainly through the Procurement Act 2023 and supporting regulations and guidance, aiming to make procurement more flexible, transparent, and focused on value and outcomes. For suppliers, it changes how opportunities are advertised, how bids are evaluated, and what contract and performance information is published, with the intent of making it easier to find and compete for public contracts.

The UK Procurement Act is the main law governing how public bodies in the UK buy goods, services, and works, set out in the Procurement Act 2023. It replaces much of the previous EU-derived procurement regulations with a single regime focused on transparency, competition, and value for money. For suppliers, it changes how opportunities are published, how bidding and evaluation can work, and what notices and remedies apply, with the aim of making it easier for more organisations, including SMEs, to compete for contracts.

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.