The Procurement Act 2023 went live on 24th February 2025 and, if you sell to the public sector, you’ve probably already experienced some changes to the way you do business with buyers.

The Procurement Act set out to simplify and modernise how the public sector procures products, goods and services from the private sector.

That meant:

• Making the process more flexible and less rule-bound for both the public and private sector
• Encouraging earlier and clearer engagement with suppliers
• Centralising procurement data and notices into a single portal

In practice, suppliers are still discovering the impact on the Act on how they sell to public sector, with some reporting to us at Stotles that they’re seeing a decrease in the amount of work they can bid on coming to market.

So, the big question we’re asking is: “has the Procurement Act impacted the number of tenders released?”

While we pride ourselves on providing direct answers to complicated questions. This particular answer requires some explaining.

So, the short answer? Yes and no.

Here's what’s changed.

Have tenders dropped since the Procurement Act went live?

‍Overall, yes.

Where have all the tenders gone?

What we can see from the Stotles data:‍

• Overall, tender volume has dropped by 20% in 2025, compared to the same period in 2024
• February spike: There was a rush of tenders in February 2025 which was out of keeping with the previous year. Before the Act came into force this year we saw buyers rush to release tenders under the old rules of procurement while they still could.
• March to May slump: After the deadline, volume on Contracts Finder dropped significantly.

Why? There are a few reasons:

• Front-loading effect: That pre-go live rush pulled demand from suppliers forward and now, we’re seeing a drought from publishing tenders early.
• Shift in procurement portals: With Find a Tender now acting as the Central Digital Platform for all procurement notices, many contracts are no longer being listed on Contracts Finder. While this is a consolidating activity in some ways, it doesn’t account for the volume of tenders on Find a Tender plateauing.
• Adjusting to the new rules: Many buyers are still getting comfortable with the new ways of procuring. That takes time, especially with new procurements processes they need to design themselves. Some buyers are partnering with suppliers on their first procurements to get the process nailed down.
• Flexible Frameworks: The Act introduced greater flexibility in how framework agreements can be used and accessed including “Open Frameworks” which allow new suppliers to join over time, creating more continuous opportunities. As buyers often opt for these more streamlined procurement routes, fewer “traditional” open tenders may be being published on portals like Find A Tender.

Pre-tender activity is on the rise

Fewer tenders doesn’t mean less opportunity. It means that the opportunity looks different in a post-Procurement Act market.

Since the Procurement Act came into law the market favours suppliers who do most of their work before a tender goes live.

More notice types are now mandatory, including procurement notices focused on upcoming tenders which give you earlier visibility into future opportunities.

Additionally, the new Competitive Flexible Procedure actually encourages suppliers and buyers to engage on opportunities earlier and far in advance of tender publication.

We can clearly see that there’s been a huge spike in early-stage signals on Find A Tender:

• Pipeline notices are up 663x: From 6 in May 2024, buyers are now publishing them at pace with 3.98k being published in May 2025.
• Planning notices have increased 3x in the last year: These give you early warning of what’s coming to market, and where and are steadily being used more by buyers post-Act.

This shift is not accidental. The Act made early engagement a priority across multiple areas. Buyers are being pushed to show their plans, consult the market, and give suppliers more time to prepare.

Under the new Procurement Act, any authority expecting to spend over a total of £100 million a year on works, services or goods has to publish a Pipeline Notice. That deadline was day 56 of the new financial year, Monday 26th May 2025, and accounts for the dramatic spike we can see on the graph.

To find out how you can win business from Pipeline Notices, check out our "Suppliers guide to £80b in confirmed upcoming procurement spend” report.

What public sector suppliers should do about it

While the number of tenders appears to be dropping since the Procurement Act went live, this isn’t a sign of a market in decline but rather the sign of a market evolving.

Under new clauses in the Procurement Act, the public sector is favouring suppliers who are acting earlier in the procurement process and shaping the market to better accommodate ‘best practice’ in public sector selling.

Some clauses of the Procurement Act are creating the time and space for more consultative selling as part of the procurement process and giving suppliers earlier signs that buyers are about to purchase.

For example:

• More notice types are now mandatory: The new procurement notices focused on upcoming tenders give you earlier visibility into future opportunities (whether that’s across intended spend by specific buyers across a period or into specific upcoming procurements).
• Buyers can talk to suppliers more freely: Pre-market engagement is encouraged under the Act (where previously it technically “wasn’t allowed”). The rules are now less proscriptive, particularly under Competitive Flexible Procedure, the which means more scope for buyers to design their own procurement process and for suppliers to influence a tender before it lands.
• Accessible routes to market: Frameworks have long been the route-to-market of choice for buyers and experience some of the highest volumes of procurement. However, they’ve not always been easy to access with lengthy and rigorous application processes and, once they go live, they’re closed to new suppliers until the next iteration. With the Act’s new open frameworks, suppliers can continue to join frameworks over time if they discover it’s a potential route-to-market.

This market evolution isn’t new. In 2021, Stotles performed a study with our customers and discovered that suppliers’ win rates from submitted bid rocketed from 4% to 46% when they engaged with buyers before a tender was published.

For a long time, the suppliers who performed best in the public sector have been the suppliers who have acted early before a tender comes to market and, under the Procurement Act, it’s clearer than ever that suppliers need to be proactive to win.

Now, more than ever, suppliers who wait for tenders to come to market to react are losing out.

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So, how can you adapt to the post-Procurement Act market?

Create a proactive strategy

• Know your routes-to-market: Analyse where your target buyers are selling and where your competitors are winning to ensure you’re on the right frameworks and not missing opportunities.
• Refine your target account list: Make data-informed decisions on where best to focus your time,and partner with buyers to support them as they adjust to the Act.
• Find partners: Relationships are essential to acting early in the procurement process. Create partner relationships to help you access the right buyers at the right time.

Build pipeline earlier

• Pay attention to early buying signals: Pipeline and planning notices are just two early buying signals. Pay attention to strategy and budget documents and expiring and renewing contracts to identify when a procurement might happen in the future.
• Build decision-maker relationships: When you have an early buying signal, you need to build a relationship with the decision-maker on an opportunity. Reach out and begin the conversation well-ahead of a tender being published.
• Identify renewing contracts: Competitor contracts set to expire are one of the most effective ways to build qualified pipeline. You already know you’re a fit for the buyer, now it’s down to you to support the buyer to understand why you’re the better supplier.

Want to understand how Stotles can support you to get ahead of tenders under the new Procurement Act, and see where you may have missed opportunities? Book a meeting with an expert here.

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