Welcome to our special edition of "Procurement in Profile", rounding up all of the events, podcasts and insights published to celebrate the "go live" date of the Procurement Act 2023 and Trowers & Hamlins' Procurement Week 2025!
If nothing else, procurement reform has been a fantastic conversation starter across the public and private sectors over the past 5 years and has provided a platform on which all of the benefits and potential of good procurement has been showcased. New, collaborative relationships have developed and the communication and dialogue that has taken place through the communities of practice and beyond has highlighted how central procurement is to the health and vibrancy of organisations who together represent over £400 billion worth of spend per annum.
Trowers & Hamlins procurement team has been at the centre of those conversations and we pride ourselves on providing clients with informed and solutions-focussed advice. The new rules emphasise the role procurement has to play in producing good commercial outcomes for buyers and suppliers alike and we have helped clients rise to meet the new demands of the reformed system within a fast-evolving commercial world.
We look forward to continuing on the procurement reform journey with our colleagues, contacts and clients alike and hope you enjoy the content in this latest edition.
Do contact our procurement team, if you have any comments or procurement questions.
Insights
Navigating tech contracts under the Procurement Act 2023
Partners Louis Sebastian and Amardeep Gill talk procuring tech contracts under the new Procurement Act 2023.
Procurement Act 2023 – Frameworks and Gold Standard
Many of the rules regulating public frameworks remains very similar in the Procurement Act 2023. However, Senior Associate Andrea Leigh explores a few key changes.
Assessment summaries: practical tips
Senior Associate Ellie O'Sullivan and Associate Adele Shepherd explain how standstill letters have been effectively replaced by 'assessment summaries' under the new Procurement Act 2023.
Procurement Act 2023 launch article - central digital platform
On Monday 24 February 2024 an improved Find a Tender Service, known as the Central Digital Platform (CDP), was annouced. This platform serves as a hub for discovering public sector contract opportunities and submitting bids. In this article, Associate Jamie Norris explains the key role CDP plays in the PA 2023.
The AI Advantage - Artificial Intelligence and Public Procurement
Monday 24 February 2025 marked the "Go live" of the new Procurement Act 2023, the Government issued an updated Procurement Policy Note (PPN 017) on "Improving the Transparency of AI Use in Procurement". In this article Associate Tayler-Mae Porter explores the connection between AI and Public Procurement.
The Government publishes the new National Procurement Policy Statement
In this article, Rebecca Rees discusses the new National Procurement Policy Statement (the NPPS) published by the Government. This new NPPS acknowledges the signifcant influence of Procurement in aligning the entire public-sector budget with its overarching missions, primarily by ensuring value for money while also mandating compliance from contracting authorities and their outsourced contracters.
The future of AI in public procurement
In this article, Partner Amardeep Gill addresses the challenges that come with the integration of AI into public procurement and outlines the key issues and their implications.
Podcasts
Procurement Week 2025 - a conversation with Lindsay Maguire, Cabinet Office
To mark the launch of the Procurement Act 2023, Partner and Head of Public Procurement, Rebecca Rees speaks to Lindsay Maguire, Deputy Director for Procurement Reform Implementation at the Cabinet Office, to discuss its implications for public procurement in the UK.
Procurement Week 2025 - a conversation with Andrew Van Doorn, HACT
In our next Procurement Week podcast, Rebecca Rees and Andrew Van Doorn, Chief Executive of HACT, discuss the significance of social value in public procurement, especially in light of the new Procurement Act 2023.
Procurement Week 2025 - a conversation with Lisa Forsyth, Max Associates
Partner Amardeep Gill speaks to Lisa Forsyth, Managing Director at Max Associates, about the evolving landscape of leisure procurement contracts.
Procurement Week 2025 - a conversation with Craig Naughton, WM5G
Partner Louis Sebastian and Craig Naughton, Commercial and Procurement Lead at WM5G, discuss the implications of the Procurement Act 2023 on tech contracts.
Procurement Week 2025 - a conversation with Alan Heron, Places for People
In the last episode in our Procurement Week 2025 podcast series, Partner Katie Saunders and Alan Heron, Director of Procurement at Places for People, discuss how procurement frameworks have evolved over the years.
Webinar recordings
Webinar: Procurement Act readiness - Top 10 tips
In this webinar, Lucy James and Rebecca Rees navigate the reforms, concentrate on the essentials and reinvigorate efforts to make the most out of the reforms in order to achieve good commercial outcomes through the procurement process.
Construction Leadership Councils launches new public sector procurement guidance
On 24 February 2025, The Construction Leadership Council published its public sector procurement guidance on potential solutions to common evaluation issues faced by clients in the built environment sector. Rebecca Rees and Stuart Brown have been actively involved in drafting the guidance alongside industry experts. Rebecca Rees hosted a webinar on this topic alongside the key contributors from the publication.
Upcoming event
Join Rebecca Rees and Mark Herring, Urbano's Connector-In-Chief, for a Procurement based breakfast alongside other Procurement professionals.
